The Hawaii Wildlife Fund (HWF) will begin its Marine Debris Keiki Education &Outreach (MDKEO) program on Hawaii Island this fall.
The Hawaii Wildlife Fund (HWF) will begin its Marine Debris Keiki Education &Outreach (MDKEO) program on Hawaii Island this fall.
This program will bring two marine science mentors into 20 different elementary schools for grades K-5 to introduce topics such as ocean circulation, marine ecology and human impacts, such as marine debris.
Mentors will work with receptive Hawaii Island 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 here in Hawaii and elsewhere throughout the Pacific Basin.
The program will culminate with a family “Beach Cleanup Day” at local marine debris hubs such as Kamilo Point (Ka‘u), Pololu (North Kohala), Kanekanaka Point (South Kohala), Cape Kumukahi (Puna), Kaipalaoa (Hilo), and O‘oma (Kona).
This MDKEO program began with financial support from a HWF T-shirt fundraiser and now is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program.
For more information about this marine debris prevention program or to sign up a classroom, email spina.HWF@gmail.com. For more information about volunteering for the next Ka‘u coastal cleanup event, email kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or call (808) 769-7629.
You also can find additional resources and details about HWF’s ongoing conservation projects online at www.wildhawaii.org.