2018 - 2020 PROJECTS

Ola Nā Kini

In school year 2017-18, we consolidated our site restoration projects under the umbrella of Ola Nā Kini (life for the multitude), a native and edible forest regeneration program. We have greatly ramped up work with schools from Waipahu to Wai'anae to include at least two huaka`i (field trips) to mauka (toward the mountains) and makai (toward the ocean) sites that we are fortunate to manage with public and private partners .Students have not only gone on huaka`i, they have also produced individual and group projects related to science and Hawaiian studies -- and often both. Ola Nā Kini is ripe for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) collaborations as exemplified by the Nānākuli Ea mural.

Art and story-telling are powerful methods of learning, as the video, below explains. We were very fortunate to partner with the Estria Foundation, Mele Murals, Ka Waihona O Ka Na'auao Public Charter School, City & County of Honolulu, and Mākaha Studios to bring the Nānākuli Ea mural to life!  The mural is the result of years of planning, exploration, and creation. As you enter Nānākuli, look toward the ocean and you will see the beautiful mural on the multipurpose building at Kalaniana'ole Beach Park!  Mahalo nui loa to the NOAA B-WET Hawai'i program for its support of this project!

If you are part of a school or organization that may be interested in participating in service-learning projects at one of our Ola Nā Kini sites, please fill out our Ola Na Kini Site Huaka'i Request Form. ​We will do our best to accommodate requests as our calendar permits. 

For more information on Ola Nā Kini, please see our webpage.

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Outreach

With funding from a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and support from the Hawai'i Department of Agriculture, since 2017, we have had the honor of sharing information about a highly invasive insect, the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) with Leeward and Central O`ahu schools and communities. These areas comprise the hot spot for the CRBs, which in the state of Hawai`i are only found on the island O`ahu. Authorities are trying their best to eliminate breeding colonies and prevent it from spreading to new sites, but the public's help is critical. We have made dozens of classroom presentations for students from elementary to college, and regularly do outreach activities at public venues. We can even teach people to do Beetle Watch surveys on campus. Our program will conclude in school year 2019-2020 and we welcome any teachers interested in classroom presentations to contact us at info(at)malamalearningcenter.org. 

For more information on Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle and educational materials, please see our webpage.

Agricultural Snail Surveys

Working in partnership with the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum's Malacology Laboratory, we have embarked on a new project, connecting agriculture, conservation, and education. Also funded by the USDA APHIS program, the Agricultural Snail Survey project works with high school interns from Leeward and Central O`ahu schools who have taken on the responsibility to learn about snail pests and conduct outreach at their schools and even at farms and nurseries. These high school interns from schools including Kapolei High, Campbell High, and Hawai`i Technology Academy have gone through intensive training over summer and intersession breaks from Bishop Museum scientists. They have learned to identify various snail species and inform people about ways to eliminate pest snails from properties as they could transmit very dangerous diseases like Rat Lungworm disease. In most cases, the right "messenger" is needed to get the community to act. We are hopeful that these interns will reach people who have not already learned what they need to know to keep their farms, nurseries, gardens, and families healthy.  

For more information about our Agricultural Snail Survey project, please see our webpage.