Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a two-part story on the state’s partnership with local schools to manage public fishing areas. Part 1 talked about the joint program between Kapa‘a High School the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources, the school’s preparation for participation and the need to collaborate with other area schools to ensure the greatest degree of marine conservation.
In addition to Kapa‘a High School, there are programs at ‘Ele‘ele Elementary with Leighton Kabutan, Waimea Canyon School with Howard Hurst, Kalaheo Elementary with Clyde Hashimoto and Kaua‘i High School with Herbert Keamoai. The schools are at various stages of growth in their programs.
Wahiawa Middle School in the Central District of O‘ahu has been successful in spawning blue gill. Kapa‘a High and Workplace Readinesss teacher Kulana Smith said Kaua‘i Complex Area resource teacher David Kagawa was able to take some Kaua‘i teachers to visit Wahiawa Middle. They celebrated Wahiawa’s success and were encouraged enough by it to think the program could be replicated on Kaua‘i.
“I love and appreciate the articulation,” Smith said. “I think it needs to happen.”
The latest setback was the disappearance of the bluegill in the tank. Smith said it is all a part of the learning experience and a way to teach life skills.
“These things happen. We start again and don’t give up,” Smith said. “That kind of motivation and increased participation are very important for students. We need for them to believe in themselves. What they apply here is what we encourage for the work arena and community.”
Service learning is also integrated into the curriculum. Smith said students are finding out that they have to volunteer their time and services.
Being a part of the Wailua reservoir public fishing project will instill school and community pride, she said.
For now, the program will develop step by step. Smith said students need to learn to be careful with the fragile ecosystem and demonstrate the proper etiquette. They need to have discussions to decide where they are going on this journey, what they are raising and why. They need to do research and talk about the impact on the environment.
Principal Gilmore Youn said the journey would eventually have students working as guides at a nature center. Students will take care of the maintenance and re-stocking of not only blue gill, but also bass, in what Wade Ishikawa of the DLNR’s Aquatic Resources Division calls the predator-prey relationships.
“Students will develop an awareness of a valuable resource they need to protect,” Youn said.
The integration of the reading and math into science is an important aspect of the program for Youn. Applying what students study in class to real life situations promotes the learning.
Working with community members like Jack Gushiken, a well-known North Shore freshwater fisherman, and Michael Tamashiro, another avid fisherman, and private businesses, who donate valuable resources enriches the experience. The partnership with another government agency, the DLNR, makes the program unique, Youn said.
“The DLNR is looking at this as an opportunity to enhance outdoor recreational opportunities for families,” Ishikawa said. The forestry and wildlife division has responsibility for all the hiking and biking trails. DAR is tasked with designating Wailua Reservoir as a public fishing area. Eventually an environmental center like the DOE Discovery Center in Koke‘e may be added.
For now, Ishikawa said he is supporting the various fisheries programs, assisting with Kapa‘a High School’s continuing revitalization of the multi-use fishery facility, speaking to students about the vision of the Wailua reservoir public fishing area and building a strong relationship with the DOE.
The program recently received a boost when the Hawai‘i Nature Center received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for its Watersheds from the Mountains to the Sea program. The program incorporates the outdoor recreational activities envisioned by the DLNR for the Wailua reservoir area.
• Cynthia Matsuoka is a freelance writer for The Garden Island and former principal of Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. She can be reached by e-mail at aharju@kauaipubco.com.
