"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

ABOUT THE HAWAI’I NATURE CENTER

There's nothing like being outdoors to connect with nature. The Hawai’i Nature Center has resources to help students, teachers, hikers, and visitors.

The Hawai’i Nature Center began in 1981 as a project of The Outdoor Circle. Since then more than 800,000 children and adults have participated in environmental education programs. The Hawai’i Nature Center is recognized as the only organization in the state dedicated to educating children about Hawai’i's unique environment.

The Hawai'i Nature Center's original field site is located on O'ahu in Makiki Valley, just minutes from urban Honolulu, recently called the most densely populated urban center in the United States. Utilizing the Makiki Valley field site, and additional remote field sites such as Pu'u Ualaka'a State Park and the Honouliuli National Wildlife Refuge, the Hawai'i Nature Center on O'ahu has grown from providing programs for 2,000 school children in 1981 to nearly 25,000 today. These programs now include a different conceptual focus and unique ecosystems for each grade level. Our goal is to continue to grow by adding new programs, increasing field sites and securing additional funding sources.

In 1992 our first neighbor island facility opened on Maui in 'Iao Valley. This facility, as well as a wetland field site at Kealia Pond, now serves more than sixty percent of Maui County's elementary school students each year. In addition, the recently renovated 'Iao Valley facility was acquired in perpetuity for environmental education, and now boasts an Interactive Nature Museum with more than 30 hands-on exhibits emphasizing the natural history of the Hawai’ian Islands. You can enjoy a virtual tour of our museum by clicking on "Visiting Hawai’i?" in the top menu bar and then clicking on Interactive Nature Museum.

The Hawai’i Nature Center provides school programs plus nature education programs for families and adults. Our weekend and community nauture programs have reached more than 25,000 island families a year.

By fostering a respect for nature, the Hawai’i Nature Center is confident that children can impress upon future generations the importance of protecting their planet.

BECOME A MEMBER

The Hawai’i Nature Center encourages you to share the responsibility of our environment. When you join the Hawai’i Nature Center you are investing in the future of Hawai’i through education of children. Your membership helps fund programs for 25,000 students a year.

Each member receives a newsletter plus advance notices and discount offers on hikes, classes and nature adventures.

Membership Levels

Individual Membership ...$25 (Adults age 18 and older)
Family Membership...$50 (includes 2 adults and immediate children 17 & under)
Contributing Member...$250
Sustaining Member...$500
Steward...$1000

Download A Membership Application Here

Membership and contributions are 100% tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information on becoming a Hawai’i Nature Center Member, please call (808) 955-0100.

Help us foster a life-long envirnmental ethic in children. Become a member today.
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GET INVOLVED

Beneath canopies of trees, in sunny marshes, beside rushing mountain streams, Hawai’i’s children are discovering the wonders of our island home first-hand, hands-on in the great green out-of-doors. You can help encourage children to discover the natural world around them and share your own love of nature by being a volunteer.

The Hawai’i Nature Center is a private, non-profit organization incorporated in 1981. Its purpose is to foster awareness, appreciation and understanding of Hawai’i and encourage wise stewardship of the Islands in the future. This is accomplished through hands-on, heart-touching environmental education field experiences for school children, families and the public.

F.A.Q.

STAFF & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President - Jeff Case
First Vice Chair - Jan Sullivan
Second Vice Chair - Dee Jay Mailer
Treasurer - Warren Haight
Secretary - George Norcross
Past President - Meredith Ching

Members

Ryan Churchill

Marcy Fleming

Rici Guild
Kris Kobayashi
Michele Loudermilk
Lynn McCrory
Bettina Mehnert
Kalei Cadinha Pua'a
Jonathan Staub
Marc Tilker
Jon Whittington

STAFF
Administrative

Greg Dunn, Executive Director

Gregory D. Dunn was appointed executive director of the Hawaii Nature Center March 1, 2002. Dunn joins the Hawaii Nature Center after more than three years as executive director of the Atherton Branch of the YMCA of Honolulu. He brings to the Nature Center a strong track record in facility management, fund development, recruitment and project management. Previously he was operations manager for two new retail projects in Hawaii, the Barnes and Noble Superstores of Honolulu and NikeTown Honolulu. He is a member of the boards of Hawaii Dental Service, Inc., the Waikiki Community Center and Youth for Environmental Service. He is a trustee and chairman of the HDS Foundation. "Dunn's experience in the local community and his activities on behalf of youth in a non-profit arena made him a logical choice to lead the Hawaii Nature Center as it embarks on a plan to expand service," said Nature Center Board President, Don Carroll, also chairman of the board of Time-Warner Cable of Hawaii.

 

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Casey Carmichael, Director of Operations

Casey Carmichael received a BA in Environmental Studies from Hawaii Pacific University in 2000. After graduation, she served as an Americorps volunteer for The Imago Earth Center, a non-profit environmental education organization in Cincinnati, Ohio. As the Community Coordinator for Imago her responsibilities included volunteer coordinating, grant writing, special program planning, and teaching. This experience sparked her passion for educating the public about the importance of a healthy environment.

When Casey returned to Hawaii, she volunteered as an environmental educator at the Hawaii Nature Center. She then went to The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii where she worked in the Development Department as a Donor Relations Manager and then lead active travel vacations in Alaska, California, & Hawaii for Backroads, Inc., Casey is thrilled to be back at the Hawaii Nature Center where she enjoys the sense of ohana that comes with working with such a warm, dynamic group of people.

 

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Kathryn A. Currier, Director of Philanthropy

Kathryn Currier was named Director of Philanthropy for the Hawaii Nature Center in February 2008. Prior to that she served as Director of Development and Communications since April 2005.

Kathryn brings with her more than 25 years of local, national and international sales and marketing management experience. Her 10 years of international appointments abroad focused on business development throughout the Far East, Southeast Asian, Australian and European continents. In returning to the Islands in 1995, she has continued to pursue business development positions within our business community while exploring her entrepreneurial side. She has contributed on a volunteer level with various organizations in Honolulu over the years, as well as, serving on the Board of Managers with the YMCA Atherton Branch.

Kathryn received her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Hawaii Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource Development. She is quick to add her pride in being a graduate of our State's public school system, too. Kathryn feels strongly that our life paths are guided by the beliefs and values instilled to us as young children through our families and friends. Hence, her commitment to the Hawaii Nature Center's environmental education programs for our keiki. It is our family, our choice in friends and mentors who are most in?uential as we chart the directions we take in life, she adds.

 

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Lisa Currie, Office Manager

Lisa Currie began with the Nature Center in October of 2006 and comes to us with over 25 years of management and teambuilding experience in various industries. Lisa has a varied background including a Bachelors Degree in Dance from the University of Oregon where she was in the performing Ballet Company, and an AOS from the Culinary Institute of America.

After many years in the culinary world, she ended her career as the Pastry Chef at the renowned Cliff House Restaurant in San Francisco in 1992. Her next move was into horticulture and professional landscaping business and she earned a certificate as a "Certified California Nursery Professional".

In 1996 Lisa went back to school and earned her MBA in Strategic Leadership from Dominican University in San Rafael, California. As Hawaii is her home, she moved back to the islands in 1998 just prior to the birth of her daughter, Anuhea. Lisa is a 1977 graduate of Punahou school and felt that the islands is where she wanted to raise her child as she grew up going barefoot to school and playing in Manoa stream. It is her strong desire to instill the respect for the environment in the next generation so that it is preserved for years to come.

Since being home Lisa has worked for several Non-Profits in administrative positions, including; The Arc in Hawaii, Narconon Hawaii, Angel Network Charities and DADDS (Dads Against Doing Drugs). The theme of the environment is part of her life as she has a home business that teaches families how to live healthier lives and works with a Solar company to get the message out that Hawaii should be Solar Powered. Coming to The Hawaii Nature Center is a natural progression.

 

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Pauline Kawamata, Volunteer Program Manager

Pauline holds an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts, a Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian Studies, a Professional Diploma in Secondary Studies, Social Studies, and a Master's Degree in Education, Secondary Education, Social Studies.

Her past work experience includes serving on a teaching team for the Community Quest Program at Kailua High School, and assisting with curriculum development and coordination of Individual Quest, a career exploration and development course. She was a Staff Advisor for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT)'s Energy Division, and assisted with their energy and environmental leadership training conference. She is a Faculty Advisor for the Sierra Club High School Hikers, and has interned with the Institute for Hawaii History Teachers and for Project BEST (Business Encouraging Superior Teaching). Pauline has also been an active member of the Executive Council for the Network of Volunteer Leaders (NOVL) since 1995 and is serving as NOVL President in 2004.

Jennie Peterson,Curriculum Specialist & Natural Historian

Jennie received a B.A.in Psychology with emphasis in Child Development from the University of Hawaii. For 15 years, she worked as an archaeologist employed by the Bishop Museum and Hawaii Marine Research, Inc. She has supervised archaeological field teams and has taught high school reading, English as a second language, and archaeology to disadvantaged youths. On her own time, Jennie participates in the Hawaiian Humane Society, the Makiki/Tantalus Community Association and occasionally leads interpretive hikes on weekends.

 

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Jamie Nakama, Oahu Program Manager

Jamie K. Nakama – O`ahu Program Manager
Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in individualized studies from the University of Minnesota (1999), and a master’s degree in ecological anthropology from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa (2006). Jamie has been an Environmental Educator at the Hawai`i Nature Center since 2001. She became the Senior Educator in 2006 and took on the role of O`ahu Program Manager in 2008. Jamie is extremely passionate about place-based, experiential education in Hawai`i. She also teaches anthropology courses (with a Hawai`i and sustainability focus) at the University of Hawai`i, Kapi`olani Community College and Hawai`i Tokai International College. She incorporates a place-based, hands-on teaching philosophy into everything she teaches from 2nd grade outdoor science classes to college level anthropology courses! Jamie’s personal mission in life is to help create a new generation of critical thinkers whose value system is based on interconnectedness, reciprocity, and respect for the environment and for each other.

 

Jamie currently sits on the Sustainability Committee at Kapi’olani Community College. In addition to her love for teaching and nature, Jamie also has over ten years experience in the fields of mental health and social work. She has worked extensively with various special needs populations, including children with autism, at-risk teenagers, and developmentally challenged adults. Her other passions include capoeira, dance, and performing. She dances with hula halau Ka La Onohi Mai O Ha`eha`e, IONA Contemporary Dance Theater, and Capoeira Besouro Hawai`i. Jamie also performs and teaches aerial dance with Samadhi Hawai`i, the only aerial dance company in Hawai’i.

Email Jamie Nakama

O`ahu Environmental Educators

Jeremy Percich

Jeremy Percich grew up with a deep-seeded appreciation for the natural world in Portland, Oregon. Spending much or his childhood between the beaches, forests, and mountains of Oregon, Jeremy got his hands in the dirt at an early age and developed a passion for the natural environment. Jeremy was drawn to the natural beauty of the islands and relocated to Oahu in 2001.

Since coming to Hawai'i, Jeremy has studied Botany, Biology, and Sociology extensively at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. After graduating with a BA in Sociology, Jeremy returned to the University of Hawaii-Manoa to follow his passions of working with native plants and ecosystems. During his post-graduate years, Jeremy studied Hawaiian Ethnobotany, Ethnobiology, and La'au Lapa'au or Hawaiian Herbal Medicine. Drawing on his education, along with the wisdom and guidance of the plants, Jeremy hopes to spread his passion for the environment to the children of the Hawai'i.

Jeremy is very dedicated to the 'aina(land and waters) and strongly believes that cultivating a solid foundation in nature at an early age, directly translates into a bright and beautiful future for the keiki and the 'aina.

 

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Charyse Harvich

Liz Stuart

Liz earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies focusing on Environmental Education and Sustainability from Florida Gulf Coast University (2007). Liz also studied environmental anthropology, environmental psychology, and environmental health. While working on her degree she was also the president of the University Environmental Association, interned in the planning of a green and affordable housing community in Bonita Beach, Florida, and worked at the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education of the Earth Charter.

Liz's connection to the 'aina began upon her birth in O'ahu, where her parents worked at Olomana Ranch in Waimanalo, providing horseback riding for handicap children. She grew up in South Florida, spending her childhood summers in Key Largo at her grandparents' property enjoying all water activities, exploring mangrove islands, and volunteering at a wildlife bird sanctuary. Liz's commitment to saving the remains of the Earth's natural beauty began during college after a trip to Jamaica, where for the first time she hiked to a waterfall through a virgin forest. She was so deeply moved by the experience, she changed her major from psychology to environmental studies upon her return home.

Liz is currently working on her master's degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at World Medicine Institute in 'Aina Hina, enjoying the field of medicine because the human body is viewed at an ecosystem. She also works as a Yoga and Pilates instructor. Liz is thrilled to be a part of the Hawai'i Nature Center's Environmental Educator team, loving the opportunity to share her passion about the environment with the children of Hawai'i to enrich not only their lives and future but also the lives and future of our islands and planet.

Michael Cahill

Lauren Gerstile

Maui Environmental Educators

Juliane Darty

Rachelle Carson

Yvonne Line

Maintenance

John Soliven

Marcus Morten

CONTACT THE HAWAI’I NATURE CENTER

If you have any questions, please email the Nature Center at hncinfo@hawaiinaturecenter.org or use the email form below. Your Name Your e-mail Message To prevent automated posts, please enter the text shown to the right into the Verification Code. Verification Code: