Who Protects Hawaiʻi?
He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauā ke kanaka.
The land is a chief; man is it’s servant.
Land has no need for man, but man needs the land and works it for a livelihood.
Selection No. 531 from Mary Kawena Pukui’s ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and poetical sayings, © 1983 by Bishop Museum.
Thousands of people work to protect Hawaiʻi
Thousands of people work to protect Hawaiʻi from invasive species as part of their jobs, and many more volunteer or contribute in other ways. Meet some of the people working across Hawaiʻi, mauka to makai, to keep Hawaiʻi safe and healthy.
Janis Matsunaga
Entomologist
Hawaiʻi Dept of Agriculture
Misty McElyea
Inspector
Hawaiʻi Dept of Agriculture
Ralph, Connor & Louise
Volunteers
Mālama Maunalua
Koki Atcheson
Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response
Kim Fuller
Division of Aquatic Resources
Dept of Land & Natural Resources
Kepano Cravalho
O’ahu Invasive Species Committee
Kawika Winter
Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve
Kamran Fujimoto
Noxious Weed Specialist
Hawaiʻi Dept of Agriculture
JC Watson
Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership
Chelsea Arnott
Forestry & Wildlife
Dept of Land & Natural Resources
Carolyn Auweloa
State Range Management Specialist
USDA-NRCS
Franny Brewer
Communications Director
Big Island Invasive Species Committee
Molly Murphy
Plant Pono Specialist
Big Island Invasive Species Committee
Ruth Bennett
Paʻauilo resident
Hawaii Island
Tiffani Keanini
Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee
Michael DeMotta
National Tropical Botanical Garden
Matthew Derry
Kōkeʻe Resource Conservation Program
Sabra Kauka
Kauaʻi Resident
Peleke Flores
Mālama Hulēʻia
Brooke Mahnken
Maui Invasive Species Committee
Ekolu Lindsey
Kīpuka Olowalu
Kimberly Thayer
Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership
Unsung Heroes: Agricultural Inspectors
I hāna ka pō, i hāna ke ao.
Alert by night, alert by day.
Said of a farmer or fisherman who begins work before sunrise and continues into the daylight hours.
Selection No. 1154 from Mary Kawena Pukui’s ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and poetical sayings, © 1983 by Bishop Museum.
Planes and ships bring 90% of the food we eat and goods we use to Hawaiʻi.
Arriving hidden in some of that cargo are invasive species that can harm the environment and forever change some of the things that make Hawaiʻi so special.
Agricultural inspectors protect Hawaiʻi by looking for invasive species that could be hiding in incoming planes, ships, and cargo, including in produce, plants, personal luggage, and even vehicles. Inspectors work at airports, harbors, and mail and package centers to find and stop invasive species before they can become established and cause harm.
Be an Agricultural Inspector
Do you want to be an Agricultural Inspector? Stay tuned for our game to see if you have what it takes to protect Hawaiʻi!
