Local Schools
The Moloka’i Land Trust works with public and private schools on island by providing STEM related service learning opportunities. Every school on island participates in this popular program each year. Moloka’i Land Trust also provides a minimum of four (4) internship opportunities per year through AmeriCorps. Our internship program is an important source of conservation internships via AmeriCorps, which began back in 2009.
MLT has a brand new 15 passenger 4×4 van to assist in transporting school and service groups to our project locations across the island. Service trips can also be made to the MLT nursery facility located in Kualapuu, to assist with plant propagation, maintenance, and education. This activity is especially geared for younger student groups who may not be ready for a full day at Mokio!
Internship Programs
The internship program has been a critical training program that prepares young people to gain the necessary skills and experience for a career in natural resource management and potential future employment consideration. It also has been a driving force behind youth pursuing a higher education in STEM related natural sciences. The ultimate goal of this program is to have Moloka’i Land Trust internship participants, upon returning home from achieving their educational goals, consider a career with Moloka’i Land Trust.
The Moloka’i Land Trust internship program is designed to provide for a minimum of two (2) year-round AmeriCorps internships for Molokai youth/students who are interested in Natural Resource Management, Conservation, Restoration Ecology, and/or any other related field. These internship positions will be mentored by Moloka’i Land Trust staff and focus on environmental restoration activities on Moloka’i Land Trust’s properties, including contracted work sites on partner lands. Interns will assist in supporting our school service-learning program and interact with program partners such as: The Nature Conservancy, Molokai Invasive Species Committee, and East Molokai Watershed Partnership. In most cases, these internship positions provide a living stipend and continuing education awards, while providing critical work experience.
MLT also offers a summer program through the KUPU Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps. This program lasts for 8 weeks over the summer and provides multiple work sites to youth.
Both interns and student service groups participate in Federally designated critical habitat restoration work benefiting several Federally listed endangered plant species, rare pollinators, and ground nesting seabirds. Primary work is located at the Anapuka Dune Restoration Project within the Moloka’i Land Trust Mokio Preserve. This is the largest coastal and dune restoration project of its kind in the State of Hawaii, extending along ¾ of a mile of shoreline. The site is also listed as one of five priority target areas in the main Hawaiian Islands in the 2016-2021 USFWS Coastal Program Strategic Plan, which also names Moloka’i Land Trust as a key partner with the USFWS Pacific Area Office. Interns also assist Moloka’i Land Trust staff with STEM and Hawaiian Immersion service-learning programs as part of the program.
Community Service Credit for High School & College Prep
Moloka’i Land Trust can accommodate high school students looking to build their resumes with community service activities to bolster college applications.
