Summer Programs

 June 22-24th, 2026

Maui high school students are invited to join us for a 3-day exploration of ʻāina and kai-based careers. Students will participate in hands-on activities, shadowing a few of Maui’s professionals in fields like marine conservation, forest restoration, and native species protection. Students will also participate in an introduction to scuba diving with Extended Horizons. No previous experience is required.
The program fee is $125 for three days and need-based scholarships are available. Transportation from UHMC campus will be provided to all sites.

Day 1 – Maui Ocean Center & Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute

Students will spend the morning at Maui Ocean Center, where they’ll explore a variety of careers in marine science and aquarium operations while learning about the center’s efforts to protect and restore coral reefs. In the afternoon, students will visit the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute to tour their facility and learn about the work they do in sea turtle rehabilitation and coral reef restoration.

Day 2 –  East Maui Watershed Partnership & Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project

Students will embark on a hike into the Waikamoi Preserve led by conservation staff from East Maui Watershed Partnership. Along the way, they will explore the unique plant and animal species in the area and learn about the ongoing conservation efforts to protect this unique ecosystem. After lunch, field biologists from the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project will join the group to share about their work restoring native forest bird populations.

Day 3 – Extended Horizons

Students will join the Extended Horizons team for PADI Discover Scuba Diving, a beginner-friendly introduction to the sport with no prior experience required. The experience starts with a short online lesson at home prior to the day of the event. Students will then meet for an in-person orientation, and move into the water for a guided dive with our PADI instructors in the Lahaina/Kaanapali area (specific site confirmed the day before). It’s a first taste of breathing underwater on a Maui reef, alongside a team that’s been teaching new divers here since 1983.

Students ages 13-18 (Maui County residents)

June 10-11th, 2026

Huakaʻi Waiheʻe is an immersive overnight program that travels through the ahupuaʻa of Waiheʻe learning about cultural land division and management, ethical stewardship and the cultural skill sets of moʻolelo and kilo. This program is open to students ages 13 to 18, including recently graduated seniors. Activities include overnight stay at Waiheʻe refuge, hike to Waiheʻe Ridge Trail, refuge site tour and story telling activities and service projects with Hawaiʻi Land Trust, Hanona and various environmental stewardship organizations. The program fee is $75 including dinner & breakfast and need based scholarships are available.

Day 1- Hawaiʻi Land Trust, HANONA & DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources

Students will spend the day at Waiheʻe Refuge with Hawaiʻi Land Trust, beginning with a guided tour of the refuge and an introduction to the storied place of Kapoho. They will then engage in hands-on service projects supporting ongoing restoration and conservation efforts. Following lunch, staff from DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources will lead a session on their coastal monitoring work, giving students the opportunity to participate in field practices such as beach seining.The day continues along the shoreline at the hālau waʻa (traditional hale) of Kealakaʻihonua, where students will take part in discussions on restoration efforts and learn mele and cultural practices connected to the space with HANONA. The evening will conclude with dinner and a stargazing lesson led by Hui O Waʻa Kaulua.

Day 2- Waiheʻe Ridge Trail & Taro Patch Farm

Students will begin the day with a locally sourced breakfast at the campsite before embarking on the Waiheʻe Ridge Trail hike led by Huliau staff. Along the way, they will learn about Hawaiʻi’s native and invasive species, the functioning of an ahupuaʻa system, and cultural stories connected to the uplands of Waiheʻe Valley. Lunch will be held at the ʻohana Rodrigues ʻāina, where students will engage with a local kalo farming family. There, they will learn about the importance of traditional agricultural practices and how loʻi cultivation supports a thriving ecosystem and the broader ahupuaʻa. Students will also spend time near the ʻauwai, with an opportunity to jump in freshwater. The day will conclude back at the campsite with a closing farewell and camp breakdown.