Newsmaker

Name: Benton Kealii Pang
Age: 28
Education: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Occupation: graduate student
Hobbies: Hiking; photography; Hawaiian music

Pang moved to Hawaii seven years ago, after absorbing as much as he could about Hawaii from his parents and other kupuna in the Ainahau O Kaleponi Hawaiian civic club in Huntington Beach.

"I knew I had to move to Hawaii to learn more," he said.

Pang specifically wanted to study native Hawaiian plants. At the University of Hawaii, he settled on ethnobotany, a merger of his interest in his roots and in nature. He had been surrounded by the natural wonders at Sequoia National Park and Yosemite as a child.

"My interest in plants was fostered in California and the sense of Hawaiian culture that I wanted to learn more about," Pang said.

Three years ago, Pang co-founded a native Hawaiian conservation group, Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi.

The group sponsored a conference last month to teach the public how to plant and harvest Hawaiian flora, while protecting the native ecosystems.

The groups efforts were well-received, in part, Pang believes because of its ability to bridge western ways of conservation with native Hawaiian concerns.

He said the group hopes to continue its work by expanding its membership and sponsoring more education on conservation.

"It's a delicate balance and I'm always glad I have my kupuna with me to give me advice and put me on the right path when I have problems," Pang said.