Kupu calls for conservation leaders on Maui 

Kupu, Hawai‘i’s leading conservation and environmental education nonprofit, is seeking applications for the Conservation Leadership Development Program. Recent high school graduates, college graduates and young professionals looking to establish a career in conservation are strongly encouraged to apply by Sept. 8, 2023. 

CLDP focuses on developing the next generation of environmental stewards. The next full-term cohort begins in October 2023 and ends in September 2024. Participants will be matched with a conservation host site for the program, where they will learn and serve alongside conservation experts. This extensive network of partner sites offers exposure to the fields of ornithology, botany, natural and aquatic resource management, biology, marine biology, Hawaiian cultural studies, and more.  

CLDP host sites on Maui include:  

• Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and Wildlife – Na Ala Hele Trails Program  
• Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project  
• Hoʻola ʻĀina ʻO Kula  
• The Nature Conservancy – Maui Marine and Terrestrial Programs  
• US Fish and Wildlife Service – Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge  
• Zoological Society of San Diego Wildlife Alliance – Maui Bird Conservation Center  
• National Tropical Botanical Garden – Kahanu Garden and Preserve  
• Mauna Kahalawai Watershed Partnership  

CLDP participants for this term will receive a monthly living allowance of $2,560, earning a compensation package valued up to $36,000,plus health insurance. Upon completion of the service term, participants will receive an education award of $6,495 and have access to the Kupu Pathways program, which offers a kick-start to college (no transcripts needed) through Arizona State University.  

Dana Romaniak served on Maui with the Hawaiʻi DLNR Forestry Department: “Every day was completely different,” she recalls. “I learned and experienced and it all made me who I am today. My service year was filled with memorable moments and an abundance of knowledge that I will take with me everywhere I go.”   

Click here for more details and to apply online.  

For questions, contact conservation@kupuhawaii.org or call 808.735.1221, extension 2002.