This year we are hoping to introduce our members to the concept of subsistence living and moving towards a more sustainable use of our natural resources. We plan to introduce them to the near shore environment at a one-day series of workshops to be held at Hanauma Bay. There, staff and volunteers will introduce students to a hands-on look at the various components of the bay and its coral reefs. We are also planning to provide speakers to address the various aspects of man's use and misuse of our marine environment and provide them with some options for a more sustainable approach to managing this vital resource.

In the spring we are planning a truly unique Ecology Camp to introduce our young leaders to a culture that actually lives a sustainable lifestyle right here in Hawaii. I'm referring to the people of the Island of Molokai. Here is a population of predominately native Hawaiians who have practiced a subsistence style of living for many generations and where that practice still continues today. I have been told that as much as ninety percent of the population practices some sort of subsistence by hunting, fishing, gathering or farming.

We want our young leaders of tomorrow to be aware of this unique lifestyle and the cultural roots that support it. To that end, we are planning a week-long expedition to Molokai with representatives from our member high schools on Oahu. The week will provide them with opportunities to interact with many of the individuals and groups that are working hard to make Molokai a truly sustainable environment that provides a healthy and happy lifestyle for all its residents.

We will be base-camped at the Wailua Pavilion and here students will set up a very primitive campsite with only the essentials for health and safety provided and no nearby supermarkets or shopping malls. Here they will engage in a series of activities and workshops to help them understand the concept of providing for all of a community's needs from local resources.

Provisions are being made with the Nature Conservancy to take students out to Mo'omomi Preserve and participate in a service-learning project and to become familiar with the Conservancy's mission on the Island to help the residents in the wise use and protection of this natural resource. In the afternoon, we plan to take the students to the Mo'omomi Recreation Center for some cultural background on this truly unique resource.

The following day we take the students at Halawa Valley where they will have an opportunity to work on a taro loi with local residents and will see first hand the importance of this crop to the Molokai lifestyle. In the afternoon we will take them on an interpretive hike of the valley emphasizing it's cultural and natural resources.

Other outings include a visit to Walter Ritte's Project and some restoration work at Kahinapohaku Fish Pond. While at camp, we hope to bring in some resident hunters and fishermen to teach to students how to supplement their own food stores with local wildlife and fish.

The highlight of the trip will be a visit to Kalaupapa. We plan to take the older students (16 yrs) along the switchback trail on a bus tour of the park with Richard Marks. We have had a number of students visit this area with the Hawaii Service Trip Program and it has truly changed their lives. We are hoping to encourage more of our students to volunteer for these trips by showing them this truly unique National Park. It is not officially opened because the agreement with the Hansen's patients is that they will not open up until the last resident either leaves or passes away. Many of the residents are quite elderly now and sadly it will not be long before the park opens, so this is a special opportunity to see the park while the residents are still there.