Division of Forestry and Wildlife

Pia Valley Natural Area Reserve

Learn about native plants, their traditional uses, and about invasive strawberry guava

Journey to Pia Valley in the southeastern Koʻolau Mountains on Oʻahu. Pia Valley is nestled behind the residential community of Niu Valley, and is accessed by Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge Trail. This virtual field trip introduces users to the native plants found along the trail, with a special emphasis on the meanings of Hawaiian plant names and on the traditional uses of plants. Learn about invasive strawberry guava plants along the way, and then climb the stairs to the summit to see the names of nearby peaks along the Koʻolau mountains.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, and OHE ʻĀina Aloha)
• Lesson plans (K-2 and 3-5) on DOE’s Canvas Commons
• Additional information: Pia Valley NAR page

Snail Extinction Prevention Program Laboratory & Return to the Forest

Meet scientists, learn about laboratory equipment, and meet the rarest land snails in the world

This field trip takes you inside the laboratory of DLNR’s Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEPP). This lab is closed to real-life visits due to its sensitive nature, so this virtual field trip provides a unique look at the way scientists protect some of rarest, smallest animals from extinction. Meet program manager Dr. David Sischo and the lab staff, including student assistants from University of Hawaiʻi and young professionals with Kupu. Learn about the equipment scientists use and the kāhuli (land snail) species found in their collections. Then journey to a mountaintop “kāhuli kīpuka,” a protected section of forest where native kāhuli are returned to the forest.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)
• Find more kāhuli information and class activities at our SEPP webpages and on our Year of the Kāhuli page
• Request a free “Land Snails of Hawaiʻi” classroom poster and/or a classroom pack of kāhuli waterbottle stickers

Kaniakapūpū: Summer palace of King Kamehameha III

Learn about this historic site, which is closed to in-person visits

Kaniakapūpū is a wahi pana, a place special to native Hawaiians and to anyone interested in Hawaiʻi’s history or culture. The summer palace of King Kamehameha III is where some of the core components of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi were developed, including the Declaration of Rights in 1839 and the first constitution in 1840. Kaniakapūpū was also the site of the Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (Restoration Day) feast in 1847, and other important events you can learn about in the virtual field trip. Because this site is in a closed area and is frequently visited illegally, this link takes users to a special page describing why this site is closed and deserving of respect. You can launch the 360˚ field trip from that page. This field trip is well-suited for educators teaching social studies, Hawaiian studies, and history classes.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)

Kaʻena Point Natural Area Reserve

Visit unique sand dune habitat for albatross and shearwaters and meet native plants along the way

Kaʻena Point is unlike anywhere else on Oʻahu. This virtual field trip takes users along a trail on the northwest tip of the island, transiting a State Park to arrive at a Natural Area Reserve protected by a predator-proof fence. Users will learn about native plants along the trail as well as native animals including nalo meli maoli (yellow-faced bees), mōlī (Laysan albatross), and ʻuaʻu kani (wedge-tailed shearwaters). 

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)
• Additional information: Kaʻena Point NAR page
• Additional information: Mōlī (Laysan albatross) species profile

Kawainui Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Visit Hawaiʻi’s largest wetland habitat, the species that call it home, and the cultural sites around this important site

This virtual field trip uses Google Earth to fly over and drop into Hawaiʻi’s largest wetland and a critical wildlife sanctuary for birds on Oʻahu. Learn about the species found in this area and how water is managed in a wetland that has changed over time due to human land use. Visit nearby Ulupō Heiau and the Nā Pōkaku o Huawahine trail to learn about Native Hawaiian cultural sites in this area. 

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha Competencies)
• Additional information: Kawainui Marsh page and species profiles
• Additional information: Kawainui Marsh StoryMap

Hāmākua Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Learn about conservation and wildlife management in a sanctuary bordered by bustling Kailua town

Despite its proximity to the shops and parking lots of Kailua, Hāmākua Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary provides habitat for native Hawaiian waterbirds including aeʻo, ʻalae ʻula, ʻalae keʻokeʻo, and ʻaukuʻu. Learn about this marsh’s water basins and the nest counts used to monitor bird populations, as well as the Healthy Climate Communities project to restore forests surrounding the marsh. This virtual field trip uses Google Earth.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)
• Additional information: Hāmākua Marsh page and species profiles
• Additional information: Hāmākua Marsh StoryMap

Click to launch this field trip in Google Earth

Pouhala Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary

Visit a wildlife sanctuary with a complicated past

Pouhala Marsh in Waipahu was once a thriving fishpond, then a site for dumping rubbish, a potential County landfill, and now a wildlife sanctuary. This 26-acre marsh is home to 10% of the global population of aeʻo, or Hawaiian stilt. Through this virtual field trip and accompanying StoryMap, learn about the marsh’s history, its importance as wildlife habitat, and plans for the future.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)
• Additional information: Pouhala Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary page and species profiles
• Additional information: Pouhala Marsh StoryMap

Click to launch this field trip in Google Earth

Keauhou Bird Conservation Center

Explore a world-class avian care center and meet scientists protecting Hawaiʻi’s rarest forest birds

Journey to Keauhou Bird Conservation Center, located on Hawaiʻi Island, to explore a scientific care center for Hawaiʻi’s forest birds. Your host Lisa Mason will guide you through the center, explaining how birds are cared for, their diets are created, and how scientists work to give their eggs the best chance of hatching. See the equipment used by scientists and hear from researchers about their work.

Then, meet some of the world’s rarest birds cared for at Keauhou and their sister site on Maui: ʻakikiki, ʻakekeʻe, palila, ʻalalā, and kiwikiu. Our virtual field trip takes you inside the Keauhou aviaries with 360˚ video. From inside each aviary, additional videos provide details about each species and the field crew partners working to return these rare birds back to their forest homes.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)
• Lesson plans (K-2 and 3-5) on DOE Canvas Commons
• Additional information: Find species profiles and other activities about Hawaiian forest birds on our Manu Nahele page
• Request a free forest bird classroom poster or classroom pack of forest bird stickers

Puʻu Waʻawaʻa

Learn about the balance between different land uses in a dry forest habitat

The Nāpuʻu area in North Kona is many things: a native dry forest, an enormous restoration project, a public trail complex, a Forest Reserve, and a Game Management Area. Puʻu Waʻawaʻa is one of the puʻu in the Nāpuʻu region, and through this virtual field trip you can explore the native plants and animals found at this site. Climbing the puʻu will introduce you to land managers who will discuss public trails, traditional land use in this area, and restoration of rare species in a protected section of dry forest.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha Competencies)
• Lesson plans (Grade 3) on DOE Canvas Commons
• Additional information: Nāpuʻu Conservation Project page on Puʻu Waʻa and Puʻu Anahulu

Kapāpala Koa Canoe Forest

Explore an old koa forest being managed for traditional canoe building

This section of forest in Kaʻu is home to some of Hawaiʻi’s largest koa trees. Traditional Hawaiian waʻa were carved out of think koa trees, and this area of forest will provide some of the best canoe trees that can be sustainably harvested. Learn about koa and the other plants and birds in this special forest area, as well as the efforts to open these public lands for sustainable wood harvesting.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)
• Additional information: Kapāpala Canoe Forest page
• Additional information: Koa species profile

Kanahā Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

Explore a critical wildlife sanctuary in the heart of Kahului

Surrounded by an airport, harbor, and busy town, Kanahā Pond is easy to miss if you drive by it on the highway. But, inside this wildlife sanctuary is a critical wetland habitat that supports native Hawaiian waterbirds. Explore this special habitat, learn about the native species found here, and discover the historic use of this site as a fishpond. Users can also learn about plans for the future as this site faces pressures from invasive predators and sea level rise.

For Educators:

• Standards Alignments (NGSS, DOE Nā Hopena Aʻo, OHE ʻĀina Aloha competencies)
• Additional information: Kanahā Pond page and species profiles