Field Study Programs: Living Streams in Balance
Lower Makamakaole Valley & Puohokomoa/Garden of Eden

Come Prepared! Make use of our Trip Preparation Materials to introduce the Wild Hawai'i concepts, plants & animals, and sites to your students before your trip.

Students get face-to-face with stream life as they snorkel in search of o'opu, crayfish, Tahitian prawns, insect larvae and other animals. The human impact on our streams is a theme, contrasting traditional Hawaiian watershed management techniques with today's policies. We guide students to their own conclusions of how native and non-native plants and animals arrived on the island -- why they thrive or dwindle.

By the end of this program, students will be able to:

• Describe Hawai'i's unique weather patterns and explain the causes
• Explain how Maui gets its fresh water supply
• Understand the differences between native and non-native plants, birds, animals, and insects
• Identify the impact of manmade structures versus natural watershed features (focus on streams)
• Explain the life cycle and challenges of o'opu in Maui's streams
• Describe at least 3 Iao Stream inhabitants

8:00 At school pickup site

• Introductions and briefing
• Develop day's “code of ethics” with the students (respect, listening, etc)
• Check Students' Clothing & Equipment. Outfit everyone with Wild Hawai'i-supplied gear

8:15 Depart for valley

• What makes Hawai'i unique with relation to island weather patterns (trade winds, windward vs. leeward)?
• How do we get fresh water here?
• Compare channelized stream and natural stream characteristics; discuss Process of Erosion

8:25 Stop at Hale Ki'i Heiau, sketch the channelized stream

• We share pictures of Hawaiian stream life and have the students guess which are native/ non-native (worksheet)
• What ways could native species reach Hawai'i?
• We discuss the lifecycle of the native o'opu and how stream life has evolved to deal with waterfalls, other obstacles

8:45 Drive to Waihe'e Beach Park for a bathroom break; Intermediate School students play the Wild Wanderings game (30-60 min.)

• Wild Wanderings Game is about the life cycle of o'opu. Goal of the game: to see what it's like to be an o'opu is in today's streams and what the obstacles are to survival
• Some students will be predators; others will be o'opu. The o'opu try to get from the upper stream, down past the water diversion, through to the estuary and open ocean

10:00 Arrive at Lower Makamakaole. Along the trail:

• Discuss plant species. Ask students to identify native and non-native species. (Activity 2: What Makes a Plant Invasive?)
• Discuss the reasons for planting the exotics and their intended usefulness relative to watershed preservation and enhancement

10:30 Snorkel in the stream and pools

• Look for o'opu, hihiwai, Tahitian prawns, crayfish, shrimp, insect larvae
• Discuss life cycle of native species, how they migrate upstream, and current state of native stream fauna in Maui
• High School students lead water quality monitoring tests and document results to be used in post-program activities

11:30 Lunch streamside

12:00 Hike back. Students have observation projects & discussion topics for the hike

• Ancient structures
• How do they think this ecosystem was important in traditional Hawaiian times and now today?
• Animal, Bird and Insect Identification
• Stewardship: Trail Rubbish Collection

12:45 Return to van and depart

• Discuss most memorable parts of the day, what students learned, how life cycles of native animals/ invasive species relate to the lives of the students?

1:30 Arrive back at School or Meeting Point

Trip Preparation Materials
Makamakaole Valley

Lower Makamakaole Valley Program Packet
Program Description
Resource List
Teachers' Plan
Illustrated Concept Guide
Pre-Trip Quiz
Pre-Trip Activities
Post-Trip Activities
Plants & Animals

Puohokamoa

Site Description
Resources List
Teachers' Plan
Teachers' Plan
Pre-Trip Quiz
Pre-Trip Activities
Post-Trip Activities
Plants & Animals

Water is Precious
Seasonal Wetlands & the Watershed
The Blue-Green Bridge: Connecting Oceans & Streams
Journeys to the Sea

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PDF Files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Contact Wild Hawai'i:
Wild Hawai'i Learning Adventures, Inc.
PO Box 1378
Kihei, Hawai'i 96753
Office: 808-874-1256
Fax: 808-875-7536
info@wildhawaii.net