KANE'OHE — More than 150 high school and college students across the Islands are participating in a statewide summer program geared toward educating young people in Hawai'i about conservation, leadership and teamwork.

The Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps Summer Program gives participants a chance to rotate during the six-week program to different sites where they engage in activities such as native plant restoration and wildlife management.

One group of students was working in the mud at the Hui Ku Maoli Ola lo'i in Kane'ohe yesterday to clear areas to plant taro and were just a day away from planting.

"I really like what we're doing for the community," said University of Redlands (California) student Marisa Tricas, 19. "It's really rare. Not a lot of kids get to experience what we're doing."

Tricas said she is majoring in environmental law and joined the program to gain field experience.

Pele Soma, 16, a student at Ke Kula Kaiapuni 'O Anuenue, a Hawaiian language immersion school, was covered head-to-toe in mud after working in the lo'i and getting mud thrown at him by fellow students.

He said he wants to work in forestry or as a park ranger. The program appealed to him because he enjoys working outside, meeting a lot of people and visiting new places.

Kailin Kim, 16, a Kaiser High School student who plans to go into environmental studies or marine science, said she loves being outdoors and learning because it's a lot easier for her.

Kim said the program allows her to have fun while working, meeting new people and seeing new places. She said the program helps students figure out what they want to do after school and what kinds of jobs are available.

The Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps began in the mid-1990s under the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Pono Pacific LLC began managing the organization in 2001 with 16 students from Kaua'i and offers summer and year-round internships today for young adults between the ages of 15 and 30. More than 40 organizations are partnered with the conservation corps to offer programs on most of the Islands.

WORK ON KAHO'OLAWE

Participants choose to work on one of five base islands: O'ahu, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, the Big Island and Maui. Each student gets an opportunity to fly to Maui and take a boat to Kaho'olawe to spend a week helping with general maintenance through the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission, including road work and trail building.

In addition to helping Hawai'i's environment, students can earn a $1,000 stipend upon successful completion of the program and college credits from the University of Hawai'i Outreach College.

The owner of Hui Ku Maoli Ola, Matthew Schirman, said the program provides an opportunity for students to learn about sustainability and collaboration.

Student groups from the conservation corps have been coming to the half-acre lo'i for about a month, he said. The amount of taro that will be planted will be enough to feed at least a couple of families.

Schirman said it will take about a year until the taro can be harvested. The crop will initially be used for community events, but will later be marketed when a larger area of the lo'i is developed.

"Probably the biggest lesson they're learning is just work," he said, noting that not enough people know what really hard work is anymore. "From this, they learn how to appreciate the money that they earn."

Schirman said it's important to educate the youth and pass along Hawaiian culture and traditions.

Many kids are becoming more and more detached from outdoor space, he said, emphasizing the importance of reaching the youth at a young enough age so that it carries with them through their lifetime.