The Kohala Center

The Kohala Center was founded in 2000 by the Island's residents in response to a desire to increase educational opportunity and the international academic community's recognition that the Island serves as an exceptional laboratory for the study of environmental science. The Center's mission is to connect regional, national and international partners and create a collaborative community of scholars. It accomplishes this goal by providing access to research and teaching environments, laboratory facilities, suitable lodging, logistics support, fiscal services, and program design and management services. Moreover, while the program seeks to support the development of new knowledge, it is rooted in the Hawaiian cultural and spiritual traditions.

Among other initiatives, the Center has partnered with scientists from the University of Hawai'i, the University of Washington, Cornell University, the National Marine Fisheries Service and others to develop a Hawai'i Ocean Resources and Ecosystems Observatory. Another project, the development of a seed bank and seedling nursery to serve Hawai'i Island ecosystems, was spawned through connections with the University of California at Santa Barbara, the U.S. Forest Service, the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center and the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden.

"Our students have learned by experiencing, exploring and serving," wrote Robin L. Rose, Ph.D., the Director of Leadership Programs at Brown University, about the programs the school has offered at The Kahola Center. "They lived in tents on the beach of Ke'ei and conducted fish surveys for the Department of Land and Natural Resources. They explored the O'oma Rainforest and with guidance of the staff from Tropical Reforestation and Ecosystem Education Center (TREE) they planted koa trees. They hiked in Volcano Park and watched the lava move towards the sea.... The programs epitomize the very best approaches of experiential education. Many of our students describe their course as transformative."

Through its collaborative endeavors, The Center strives to be a respectful user of the Island's unique natural resources to develop research and educational opportunities that benefit both the academy and Island communities. It serves K-12 students and undergraduates as well as advanced university students, faculty and adult learners from the general public.

For more information on the program, visit the Center's website at www.kohalacenter.org or email info@kohalacenter.org.