There's a lot that can happen in a wa'a.  One summer day while paddling an outrigger canoe, I had the good fortune of having Kekoa Enomoto as my steerswoman.   As we rested between sprints  on the waters of Kahului Harbor, it took little time to discover that we both had a meaningful connection to the Marciels of Kaupo.

As a leader in the Keokea Homestead Farmlots Association, she invited me to share our "J&J" story at the Kekoa Farmers Market.  I am so honored that our neighbors in the Kula ahupua'a took the time to join us.  Special thanks to Grace and the Maui Business Brainstormers for capturing these precious moments.

This blog post might have been delayed but itʻs definitely never to late to reflect and share! This summer I (Hiʻilei Casco) interned through the Kamehameha Schools Kapili ʻOihana Internship Program with the Nature Conservancy Maui. As a field technician, I spent most of my days on the slopes of Haleakalā in Waikamoi Preserve conducting fence checks, leading hikes, exercising our hunting dogs, and removing invasive species. As a student in the environmental field, it was critical that I engaged in field experience in order to 1) boost my resume but more importantly, 2) feel what hands-on conservation work is really like. 

Although I can go on endlessly about the synergistic team I worked with, the relationships I developed with the ʻāina, and the importance of field work to the larger mission of conservation, I will not. There are simply not enough words to express and encompass my experiences and what theyʻve meant to me.

I am so grateful to Kamehameha Schools for supporting me as alumni, and also to TNC Maui for hosting me with the utmost aloha. Here is a visual representation of parts of my journey this summer: