Kahili Preserve internships open

LIHUE — The Hawaii Land Trust (HILT) announced on Friday that is is accepting applications for its second annual Kahili Preserve Summer Internship Program on Kauai.

Supported by Native Hawaiian Corporation, the internship is limited to five high school students ages 16 to 18 years old. Each student, on completion of the program, will be awarded a $1,000 stipend.

The internship runs from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays from July 1 through 24. Enrichment and restoration activities at the HILT’s 17.6-acre Kahili Beach Preserve as well as service learning visits to nearby partner organization sites will provide a deeper understanding of coastal land management.

According to online sources, Kahili Beach is a popular surf spot for Kauai’s North Shore residents that is nicknamed Rock Quarry and attracts recreational beachgoers and surf lovers.

During the internship, HILT said students will gain a stewardship perspective through malama aina; increase their understanding of coastal land management through the utilization of shared local practices within the land trust stewardship and conservation teams; develop an understanding of biodiversity and the multiple benefits within the ecosystems they support; experience different aspects of human use and impact on habitats and large ecosystems; and formulate possible solutions for latter engagement.

Applications and more information are available at the HILT website, www.hilt.org/kahili-preserve-summer-internship.

Hawaii Land Trust, Hawaii’s statewide local nonprofit land trust that protects, stewards, and connects people through education, public access and cultural practice to the lands that sustain Hawaii.

For more than a decade, the nationally accredited land trust has preserved more than 22,500 acres across the Hawaiian Islands through land purchases and conservation easements, protecting Hawaii’s coastlines, cultural landscapes, and lands that grow food.

For more information, visit the website www.HILT.org.