Hawaii Wildlife Fund will begin its Marine Debris Keiki Education &Outreach program on Hawaii Island this fall.
The program will bring two marine science mentors into 20 elementary schools to introduce topics such as ocean circulation, marine ecology and human impacts, including marine debris. Mentors will work with teachers to coordinate relevant student activities that meet the math and science benchmarks and Common Core standards for the state Department of Education for each grade level. These in-class lectures will conclude with student presentations of potential solutions to reduce marine debris in Hawaii and elsewhere throughout the Pacific Basin. The program will culminate with a family beach cleanup day at island marine debris hubs including Kamilo Point in Ka‘u, Pololu in North Kohala, Kanekanaka Point in South Kohala, Cape Kumukahi in Puna, Kaipalaoa in Hilo and Ooma in Kona.
The program began with financial support from a Hawaii Wildlife Fund T-shirt fundraiser and will now be sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program.
For more information about this marine debris prevention program or to sign up a classroom, contact Catherine at spina.hwf@gmail.com; and for more information about volunteering for its next Ka‘u coastal cleanup event, contact Megan at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629. Find additional resources and details about HWF’s ongoing conservation projects online at wildhawaii.org.