CONSERVATION EDUCATION IN HAWA161: HISTORY, PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS Mvsi oun srers pass through Hawai'i's public and private schools lame$ wilhut any svslemal~ emosure to firndamental ecolo~ical pr&&sespertaining-to oceanic Gland environments and thei; conservation

Wayne C. Gagn6 and Lorin T. Gill

Conservation edocation, also referred to in Hawai'i as environmental education, appears to hove itF local roots in the 19th century. In the decades preceding thc establishment of Fowst Reserves by the territorial government in the early 1900s and their consolidation within the Conservation Ilistrict followine ibe Land Use Law of 1961. there was concern that unc~mtrolled

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gruing iiy feral mammals and domesticstock was dctrimcnt;~l lo forested watersheds (see Ibck 1974). 1)isappearance of native insectivorour hirds wa. :IIW noted (Severance 1853). Delining and fencing waterched forerts and continual removal of Imofcd rnarnmal~ (ungulates) from these fore t s were activitic\ recorded in the llcrwaiiun F o r t ~ e r ondAgri(:rcl/uri~t until tnc l'j30s. Iixamination of reports in this journal, written hy the I Ijwa~l I)ivi.lon of Forestry, the Superintcndcnts of Forestry, and var io~~r hotsr~isth, r r ~ e ; ~ l s s strong protcctivc and utilitarian philosophy toward native hrrc,~ con~cn:itii~n. De~raded lands onsuitable to aqricullure were reiurcstcd. I :~i ior t~~n:~~el \ . natTve tree species were considered too slow-growing for this purpose, sd mostly alien species were used.

The Hawaii Audubon Society (founded in 1939) and the Conservation Council for Hawaii (founded in 1950) focused on native wildlife and natural ~ ~ ~ ~

resources con~crva t i~n ilntl \rere the ecrrliest conir~~uriit! g r m p 111 lhrinp, conservation to the atreruion of ctl.~ccltors and thc p:~hlic.

During the 1950s. f o l l m i n ~ thc sar-c;~llc.d 'dernucratic re\.nlution' (re? Daws 196X), there \\as a polit:cal ;ibout-fa~~! rcg.~rJ~ng crl1r.n lic.rh~\t~rr. 111 watersheds. There then ensued a multiple use ~)rxticr. for w ; r t~~ r r l~~~J$ . :mi uneulates were manaeed and "controlled for rdcreational huntine at sus- taGed yield levels. number of additionalgame species such asrpro&horns (Antiloca~ra americana), black-tailed deer (Odocoileus lwnionus), and mouflon '(Ovis musimon) were introduced to Hawai'i. The last two species, and several others previously introduced, continue to negatively impact native ecosystems to the extent that their maintenance in sensitwe natural communi- ties should now be termed a "multiole abuse" concent (see Game 1988). State wildhie managers admit that hunreh are failing to Lontrtll' :h;, nurnhc,;, of these game species in remoter areas (Walker 1084). The in:~ilt oppnnent,, then, in environmental conservation issues in Ilwai'i are hunter, u14iing to maintain a hunting resource in all areas of the main Islands, and conien,at~on- ists strivink for feral anrmal removal from protected a r e 3 derlgnatcd for the perpetuation of native species, critical habitats of Endangered specics. and

sensitive watersheds. These two factions now battle in the courts and at State andFederal legislatures, while political leaders, educators, and students have. bv and large, been left in the dark, with little or no effort being made - to educate thenior Hawaiian society in general.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: RECENT HISTORY

A systematic ap roach to environmental education began on several fronts in the late 19&s and early 1970s. A group of "outdoor" educators formed the Citizens Committee for Environmental Education following the Governor's (John A. Bums) Conference for the Year 2000 in 1970. This sub- sequently became the Environmental Education Association, which endured for about one year. On another front, William Hammerman, a national authority in "outdoor education" and the designer of such programs for several California school districts, was brought to Hawai'i hy the American Camping Association to meet with communit groups which were pressing the Depart- ment of Education (DOE) to includie environmental education m its curricu- lum. The effort got nowhere at that time. The first tangible strides forward for environmental education were made with the incept~on of the High School Hikers Program of the H8waii Chapter of the Sierra Club, started by Lorin Gill in the spring of 1970. Some concerned teachers in public and rivate schools taught conservation education, and the DOE published a &mpen- dium of Coastal Field Sites for teacher use. The Cur:iculum Research and Development Grou of the University of Hawaii also developed a loose-leaf Hawaii Nature Stu 1 y program with emphases on insects, plants, small mammals, and reef and shore life.

Still, there was little interaction with the DOE and public school teachers. Increasing access to and involvement of teachers and students began with a shift in the program of the Moanalua Gardens Foundation in 1980, and the formation of the Makiki Environmental Center (now the Hawaii Nature Center) in 1981. At the B.P. Bisho~ Museum, which had lone emuhasized varlous as ects o i Polynesian cultuie, morc attention wa, ~ e c h e d to natural hi,ton.. Tfew O%hu.hased institutions are stronglv urhltn in their emphasis and haw had little impact on the neighbor islands. or even nml O'ahu. wherz the attitudes of students toward natu'ial areas are strongly exploitative.'

Attention to environmental education varies considerably among the private schools, with parochial schools faring especially poorly. By and large, there has been no thematic approach. Elementary levels receive most exposure, intermediate levels less, and high schools hardly any. In contrast to the public schools, this situation is not likely to change in the near future. ~~ .-~. ..

The stage for environmental education in the Dublic schools was set with the Dassaee in 1978 of a State constitutional reauirement to teach environ- mehal education. The full gearin of the publi'c schools from legislative man- date to reality is still long from reafized. Still, progress is being made. An Environmenial Office, d t h Judv Poole as first-director. was established with- in the DOE in 1980. Preparation of environmental educhtion ntatcrials by thc DOE and a few uther slaw go\ernmr.nt entitiec, such as the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Universitv of Hawaii. is under wav hloan;~lua Chrdens 1:oundation. the R.P. ~ i s h l ; ~ MuseurnHnwaii ~o l i anoes Sation31 Park, and others ;,re mcreasmgly involved i n teacher training

workshops relevant to environmental education, including conservation biol- 00. This is now appropriately sanctioned by the D O E and University of Hawaii College of Continuing Education and Community Services, so that teachers and others can receive appropriate academic credit for attendance at such workshops.

WHAT ARE MAJOR PROBLEMS?

In suite of all the aforementioned Dromess. we are still onlv on the vcrm . .. ~~~2 - - D - oi\.~ziz:v-uiJz r r . . y i o ~ ~ ;mJ undr.r,t;~n.lin,! ufcnvir~in~iicntal education, ,.clll*i.r\ ; l t i . ln l ~ i o l ~ ~ p , and rchted topicr. SOLICI! at i l l views these arcas 3.. "soft science." The one full-time encironmental-education suecialist in

Deoartment of Educatibn bureaucraw and oolicv need considerable

hours when most teachers are in class and is not open to private schools. - Neither is it oreoarine new curricula. There is a D O E liaison oerson at the

mental issues. A11 of this has contributed to a "Catch 2 2 situation. Most youngsters

nass throueh Hawai'i ~ u b l i c and orivate schools lareelv without anv svstem-

tuallv become elected officials and other decision-makers, vet thev have never

cials represent an underexposed constituency with little or no concern for the conservation of natural systems (Gagnk 1975). A comparatively small "elite" group has developed an awareness and concern for conservation biology and recognizes the importance of education (Stone and Stone 1984; Gagnk 1988). Meanwhile, community groups such as the Hawaii Audubon Society, Sierra Club. Conservation Council for Hawaii, and others are constrained to fight

A considerable body of research-based literature relevant to conservation biology in Hawai'i has recently appeared (Mueller-Dombois 1981; Stone and Scott 1985), scholarly tomes largely written for a scientific audience. There

has been little "trickle-down" or "translation" of these and other appropriate materials for use by teachers and the lay public. Two recent applications to the National Science Foundation by a Bishop Museum-based team to attempt to remedy this situation were rejected by the National Science Foundation but funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago in the amount of $765,000.

The economics of large-scale textbook production means that Hawai'i's students receive more exnosure to environmental education from the U.S.

education.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Materials relatine to fundamentals of environmental education in oceanic i h n d r.nviron~n&t> rnu.1 he prepared for kindergarten ihrougll 12111 gr;~de, at hoth puhlic and pri\ste .;chools. The I3.P. I h h o p h luxxm i > currcntlv undcrt:iking this with hl;~c.\rthur rc~~rn,l:tt~on iundrng ior kindergdrtcn through gr;ldc eight.

2 . .l\ctive support o i !he ildnlini\trator.; \ n t h 1 1 1 DOE ;,nd oipi,roch:;d scd other pri\iltc i c h ~ o l s ~ho111d be enli,tcd tu ~!~~tcrnatr:.~lly i n z l t d ~ ~ curri- cula wi~h en\.irunrncnt:rl c~lucatron compmcnr\.

3 '1cit;Iier~ d101rlJ OL' t.t~rght hou t t l (rre\enr cn\~ironnicnt;:l d~.c:rtro~i n u - terlak (see Dcrria~ichc, t h i ~ wlunie). \Isteri:A sho~rld hc field ~ c > t e d , u ~ t h te:~cher ;md ,tudent i n p ~ t .

4. 'Tr;~ining of environrnr~ntnl eilucation qx,ci:tli;t; uitliin the 1101: :,nd 11 :.I\ universl'ties should be enhanced.

5 . 3l11seums. cornmunit! g r o q i . :tnd ll:~u:ttian sucictv ss :I u h d e \hould he iupporteJ and encour~getl to develop sn aa:ircnc,s, con~crn , and >emc o i rewcrn>rhilitv for hertcr cnnsen.jtion and rn;ln:wrnent (,i 1 lau;~r '~ ' r natural resourcks.

Important References

Daws, G. 1968. Sltoal of Zmc: A Hislop oftlze Hawaiian Islandr. Univ. Hawaii Press. Honolulu.

Demanche, E L [this volume] What do classroam teachen need to teach conservation education in Hawai'i?

Gagn6, W.C. 1975. Hawai'i's tragic dismemberment. Defenders 50(6):461-469. Cam& W.C. 1988. Conservation priorities in Hawaiian natural systems. Bioscience

Mueller-Darnhais, D., K.W. Bridges, and H.L. Carson (edr.). 1981. IslandEcosyslems Biological O?gaganiralion in Seiccled Hawaiian C ~ m l l l u n i l i ~ ~ . Hutchinson ROSS Publ. CO., Straudshurg, Pennsylvania.

Rock, J.F. 1974. nre Indiptous Trees ofrhe Hawaiion Islands. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kaua'i, Hawai'i, and Charles E. Tuttle Co., Rutlard, Vermont, and Tokyo, Japan. (Reprint of 1913 edition.)

Severance, L. 1853. Report of the Committee on Birds. Transactions of the RoyolHawaiiort Agn'culhcroi Sociely 1(4):83-85.

Stone, C.P., and J.M. Scott (eds.). 1985. Hawai'i's TerestriolEcosysfems: Preservalion o,zdMo,togeme,n. Univ. Hawaii Press for Univ. Hawaii Cooperative National Park Resaurces Studies Unit, Honolulu.

Stonc, C.P., and D.B. Stone. 1984. The "10 most-wanted' management actinns for terrestrial Hawaiian ecosystems: a survey. 'Elcpaio 45(6):41-48.

Taketa, K.H. 1987. Report of thc Executive Director: 1986. rile Nunrre Corrservancyof Hawaii, Newsletlo (February), p. 2.

Walkcr, R.L. 1984. Lettcr from Ronald L. Walker to Dr. Frank G. Howarlh, dated 7 Septcmhcr 1984. 'Elepoio 45(6):46-48.