The Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES), based at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, was awarded the Hawaii Conservation Alliance’s Outstanding Leadership Award at the 26th Annual Hawaii Conservation Conference held on Oahu July 10.
The award recognizes a person or organization demonstrating exceptional leadership in advancing environmental conservation in Hawaii that leads to significant better protection of Hawaii’s native ecosystems. Through its efforts since 1994, PIPES has created a strong network of kama‘aina who are engaged in the stewardship of their islands and communities across Hawaii to the broader Pacific. Over the past 26 years of creating summer internships for local undergraduates, PIPES has transformed conservation in Hawaii by expanding local participation in resource stewardship efforts and fostering the long-term success of local emerging professionals.
Natalie Kurashima, Integrated Resources Manager for Kamehameha Schools and a former intern who presented the award, said, “PIPES has served as a beacon for many of us, a bright spot on the horizon showing us the path forward to a better ‘aina and a better self. The program has thrived in spaces where many others haven’t, growing that space and cultivating it to become abundant. This cultivation has occurred both within each intern personally as well as the many organizations and landscapes their reach has touched. Mahalo palena ‘ole iaka ‘ohana PIPES for not only giving us an opportunity to come home for a summer, but an opportunity to find our life’s passion and come home for forever.”
“The conservation community has experienced a marked increase in local representation and influence within a single generation, which, in turn, has shifted how conservation is done in Hawaii,” noted PIPES Program Director Sharon Ziegler-Chong.
Past and present PIPES leaders were honored at the award ceremony: Sharon Ziegler Chong, Ulu Ching, Noe Puniwai, Rita Miller, Linnea Heu, Cherie Kauahi, and Jordan DeJesus.
For more information on PIPES, contact Ziegler-Chong at ziegler@hawaii.edu or 808-990-3768.