Student ReefTeachers
School is out for the summer, but students of all ages are learning how to protect the reef at Kahaluʻu Bay, Hawaiʻi Island (Big Island), and to share that sense of stewardship with all who enjoy it.
Student ReefTeachers educate visitors about reef etiquette—such as avoiding touching and standing on coral, taking anything from the reef, feeding fish, or coming within 10 feet of turtles. They also share what they’ve learned about the many fish and invertebrates living at the bay, practice water quality monitoring, and do data collection and coral reef surveys. The students’ knowledge of the reef and its inhabitants always draws a crowd.
Students draw from the Queen Liliʻuokalani Children’s Center, Junior Lifeguards, Wilderness Ventures, Na Kahumoku, and University of Hawaiʻi … If you know students interested in becoming ReefTeachers, please contact Cindi Punihaole at cpunihaole@kohalacenter.org, (808) 895-1010, http://www.kohalacenter.org/kahaluubay/about.html.
