Huliau Leadership Council
The Huliau Leadership Council is open to students in grades 9-12 from all Maui County schools who have an interest in environmental leadership. Members meet twice a month to plan service projects and other environmental leadership projects.About our 2024-2025 School Year Program
Our 2024-2025 leadership will meet twice a month from September until May (14 total meetings), plus four additional service days on weekends throughout the year. These may include projects such as beach cleanups, tree plantings, and farm or loʻi workdays. The program will start with an overnight huakaʻi to Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge from the afternoon of August 30th-31st. Following the orientation, in-person meetings or mini field-trips will be held the first Wednesday of the month from 3:30-5:30pm, and virtual meetings will be held the third Wednesday of the month from 4:00-5:30pm. At meetings, students will learn about environmental issues on Maui from various community groups and plan future service projects and guest speakers. You can see examples from last year’s program below. The program ends with an overnight inter-island trip in late April.
Students entering grades 9-12 are welcome to apply for this free program using the button to the right and our staff will contact you with more details. All sessions are required and students who miss more than three sessions will not receive a certificate of completion or be able to participate in the year-end trip.
Schedule details:
Orientation August 30th-31st Overnight at Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge from August 30th at 4p, followed by morning activities on the 31st ending at noon
In-person meetings/field trips 3-5:30pm 1st Wednesdays: Sept 4th, Oct 2nd, Nov 6th, Dec 4th, (no Jan), Feb 5th, March 5th, April 2nd, May 7th
Virtual meetings 4-5:30pm 3rd Wednesdays: Sept 18th, Oct 16th, Nov 20th, (no Dec), Jan 15th, Feb 19th, (no March), April 16th
Service projects and other weekend dates: two fall service projects, two spring service projects, Mauka/Makai Career Days in November, and tentative off-island trip April 26th-27th
Applications for the 2024-2025 Leadership Council are now closed. Stay tuned to check out this year’s council!
2024-2025 Leadership Council Projects & Photos
Below are some of the projects and events that the leadership council has participated in during the 2024-2025 school year.
December 2024 ♦ Maui Disposal Materials Recovery Facility
Kahului
Students from our Leadership Council, Zero Waste Internship, and partners from Upcountry Curbside visited Maui Disposal’s Materials Recovery Facility to get a behind the scenes look at Maui’s recycling process. Huge thanks to Maui Disposal Materials Recovery Facility for hosting our group and for such an insightful tour!
November 2024 ♦ Kula Community Watershed
Kula
This past Sunday, our Huliau Leadership Council had the amazing opportunity to take part in a planting day with the Kula Community Watershed Alliance! We started off our morning learning about the different plants and talking story with the community members involved in this project. Then, students broke up into groups to plant the koa and ʻōhiʻa trees. Huge mahalo to the Kula Community Watershed ‘ohana for all your hard work in creating a better environment for our future generations.
November 2024 ♦ Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute
Māʻalaea
Our Leadership Council students visited Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute to learn about the work they do with sea turtle and coral species in Hawaiʻi! We started off with a presentation about these different marine animals and then headed back to their lab where we helped to measure the water quality in the coral tanks, scrubbed those tanks clean, and even got to learn about their current turtle patients!
October 2024 ♦ Maui Nui Seabirds Recovery Project
Hoʻokipa
On Wednesday, at the slopes of Hoʻokipa, our Leadership Council students gathered with Maui Nui Seabirds Recovery Project to learn about their efforts to preserve the ʻUaʻu Kani. We explored their burrows, helped maintain their resting areas by removing invasive plants, and used surveying tools to check on some bird friends. Thank you to Maui Nui Seabird staff, Mariah and Laura, for facilitating this enriching experience. E ola nō nā hoa manu!
September 2024 ♦ Waipono Farm
Kahului
Waipono Farms For our first official Leadership Council meeting of the year, we visited Waipono Farm at UH Maui! We began with a tour of their aquaponic and hydroponic greenhouse, where we learned about the significance of these agricultural systems. Then, with scrubbers in hand, students worked together to clean the fish tubs and wash the pots and leca growing media used in the aquaponics system.
August 2024 ♦ Huliau Leadership Council Orientation
Waiheʻe Refuge
We kicked off our 2024-25 Leadership Council with a memorable overnight adventure at Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes & Wetlands Refuge! Our journey began with a shoreline cleanup at Kalaeʻiliʻili, where we worked alongside Hawaii Land Trust to tackle plastic debris. We connected deeply with the wahi kupuna by learning an oli hei for Kealakaʻihonua and enjoyed a feast of locally sourced ingredients—banana pancakes, fruit salad, venison tacos, and ulu! We’re excited to embark on this year’s learning adventure with these inspiring young leaders as they engage with community organizations working to protect our ʻāina!
Our Huliau Leadership Council students created Instagram posters as part of our #EyesonCOP26 social-media campaign encouraging world leaders at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow to take meaningful action on climate change. You can check out all their posters and other climate-related art and projects on our new “climate conversations” page.
