KILAUEA — Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges, the non-profit friends group that provides support to the Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is continuing its support of the education of future conservationists through distributions from a scholarship fund honoring the legacy of Daniel Moriarty.
“This year, thanks to the support of two anonymous friends in the community, Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges is able to provide a total of $20,000 in scholarship awards,” shared Executive Director, Thomas Daubert. “This is twice the amount we are generally able to award and provided at a time when making investments in tomorrow’s conservationists is even more critical.”
This year’s recipients of Daniel Moriarty Memorial Scholarships include: Samantha Alvarado, Natalie Abao Blum, Mayumi Fulgencio, Alexander Henriques, Kauahoa Hermosura, Matthew Kahokuloa, Jr., Paige Mo‘okini-Olivera, Juliana Rhee and Emma Schneck.
These young people are honoring the legacy of Dan Moriarty, who was an outstanding environmental educator and conservationist who played a major role in developing Kilauea Point NWR and fostering a strong conservation ethic within our community. Since 1998, Kilauea Point Natural History Association, now operating as Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges, has awarded over $160,000 in scholarships in his name and continues to work to inspire, support and develop tomorrow’s conservationists.
This year’s recipients are pursuing degrees within a wide array of wildlife conservation-based areas including Botany; Nature, Society, and Environmental Governance; Natural Resources and Environmental Management; Environmental Biology; Environmental Studies; Marine Science; and Tropical Plant and Soil Science. “We are so honored to be able to support the education of these talented members of our community,” added Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges Board Member and Scholarship Committee Chair, Kalani Walther. “Just envision the impact they’ll have upon our islands in the coming years!”
Dan Moriarty managed the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge from 1979 to 1990, and his tireless efforts in restoring native vegetation and protecting seabirds were largely responsible for transforming the former lighthouse grounds and surrounding cliffs into one of the premier wildlife refuges in the world. He also spearheaded the successful drive to acquire Nihoku (Crater Hill) and Mokolea to make them part of the Refuge.
In addition, Dan was an outstanding environmental educator and conservationist who played a major role in fostering a strong conservation ethic within our community. In 1998, the organization endowed a scholarship fund in his memory and has continued to award annual scholarships in his name ever since.
Each year, students studying in the broadly defined fields of botany, zoology, natural history and related subjects concerning the Hawaiian environment are encouraged to apply for a scholarship. To be eligible, students must have been a resident of Hawai‘i within the last five years, been accepted or enrolled in a four-year college or university or a two-year program provided by a Community College and maintained a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
Scholarship awards are made possible by generous donations to the Daniel Moriarty Scholarship Fund and from proceeds of sales from the Nature Store at Kilauea Point NWR. For more information, visit www.kauairefuges.org or contact Thomas Daubert at 808-828-0384 or scholarship@kilaueapoint.org to discuss ways to support future wildlife conservationists.
