Teaching the children: a Hawaiian tradition.

"If you plan for a year, plant kalo. If you plan for ten years, plant koa. If you plan for 100 years, teach the children."

Hawaiian Proverb

Such sentiments are found in many cultures, many lands, and many languages, but they all speak to the same hope: if you want to make the world a better place for all, begin by teaching your children well. In Hawai'i, the incredible natural heritage of this island state has been well documented, both in the recent fossil record and in the observations of the first naturalists to visit the islands. The conservation stoW in this island paradise is one of unparalleled richness and, unfortunately, a story of endangerment and extinction.

In 1993, a conservation partnership was formed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Hawai'i Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and The Peregrine Fund, later joined by the Zoological Society of San Diego. The goal of this partnership was to establish self-sustaining captive populations of the most endangered of Hawai'i's remaining species of honeycreepers, thrushes, and a crow as a hedge against extinction and as genetic reservoirs for the eventual reintroduction of these species into habitat that is identified for management and protection. The partnership, now called the Hawai'i Endangered Bird Conservation Program (HEBCP), operates the Keauhou and Maui Bird Conservation Centers and has established an excellent record of captive propagation; breeding and rearing several species of endemic honeycreepers, such as the Maui parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys), the Hawai'i 'akepa (Loxops coccineus coccineus) and creeper (Oreomystis mana), and the palila (Loxioides bailleui), as well as the endemic puaiohi or small Kaua'i thrush (Myadestes palmeri) and the 'alala or Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis). Although the success of the breeding program is something to "crow" about, the real success of the program might be found in something more subtle and less splashy than the front page cuteness of a nestling songbird being hand fed by an attentive biologist. We take the Hawaiian proverb seriously and have tried to "plan for 100 years, teach the children."

In 1998, the HEBCP, recognizing that the true value of our efforts might lie in the educational opportunity it afforded the children of Hawai'i, formed a new partnership with the Keakealani Outdoor Education Center (KOEC). The KOEC is a unique environmental education program sponsored by the Hawai'i Department of Education that hosts every sixth grade student on the Big Island of Hawai'i for a three-day/two-night stay in the remote rainforests near the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Every sixth grader eagerly looks forward to this adventure where they hike the park, learn about Hawaiian natural history, and visit the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center. Here they see first hand what is being done to recover the endangered avifauna of their Hawai'i. The children are amazed to hear how the world is watching their tiny island home and how Hawai'i presents a natural laboratory for all the world to see. They better understand the process of speciation, adaptation, and extinction. Their eyes are opened to the world of conservation.

Since 1998, over 10,000 children have visited the facilities, seeing bird species they may have only heard about from their elders. They see first hand the dedication and effort being applied to saving the last of the last, and they grow to understand the role they play as future citizens of Hawai'i. After a visit to the breeding centers, the children are filled with the pride of knowing that their home is unique and worth saving. It is a cultural experience that is sure to last a lifetime for the students. We are planning for 100 years...or even longer. We are teaching the children well.

Alan Lieberman is Program Director of the San Diego Zoo's Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program ([e-mail]).