Protecting Wildlife And Their Wild Places
By Marjorie Ziegler, executive director, Conservation Council for Hawaii
For the past 65 years, Conservation Council for Hawaii has worked to protect native Hawaiian wildlife and the wild places they need to survive — places we all know and love, such as Na Pali Coast, Kaena, Pelekunu, Lanaihale, Haleakala and Mauna Kea.
We do this work because wildlife and wild places enhance our lives, and because future generations should have the same opportunities to enjoy our native wildlife and wild places as we do today.
CCH’s community outreach on the Hawaiian monk seal and palila bird will help prevent yet another unique Hawaiian animal from disappearing. Our advocacy on behalf of shearwaters and petrels means that future generations will continue to appreciate these amazing birds. Our work to enforce reasonable catch limits for bigeye tuna means Hawaii’s people will enjoy eating ahi for generations to come. Our annual wildlife education posters — distributed free to every school in the state — inspire young people to learn more about conservation.
A resolution adopted in 1949 at the seventh Pacific Science Congress in New Zealand called for a conservation organization in Hawaii; CCH was formed a year later. Today, CCH is one of the largest wildlife organizations in Hawaii, with close to 5,000 members and others who support our work, including scientists, educators, Hawaiian practitioners, artists, businesses, government agencies and elected officials.
How can you help? Check out our website at conserve-hi.org and join CCH today. We welcome anyone who loves wildlife. You can volunteer, make a donation and support our education and advocacy programs. No gift is too small — or too large! Or choose to donate an item or a gift certificate for our silent auction and country store in October of each year.
Join our campaign to secure better protection against harmful invasive species or increase funding for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which receives only 1 percent of the entire state budget to manage more than 1 million acres of ceded land.
Please contact us at info@conservehi.org or 593-0255 if you are interested in learning more. Like us on Facebook to track our issues and events.
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