Student Photos Help Save Wetlands

Learning Endeavors high school student interns documented nesting Aeʻo, the endangered native Hawaiian Stilt, in the Piʻikea Ponds in Kīhei. They took pictures as part of a citizen science project, funded in part by the County of Maui and as a part of the Wetland Warriors Initiative.https://www.learningendeavors.org/wetlands As a result of this documentation of nesting endangered birds, Piʻikea Ponds received new attention from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to increase protection and conservation efforts, and the Pacific Birds Statewide Wetland Conservation Plan included Piʻikea Ponds in Kihei as a priority wetland on the Island of Maui (Page 29). Students engaging in Citizen Science can have real world impacts.

Photo taken by LE Student Intern of endangered Aeʻo chicks with mother in Piʻikea Ponds (North) in Kihei.