You’ve probably heard about the importance of eating more locally grown foods. What are some ecological implications? Natural Resources and Environmental Management MS student Tanya Torres will discuss her findings during her defense of her thesis, “Quantifying the Environmental Footprint of Doubling Hawai‘i’s Local Food Supply.”

The Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds will be performed on Kaua‘i for the first time in February 2020, and help is needed to recruit teachers on the island to bring their students. All classes in grades 4–12, as well as home-schooled students, are welcome. It's a place-based interdisciplinary program that brings together science, music, art, dance, and education to tell the story of our endangered Hawaiian forest birds.

Clay Trauernicht (NREM) wrote a chilling article on a hot topic in Civil Beat. The wildland fire researcher and Extension faculty member discussed Central Maui fires that burned nearly 20,000 acres this summer (see image of burned area from the Sentinel-2 satellite). This “unprecedented” area reflects “dramatic increases in wildfires across the state,” he warns.

Join in the avian excitement as the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra performs the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds, an original set of works produced by Hawai‘i’s composers, artists, biologists, and educators! Melissa Price of CTAHR’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management is a creator of the concert project, bringing to it her perspective on conservation and wildlife management. It’s all happening November 5 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall!

Noa Lincoln, of CTAHR’s Department of Tropical Plants and Soil Sciences, and Nathanial Wehr, of our Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, are co-authors of a new article published in the prestigious journal Science about the importance of earthworms in biosystems—and the necessity for studying these wriggly creatures so we can keep those biosystems healthy.

Last year’s artistic and ecological success, the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds, spearheaded by Melissa Price (NREM), is coming back with two additional free keiki concert dates! This multimedia production with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra brings together music, art, and hula to teach students in grades 4 through 12 about Hawai‘i’s endangered forest bird species. 

Welcome to Mahealani Kaneshiro—UH alumna, kanaka maoli, and uchinanchu (local descendent of Okinawan immigrants)—who is a new instructor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM). Mahealani has a wide range of experience in college-level instruction and outreach Extension. She will be responsible for many of the required NREM undergraduate courses, including internships, and plans to teach elective and graduate-level courses as well. 

The Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death Working Group—also known as the ROD Squad—was formed to respond to the new disease threatening Hawai‘i’s most important native forest tree. With nearly 200 individuals representing state, county, federal, university, and non-profit organizations; local and private businesses; and private citizens, the group facilitates inclusive communication on all issues related to the fungal disease and shares knowledge on a regular basis among group members, their organizations, and the people of Hawai‘i.

Wildland fire expert and 2019 winner of the Excellence in Extension award Clay Trauernicht (NREM) was recently interviewed by Noe Tanigawa on Hawai‘i Public Radio’s Planet 808 show about the increasing danger of wildfire in the Islands and its connection with climate change.

UH plays a vital role in researching and raising awareness of Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD), a disease that is killing off the native and iconic ‘ōhi‘a lehua tree. CTAHR and other UH scientists are working with state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations to learn about this disease and to assess what can be done to protect ‘ōhi‘a for future generations.