#National Geographic Society

Kamaliʻi Elementary Educator Selected for National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship

Kacie Seitz is an enrichment teacher for grades 3–5 and curriculum coordinator at Kamaliʻi Elementary School in Kīhei. She has been named a 2026 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow through the National Geographic Society in partnership with Lindblad Expeditions.

Humpback whale mother-calf health assessed using drone tech

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology biologists used drone imagery to understand how nursing humpback whale mothers and their calves fare as they cross the Pacific Ocean. Recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale reproduction and survival of calves highlight the need to understand how mother-calf pairs expend energy across their migratory cycle. The study was published in “The Journal of Physiology.”

Study suggests Molokini is being “overused”

Overall, the team’s findings suggest that “Molokini is being overused, and that management is needed to improve not only ecosystem health but the visitor experience,” said Russell Sparks, DLNR Aquatic Biologist.