Kupu applications open for nearly 40 paid conservation positions on Maui

Kupu, Hawai‘i’s leading conservation and environmental education nonprofit, is seeking applications for the Conservation Leadership Development Program (CLDP). Recent high school graduates, college graduates and young professionals looking to establish a career in conservation are strongly encouraged to apply by June 21.

“‘Āina itself inspires me to pursue a career in conservation,” says Alex Calma who just completed a CLDP term at the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project. “This experience has showed me a side of life that is purposeful and meaningful. With conservation, I get to serve my ‘ohana, friends and Maui. It allows me to live with aloha, lokahi, and continue the lifestyle of mālama ‘āina.”

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: 

• Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
• Grow Some Good
• Hawaiʻi Land Trust – Waiheʻe ʻĀina Stewardship and Restoration
• Ho’ōla ‘Āina ‘O Kula
• Maui Invasive Species Committee – Coqui Control Crew
• Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership
• Regenerative Education Centers
• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance – Maui Bird Conservation Center

CLDP participants receive a bi-weekly living allowance, health insurance, and upon term completion, an education award up to $6,895, as well as access to the Kupu Pathways program, which offers a kick-start to college (no transcripts needed) through Arizona State University.

Apply at kupuhawaii.org/conservation/

For questions, contact conservation@kupuhawaii.org or call 808-735-1221, extension 2002.