ʻImi Pono no ka ʻĀina
Education and Outreach
Education and outreach are vital tools for conservation. Three Mountain Alliance’s education and outreach program, ʻImi Pono no ka ʻĀina, seeks to provide conservation themed programs for students, teachers and community members to strengthen environmental and cultural consciousness and to instill a sense of kuleana so that they will become advocates of the land. ʻImi Pono reaches diverse audiences through a variety of outreach and education opportunities.
Kahuapono
Student Enrichment Program
The Kahuapono Student Enrichment Program engages students grades 6-12 in ʻāina-based learning through hands-on restoration work. The program takes students to natural areas across Hawaiʻi Island to learn about Hawaiʻi’s unique plants, animals, and ecosystems. Students leave with a sense of place and responsibility to care for our island home.
“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”
-Baba Dioum
Nā Kiaʻi Kūmokuhāliʻi
Service Learning
Our service learning program focuses on the restoration of Keauhou, Kaʻū. The landowner, Kamehameha Schools, is a member of the Three Mountain Alliance partnership. Nā Kiaʻi seeks to rebuild the health of our watersheds and its people through service activities that build awareness of our sacred forest. Groups help with all aspects of restoration including planting of native species, plant propagation and site maintenance.
“You teach me, I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand.
-Edward O. Wilson
Hawaiʻi Nei
Art Exhibition and Workshops
The Hawaiʻi Nei art exhibition was created with the intent to celebrate our unique native plants and animals while educating the public about these same organisms. The exhibition features works from elementary students to renowned local artists; photography to sculpture: all focusing on the unique flora and fauna that makes our home distinctively Hawaiʻi.
The exhibition is held in November and December and educational events take place in the months prior to engage and inspire artists. Special events and activities are held during the exhibition to attract the local community and visitors to raise awareness of our native species and their habitats, our Hawaiʻi Nei.
John D. Dawson 
