Extension and Outreach

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The community economic development work undertaken by the Cooperative Extension Service in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) covers a broad spectrum of activities that include community economic development, leadership development, and interdisciplinary research, service and education that supports and strengthens families.

Linda J. Cox, Extension Specialist

HAWAIʻI FORESTRY EXTENSION

Learn about Hawaiʻi Forestry at the Hawaiʻi Forestry Extension program. Find information about tree species, tree pests and diseases, and forestry research. Find links to major topics relating to Hawaiʻi Forestry.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/

J.B. Friday, Extension Specialist, Forestry

INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT

The mission of the Invasive Plant Management Extension Program is to extend knowledge and transfer technology contributing to higher-level tactical and strategic decisions resulting in efficient and effective landscape-level invasive plant species management.  To that end, this program deploys concepts from a wide range of scientific disciplines in biology, engineering, economics, operations research and management science and enjoys strong collaborations with practitioner-scientists from local, state and federal resource management programs.

James Leary, Extension Specialist

RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH

A new fungal disease is currently attacking and killing ʻōhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha), the most abundant native tree in the state of Hawaiʻi. On Hawaiʻi Island, hundreds of thousands of ʻōhiʻa have already died across thousands of acres from this fungus, called Ceratocystis fimbriata.

www.rapidohiadeath.org/

J.B. Friday, Extension Specialist, Forestry

RENEWABLE RESOURCES EXTENSION

The Renewable Natural Resources Extension Program at the University of Hawai‘i is a Targeted National Program supported primarily by the USDA. The goals of RREA include development of a stewardship ethic, an appreciation of biodiversity, and a knowledge base that will sustain natural resources.

J.B. Friday, Extension Specialist, Forestry

THE TEACHING CHANGE PROGRAM

The Teaching Change program is a partnership between NREM, the USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, and a wide array of state, federal and non-profit collaborators. Teaching Change began in 2012 and has since reached several thousand middle and high school students on Hawaii Island via outdoor, immersive educational opportunities in natural resource management. The primary mission of Teaching Change is to inspire local youth to pursue careers in natural resource management in Hawaii and to empower them with the knowledge of how to best attain these careers via postsecondary educations in the state. The program has five primary components: (i) monthly two-day outdoor field courses focused on forest ecology and management in the context of global change (climate change, invasive species, land-use change); (ii) an annual Conservation Career Day where students learn about educational pathways and careers in natural resource management; (iii) an annual Teacher Training Workshop to provide local middle and high school teachers with the background and knowledge to develop and implement outdoor, immersive curricula; (iv) monthly, immersive day trips to introduce 4th graders to native flora, fauna and forest ecology; and (v) an annual Bio-cultural Blitz with 4th graders geared towards learning about environmental science topics, careers in natural resource management, and the cultural significance of place.

http://www.teaching-change.org/

Creighton Litton, Principal Investigator

Catherina Spina, Program Coordinator, cspina@hawaii.edu

WILDLAND FIRE PROGRAM

Pacific islands are particularly vulnerable to wildland fire and other climate-related hazards due to the tight linkages among upland and coastal resources, the sensitivity of native ecosystems to the combined stress of disturbance and invasive species, and changes in cultural practices and land use.  The CTAHR Wildland Fire Extension program supports a diverse set of clients engaged in land management, public outreach, and emergency response by providing information and developing tools to mitigate the threat and impacts of wildland fire and other hazards on valued resources.  The program also works to develop climate science knowledge among fellow extension faculty to identify strategies and opportunities for their clients to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

www.nrem-fire.org

Clay Trauernicht, Assistant Extension Specialist, Wildfire Management

4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

4-H is one of the oldest and most effective programs of non-formal education in Hawaiʻi. The 4-H classroom is a world of real hands-on projects and demonstrations, leadership development, and personal economics. 4-H teaches pride in workmanship and accomplishments, personal interaction with peers, and respect for the environment.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/4H/

Steven Nagano, Extension Agent