One of the best ways to get to know your local community is to start at the library. This is exactly what one staff member and several interns from the San Diego Zoo’s Maui Bird Conservation Center (MBCC) decided to do when planning an informational display. The poster included short notes about our program and the four species of native endangered Hawaiian birds reared at the facility, as well as examples of eggs, nene goose feathers, a feeding puppet used for ‘alala chicks, and Maui parrotbill nests used at the Center. Skillful artwork (provided by a previous intern, Allison Homer) and colorful photos added the finishing touches, providing something for all ages and interests to take in and enjoy.

The finished display, presented to the public at the Makawao Public Library, was a fun way to introduce our work and a few of Hawaii’s native birds to our local community. It also marked the official start of our volunteer program.

People from all over the island of Maui are invited to join MBCC’s team by volunteering their time, from once a month to as often as once a week. Maui’s kama’aina have a passionate spirit for preserving their culture and native lands, so this program seems like a natural progression.

Every week, we now get dedicated help on some of the chores that were previously “swept under the carpet.” Volunteers help maintain waxworm colonies, care for our gardens and native plant propagation projects, or help staff on a myriad of other projects. There are definitely plenty of jobs where volunteer help is most appreciated!

In the future, we hope to reach out again and become more involved in projects with local schools, from elementary to high school, to help introduce Maui’s youth to the preservation of the aina (land).

For more information on the Maui Bird Conservation Center’s Volunteer Program, please write mbcc.volunteer@gmail.com.

Karen Hotopp is a research Associate with the San Diego Zoo’s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.

Read more blogs about the Hawaii program…

Posted in Conservation, Default, General, Hawaii Bird Project | Link to this post

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Scroll to the end to leave a comment. Pinging is not allowed.