Ola i ka wai: Water is life.  Native forests provide the critical, yet often undervalued environmental services of improved water quality, increased carbon storage opportunities, increased resilience in the face of climate change threats, and reduced risk for invasive species colonization.  Less than 10% of native forest cover remains on leeward Haleakalā due to overgrazing by feral ungulates, fire, direct human land use, and the vigorous encroachment of invading plant species. It is imperative to bring awareness to our community of the importance of maintaining healthy watersheds.  Environmental knowledge gained through this program will be applied and synthesized to effectively participate in on-going community-scale discussions and create relevant educational opportunities for students.

 

BIO 5010 Natural Systems Ecology

I began this class with a study of Maui’s physical context and learned that its balmy subtropical climate is the result of four interconnected and contributing factors: 1) latitude, 2) the Pacific Ocean, 3) atmospheric circulation, and 4) mountainous terrain. Together, these four influencers determine the seasonal weather patterns and overall climatic conditions within the region. This foundational knowledge has proved critical in understanding how climate has shaped Maui’s biotic communities and influenced its levels of precipitation.

 

Coursework continued to develop my local knowledge of the region through a comprehensive study that used the Metrosideros polymorpha, a keystone tree species found throughout the Hawaiian archipelago,  as a model organism to explore the scientific concepts of population ecology, community composition, energy flow, and nutrient cycling within the montane wet forest community on Maui.  Specific environmental threats to Metrosideros polymorpha from an onslaught of introduced organisms, pathogens, and habitat loss and the resulting consequences to the respective ecosystems and watersheds to were also explored.         

ENV 5015 Environmental History & Philosophy

This course provided me with the opportunity to explore the origins of the different conceptual frameworks that shape the water rights debate between the host Hawaiian culture and the predominantly Western influenced society on Maui.  This work helped me understand how deep-seated beliefs about the environment shape our behavior in it and of the importance of applying historical and philosophical analysis to environmental issues in the region.

 

ENV 5011 Environmental Law & Policy

I continued my study of water during this course as a natural continuation from the previous philosophical examination and focused on the highly complex and deeply nuanced topic of water law in the State of Hawaiʻi as it applies to the surface water rights debate. Environmental Law and Policy provided me with a basis in common law and regulatory mechanisms that further enhanced my understanding, from a legal and political perspective, of the water rights debate.

 

Supporting Coursework:

BIO 5010 Maui's Climatic Patterns 

BIO 5010 The Cascading Effects of Ceratocystis fimbriata on the ʻŌhiʻa Montane Wet Forest Community

ENV 5015 A Philosophical Exploration of the Water Rights Debate on Maui

ENV 5011 Water: Under the Public Trust Doctrine in Hawaiʻi