ʻImi i ke Ēwe o ka ʻĀina · July 14–16, 2026 · Helumoa, Waikīkī
Keynote Speakers
Opening Keynote · Tuesday, July 14
Dr. Aurora Kagawa-Viviani
Assistant Professor, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa — Water Resources Research Center and Department of Geography and Environment
Dr. Kagawa-Viviani is an educator, community leader, and kanaka ʻōiwi scientist whose work bridges community, culture, and environmental stewardship. Her ecohydrology research explores where ecosystems, water, and human activity meet.
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She earned her undergraduate degree at MIT and graduate degrees in Botany and Geography at UH Mānoa, and is a former Ford Fellow and UH postdoctoral researcher. She has published on forest water use, dryland cultivation, climate, and water governance, and her community-responsive work has increasingly taken her to urban and urbanizing landscapes.
A dedicated advocate of biocultural stewardship, she uplifts local voices and values in research, education, and policy, and recently completed a 4.5-year appointment on the Hawaiʻi Commission on Water Resource Management.
Keynote Panel · Thursday, July 16
Guided by ʻĀina: Advancing Community Co-Management in Hawaiʻi
A reflective, celebratory plenary highlighting co-management as an approach to biocultural stewardship in and for Hawaiʻi, with practical insight into building equitable, effective co-management partnerships.
Olan Fisher, Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo
Billy Kinney, Hui Makaʻāinana o Makana
Division of State Parks, Department of Land and Natural Resources
Nicholas Courson, Office of the Speaker of the House, Nadine Nakamura
2026 Award Winners
Legacy Award
Dr. Ruth Gates
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
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Dr. Gates shifted coral science from documenting decline to active intervention, pioneering “assisted evolution” to identify and breed heat-resilient corals and deepening our understanding of the coral holobiont and bleaching.
The first female president of the International Society for Reef Studies and a voice in the Emmy-winning Chasing Coral, she mentored 6 MS and 13 PhD students and 13 postdoctoral researchers—the “Gates Coral Lab ʻOhana” who carry her relentless optimism forward.
Distinguished Service
Paul Higashino
Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission
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Over five decades of service to Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems: biological surveys across the pae ʻāina, The Nature Conservancy’s first naturalist at Waikamoi Preserve, and, since 1996, the first and only Restoration Manager for KIRC.
On land scarred by military use and grazing, he pioneered restoration where digging is impossible—pili grass bales, rock and kiawe to catch moisture and seed—planting hundreds of thousands of native seedlings and mentoring generations of conservationists.
Outstanding Leadership
Peter M. Vitousek
Morrison Professor of Population and Resource Studies, Stanford University; Co-founder, First Nations Futures Program
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Professor Vitousek’s research on nutrient cycling, invasive species, and ecosystem restoration has made Hawaiʻi a model for understanding global ecological processes, informing policy and management that protect the Islands’ biodiversity.
A Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he co-founded the First Nations Futures Program in 2005, building leadership capacity among Native Hawaiian and Māori stewards.
Conservation Innovation
Hui Kahuwai
Formerly the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee
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Hui Kahuwai weaves ancestral knowledge with conservation science to restore the nearshore waters of Kaʻūpūlehu and Kūkiʻo. Their community-led effort produced the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Reserve in 2016, with a first-of-its-kind 10-year “Try Wait” rest period along 3.6 miles of coastline.
Using participatory fisheries science, the community designed a management plan to sustain abundance for future generations—a model for community-based marine management across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
Student Award Winners
Poster Presentations
Graduate
OutstandingVan-Nicholas VelascoFrom Canopy to Community: Light as a driver of benthic algal communities in Limahuli Stream, Kauaʻi
Honorable MentionHaley CremerHistoric Fishponds of Hawaiʻi: Spatial Inventory and Analysis of Loko Iʻa Land Change in Coastal Regions
Undergraduate
OutstandingCharlotte BenderBuilding Kuleana Through Environmental Research: A Decade of Manu-o-Kū Monitoring at Kapiʻolani Community College
Honorable MentionNathalie SafwatImproving Early Detection of Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles in Hawaiʻi Using Accessible Molecular Identification Methods
Speed-Talk Presentations (5 min)
Graduate
OutstandingJon EhrenbergAccelerating fusion and bolstering survivorship in fragments of Hawaiian coral species for applications in grassroots restoration
Honorable MentionMackenzie JahnkeExploring the Plastic-Degrading Potential of the Hawaiian Coral Microbiome
Undergraduate
OutstandingDaelin BarneyEstablishing Micropropagation Protocols for Hawaiʻi’s Only Endemic Seagrass, Halophila hawaiiana
Honorable MentionEleanor SellmanMonitoring ʻAlae ʻula: Evaluating Efficacy of Call-Broadcast Surveys and Reasons for Decline at Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge
Oral Presentations (12 min)
Graduate
OutstandingBreeann AndradeNutrient Pathways in Hawaiian Waters: Pilina Between Koholā and ʻŌpelu
Honorable MentionAugusta HollersQuantifying energetic benefits of resting behavior in humpback whale mother–calf pairs in Hawaiʻi
No undergraduate oral presentations were judged in this category.
Mahalo to our volunteer judges for the generosity of your time, expertise, and aloha for these students and their research. Recognizing our students’ work simply wouldn’t be possible without you.
By the Numbers
3Days of gathering at Helumoa
2Keynote sessions
4Alliance awards presented
10Student presenters honored
Mahalo to Our Sponsors
HCC 2026 would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors and partners.
This year’s conference has officially come to a close. Thank you to our speakers, partners, attendees, and everyone who helped make the event such a meaningful experience.
Sign up to receive conference highlights, future announcements, and updates about next year’s event.
Kē ewe ʻāina. Over millions of years, Hawai‘i’s ecosystems and native species have evolved and adapted into the biocultural environments we care for today. Acknowledging that our time horizon as humans caring for Hawai‘i is brief, we search for that deep continuum of knowledge, and we call upon the imagery of ke ewe, a birth cord, reminding us of our connection across generations.
This year’s conference invites us to come together in that spirit — to listen, to learn, and to shape a shared path forward grounded in the wisdom of ʻāina.
We celebrate the poʻe hānau o ka ʻāina, the natives of our land. We ask the land and seas to speak to us, to show us the way forward, and to provide us with the answers to our most formidable challenges. ʻImi i ke ewe o ka ʻāina, may we all be guided by the wisdom of ʻāina.
Why Attend the Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference
The Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference is more than a gathering — it’s where relationships are built, ideas become action, and the future of conservation in Hawaiʻi takes shape.
Connect with Your Community
Discover real-world strategies, research, and solutions through keynote talks, panels, and collaborative sessions.
Learn What’s Working Now
Explore practical approaches, case studies, and lessons from the field that are helping advance conservation efforts across Hawaiʻi today.
Share Knowledge & Inspire Action
Exchange perspectives, showcase your work, and contribute to conversations shaping conservation efforts statewide.
Strengthen Collective Impact
Build partnerships and momentum that continue long after the conference ends.
We invite you to come, engage, and be part of this shared learning experience — to listen deeply, exchange knowledge, and help shape the future of conservation together.
Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani is the founder and current lead of Hālau ʻŌhiʻa…
Kekuhi Kealiʻikanakaʻoleohaililani is the founder and current lead of Hālau ʻŌhiʻa, a Hawaiʻi kinship training program that serves
conservation, cultural, and education professionals across the pae ʻāina. She formerly served as Kumu Hula of Hālau o Kekuhi from 1997–2015,
carrying the traditions of Hula ʻAihaʻa and Hula Pele passed down through generations. As former Executive Director and ongoing cultural leader
of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, she has guided projects in research, education, and publishing, including the Hiʻiaka-Ke-Kaula hula book series.
Kekuhi co-created the Hawaiʻi Life Styles degree program at Hawaiʻi Community College, institutionalizing Native Hawaiian knowledge in higher education.
An award-winning educator, chanter, and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Female Vocalist of the Year (1999), Kekuhi continues to elevate ancestral wisdom through chant,
ritual, and conscious leadership.
Secretary Deb Haaland
Secretary Deb Haaland is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico…
Secretary Deb Haaland is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico. She made history when she became the first Native American
to serve as a cabinet secretary. Throughout her career in public service, Secretary Haaland has broken barriers and opened the doors of opportunity
for future generations. She was elected one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress and was the first Native American woman to lead
a state political party in the country. Secretary Haaland was raised in a military family, and is an alumnus of the University of New Mexico and
University of New Mexico Law School.
Keynote Panel Facing Future- Kuleana
An exciting opportunity to hear from inspiring future leaders across Hawaiʻi who will share their vision…
Moderator: Moana P.K. “Ulu” Ching
Moana, known as Ulu by her ʻohana (family) and within her community, is a Mother, Partner, Daughter, and passionate guardian servant to Hawaiʻi,
both people and place. Born in Moanalua on Oahu she is the third of nine children and a hānai of her maternal Aunt who, with her maternal Grandparents,
raised her in Keauhou and Kahaluʻu, Kona on Hawaiʻi. Ulu is a life-long learner looking to the individual and collective histories of her ancestors and
the people of Hawaiʻi to inform a healthy and sustainable future for the next seven generations…
Panelist: Tahaʻa Kahele
Taha’a Kahele is from Miloli’i one of the last fishing villages on the Island of Hawai’i (Moku O Keawe). He is a Konawaena Alumni and an active participant
in Milolii Is CBSFA, Mohala Na Konohiki and Opelu Project. Kahele is also the Director of Conservation and Cultural Management for Ocean Janitors Hawai’i.
Panelist: Tate Keliʻihoʻomalu
Tate Keli’iho’omalu serves as the Coordinator for Maui Nui Makai Network… Tate currently assists in leading community-led stewardship initiatives that are
rooted in traditional and place-based knowledge.
Panelist: Pahonu Coleman
J. Pahonu Coleman is a Kupa of Waimanalo and a recent Graduate of Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Kailua… he works to safeguard his community against climate change threats
and is committed to protecting ʻĀina, Kai and Kanaka.
About our Conference
The Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference brings together scientists, policymakers, conservation professionals, educators, students, and community members from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific to connect, share, and inspire collective care for our natural resources.
The conference highlights new scientific research, innovative tools, and effective approaches to address critical island conservation challenges, with a focus on protecting Hawaiʻi’s natural resources and native ecosystems. It also promotes biocultural resource management and strengthens collaboration among managers, researchers, educators, cultural practitioners, community members, and policymakers to achieve better conservation outcomes for Hawaiʻi.
Our Gathering Place
Helumoa, an ʻili ʻāina of the ahupuaʻa of Waikīkī, is a wahi pana (culturally valued and storied landscape) where the Sheraton Waikīkī, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center can be found.
Famous for its ulu niu grove of 10,000 coconut trees said to have been planted by and for high chief Kākuhihewa, and linked to the supernatural rooster Kaʻauhelemoa, the lands of Helumoa have been passed from aliʻi to aliʻi into present day.
The people, lands, and seas of Hawaiʻi are thriving, cared for by generations of stewards steered by excellent science and Hawaiian values and practice.
Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance Mission Statement
Conserve and restore native ecosystems and the unique biocultural diversity of our islands through collaborative action and unified leadership.
Stay Connected with Conservation in Hawai‘i
Join our community to receive event updates, speaker announcements, and opportunities to support the protection of Hawai‘i’s lands and waters.
Additional on-site details for credentialed press will be shared closer to the event.
Nearby Hotel Accommodations
HCC hotel room block reservations are closed. If you are still seeking accommodations, we encourage you to contact nearby hotels directly for availablerooms and current rates. Scroll down for information on accommodations and to checkavailability at Lincoln Hall at the East West Center of UH Mānoa.
The Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach
The Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach is located in the heart of Waikīkī at 400 Royal HawaiianAvenue, Honolulu HI 96815 just a 6 minute walk to the Sheraton Waikiki.
Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach for 185.00 USD per night.
Last Day to Book
Monday, June 15, 2026
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani is located in the heart of Waikīkī at 120 Kaiulani Avenue Honolulu, HI 96815 just a 10 minute walk to the Sheraton Waikiki.
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Waikiki Beach for 225.00 USD per night.
Last Day to Book
Friday, June 12, 2026
Lincoln Hall at East-West Center/UH Mānoa
Located at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Lincoln Hall is situated at 1711 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96848, just a 16-minute drive to the Sheraton Waikiki. Rates start at approximately $113 per night, with options for single and double occupancy. Please note these rates are subject to availability and we encourage you to book early.
Please visit the EWC website linked above and scroll down to the Visitor Request Form. Complete the Visitor Request form and ensure our Call in Group Name and Conference are listed under the Special Notes to Housing Section.
Special group rate
Various room options ranging $113.00 - $161.00 USD per night
Contact
(808) 944-7960 or housing@eastwestcenter.org for assistance
Nearby Food Options
Explore restaurants, cafés, and quick bites near the conference venue.
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Waikiki Beach for 225.00 USD per night.
Last Day to Book
Friday, June 12, 2026
Exhibitor Booths
2026 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference exhibitors are excited to connect with you! We will have exhibit booths in three areas of the main conference floor…come and visit with over 60 environmental organizations and vendors showcasing programs, field equipment, and sustainable products. Be ready to connect with new colleagues, reconnect with old friends, and learn about all the innovation within our communities! And donʻt forget a shopping bag…IYKYK!!!
Showcase your organization and connect with over 1,400 conference participants.
8’×10’ booth space
6’ dressed table + 2 chairs
Four booth sitter passes
Overnight security provided
Booth passes provide access to the Exhibitor Hall only.
Exhibit Table Fees
Regular
$500
Standard exhibitors
SALES
Non-Profit
$350
501(c)(3) required
Non-Profit
$150
501(c)(3) required
NO SALES
Electricity add-on:$50 (limited availability)
Schedule subject to change
Exhibition Schedule
Monday July 13th, 2026
11:00AM – 3:00PM
Move-in and set-up
Tuesday July 14th, 2026
7:00AM – 11:00AM
Move-in and set-up
11:00AM – 5:30PM
Exhibits open
Wednesday July 15th, 2026
Exhibits Open
Exhibits Open
5:30PM – 6:15PM
Exhibits Closed for Poster Reception Set up
6:15PM – 8:15PM
Poster Reception & Exhibits Re-Open
Thursday July 16th, 2026
9:00AM – 3:00PM
Exhibits Open
3:30PM – 4:30PM
Break-down & Move-out
Cancellation and Refund Policy
$35 fee for each cancellation/refund processed. Requests must be received by June 26, 2026 for any refunds to be issued.
