Treasure Islands: Hawaiian Kīpuka and the Future of Native Hawaiian Birds
The scientists in this study were interested in learning about birds living in different sized kīpuka on the island of Hawai‘i. Kīpuka are like islands of forest surrounded by hardened lava. The kīpuka studied by the scientists were located on the Mauna Loa volcano and were created during a volcanic eruption in 1855.
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The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What are the similarities and differences between isolated environments of various sizes? Materials: Copy of charts provided “Treasure Islands” article Access...FACTivity – Treasure Islands
The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: What are the similarities and differences between isolated environments of various sizes? Materials: Copy of charts provided “Treasure Islands” article Access...
Glossary
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David Flaspohler
My favorite science experience was realizing that science is about exploration and curiosity. As an ecologist, I get to spend a lot of time watching nature. I observe the behavior...View Profile -
Christian Giardina
I like being a scientist because I like understanding how nature works. It is great to have a job studying plants and animals and the forests in which they live....View Profile -
Patrick Hart
I am an ecologist who studies birds on the island of Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i has some of the most beautiful birds in the world. Many of the native bird populations, however,...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- Culture
- People, Places, and Environments
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
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Email
Lessons
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In this lesson, students will increase their reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and summarization and explanation skills. Students will role-play as members of the Natural Inquirer Twitter Team (now X...Lesson Plan – Twitter Team
In this lesson, students will increase their reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and summarization and explanation skills. Students will role-play as members of the Natural Inquirer Twitter Team (now X... -
This lesson plan can be paired with any of the cultural essays from the Hawai’i-Pacific Islands edition of Natural Inquirer. After a brief introduction, students will read the cultural essay...Lesson Plan – Cultural Essay
This lesson plan can be paired with any of the cultural essays from the Hawai’i-Pacific Islands edition of Natural Inquirer. After a brief introduction, students will read the cultural essay...
Education Files
Cultural Kīpuka in Hawai‘i
You have just learned about the kīpuka in Hawai‘i. Kīpuka are forested islands in the middle of a sea of hardened lava. Because these kīpuka are isolated environments, they have kept their native plant and animal species over time. At the same time, other forested areas in Hawai‘i have experienced invasions from alien plant and animal species. In 2007, a native Hawaiian social scientist who studies the cultural history of
Hawai‘i considered an interesting comparison. Just as Hawai‘i has forested kīpuka she wrote, it also has cultural kīpuka.
The natural environment of the island of Hawai‘i is steep and rugged in many places. Over the centuries, native Hawaiians settled in isolated areas of Hawai‘i. These places were isolated for different reasons. For example, steep mountains and cliffs might have isolated them. When Caucasians and Asians came to Hawai‘i, they usually went to the places to which they could travel easily or that were good for large-scale agriculture.
Waipi‘o Valley was particularly isolated. Even today, Waipi‘o Valley is difficult to visit. A four-wheel drive vehicle is needed to go into the valley. Waipi‘o Valley is known as the valley of kings. It is considered a sacred place, or “wahi pana.”
Just as forested kīpuka have protected many native Hawaiian plant and animal species, cultural kīpuka, such as Waipi‘o Valley, have preserved many traditional Hawaiian perspectives and practices. Dr. McGregor studied Waipi‘o Valley as a cultural kīpuka. Dr. McGregor observed, “Kua‘āina are the native Hawaiians who remained in the rural communities of our islands, took care of the kūpuna or elders, continued to speak Hawaiian, bent their backs and worked and sweated in the taro patches and sweet potato fields, and held that which is precious and sacred in their care” (2007, p. 4).
Adapted from:
McGregor, D.P. 1995. Waipi‘o Valley, a cultural kīpuka in early 20th century Hawai‘i. Journal of Pacific History. 30(2): 194–209
McGregor, D.P. 2007. Nā Kua‘āina: Living Hawaiian Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press.