The iolani paepae o WAI ekolu: place-based watershed education and caring for stream ecosystems project will educate the public about hawaii's native unique freshwater species and the effect of…

The University of Hawaii at Manoa was awarded a $150,000 Project Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Office for Coastal Management federal grant program (CFDA 11.473). The grant will support the Iolani PaePae O Wai Ekolu: Place-Based Watershed Education and Caring for Stream Ecosystems project, which aims to educate the public about Hawaii's native freshwater species and the effects of human influence on their populations. Specifically, the University of Hawaii will develop classroom curriculum and field protocols for use in K-12 schools on Oahu, emphasizing environmental awareness through four sequential lessons on freshwater streams and watersheds. Students will learn native and non-native stream ecology, standardized biomonitoring techniques, and data analysis skills to assess stream health. The project delivers critical place-based education services to foster greater environmental stewardship of Hawaii's watersheds and freshwater ecosystems.

The iolani paepae o WAI ekolu: place-based watershed education and caring for stream ecosystems project will educate the public about hawaii's native unique freshwater species and the effect of human influence on their populations. Iolani school initiated a stream outreach and restoration project with the university of hawaii at manoa. Together, classroom curriculum and field protocols were developed for use in k-12 public and private schools on oahu, emphasizing environmental awareness through four sequential freshwater stream and watershed lessons. Lessons begin with an introduction to native/non-native stream animals and how they are indicators of stream health. Students then learn how to work together to capture stream animals in a standardized survey method called paepae. After rehearsing their field methods, students are taken to a nearby stream site for field application. The final lesson involves a data exploration science curriculum that has been designed to fit the next gener