Conservationists flock to Hilo conference

At noon on Tuesday, a flood of people emerged from the classrooms at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and headed for the dining hall.

School is not back in session until the end of the month, but this week people from around the state are in town to further their conservation education.

The 23rd annual Hawaii Conservation Conference began Monday and continues through Thursday. Hosted by the Hawaiian Conservation Alliance — a group of 25 organizations ranging from the Pacific Islands Climate Science Center to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs — the conference is a way for researchers, students and conservation officials to collaborate.

Typically held in Honolulu, the conference hasn’t been in Hilo for more than 20 years.

More than 1,100 people registered for this year’s event, with about 400 from the Big Island in attendance, according to Mary Ann Tsuchiyama, a member of the planning committee. That number doesn’t include the volunteers and vendors, Tsuchiyama said.

“We’re so pleased that we have that amount of interest,” she said.

Today also features several community-oriented sessions. Research presentations are free and open to the public from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the UH-Hilo campus, and people will be able to meet with presenters during a poster session from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

A daylong exhibition spotlighting Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument begins at 10 a.m. in the UH-Hilo performing arts auditorium.

“We need to spread that (conservation) message, because there’s a lot of work to be done,” said event co-organizer Jodi Chew of the U.S. Forest Service. She has been attending the conference for the past 10 years.

Frances Quitazol, natural resources manager for the Nature Conservancy on Maui, sat in a morning session spotlighting the connections between culture and science (featuring presentations such as “Hawaii’s Cultural Seascapes: Perspectives from Paddlers,” “Fishers and Surfers in Hilo Bay,” “Fall and Rise of the Hawaiian Honu” and “The Mystery of the Ake Plants”).

“It’s interesting and important,” Quitazol said.

Kawena Elkington has attended three conservation conferences, but was at this year’s in her official capacity as outreach assistant for the conservation alliance. Elkington, a student at UH-Manoa, wasn’t the only repeat conference attender: She said she’d seen many others sporting gear from previous year’s sessions.

The conference is a way for people to come together, she said. “There are some big ideas and big conservation opportunities going on.”

A Tuesday morning session titled “Birds and Bats” drew so many people that the space reached capacity and spilled into a different classroom, where it was standing room only.

“One thing is just to make connections,” said Amanda Shore-Maggio, a graduate student at UH-Manoa studying pathogens on coral reefs. Shore-Maggio was set to present her dissertation research on Thursday.

“There are so many agencies and groups I didn’t even know existed until I got here,” she said.

But regardless of where attendees were from or what agency they represented, all hoped to pass on what they’d learned.

More than 10 staffers from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park attended Tuesday’s programs. It’s a way to relay cutting-edge science to visitors, park ranger Dean Gallagher said.

He and fellow ranger Travis Delamont had already attended several presentations by lunchtime. Gallagher was particularly excited about a carbon sequestration talk that he knew could be applied to HVNP’s ongoing native plant projects.

“That was awesome,” he said.

“Every year, there’s things that are at the forefront,” Tsuchiyama said. “I’m hearing a lot about taking care of (Hawaii) for the future.”

“We’re building capacity so we have the next generation stepping up,” Chew said.

But next year, the conference won’t take place as usual. Instead, Hawaii is set to host the World Conservation Congress.

Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.