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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.

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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.

Hawaii Department of Agriculture Logo

Janis Matsunaga

Entomologist

Hawaiʻi Dept of Agriculture

Hawaii Department of Agriculture Logo

Misty McElyea

Inspector

Hawaiʻi Dept of Agriculture

Malama Maunalua logo

Ralph, Connor & Louise

Volunteers

Mālama Maunalua

CRBR logo

Koki Atcheson

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response

DAR logo

Kim Fuller

Division of Aquatic Resources

Dept of Land & Natural Resources

OISC logo

Kepano Cravalho

O’ahu Invasive Species Committee

NERRS logo

Kawika Winter

Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve

Hawaii Department of Agriculture Logo

Kamran Fujimoto

Noxious Weed Specialist

Hawaiʻi Dept of Agriculture

KMWP logo

JC Watson

Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership

DLNR & DOFAW logos

Chelsea Arnott

Forestry & Wildlife

Dept of Land & Natural Resources

NRCS logo

Carolyn Auweloa

State Range Management Specialist

USDA-NRCS

BIISC logo

Franny Brewer

Communications Director

Big Island Invasive Species Committee

Plant Pono logo

Molly Murphy

Plant Pono Specialist

Big Island Invasive Species Committee

Big Island outline

Ruth Bennett

Paʻauilo resident

Hawaii Island

KISC logo

Tiffani Keanini

Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee

NTBG Logo

Michael DeMotta

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Kōkeʻe Resource Conservation Program logo

Matthew Derry

Kōkeʻe Resource Conservation Program

Outline of Kauai Island

Sabra Kauka

Kauaʻi Resident

Mālama Hulēʻia logo

Peleke Flores

Mālama Hulēʻia

MISC logo

Brooke Mahnken

Maui Invasive Species Committee

Kipuka Olawalu logo

Ekolu Lindsey

Kīpuka Olowalu

MKWP logo

Kimberly Thayer

Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership

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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.

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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.

Hawaii inspector inspecting boxes
Photo: HDOA
lemons Hawaii agricultural inspection
Photo: CBP
Air cargo
Photo: CGAPS

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!

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