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Kids capture Students at three Kailua schools stretched their research, writing, art and computer skills this spring to create an informative Web site about Hamakua Marsh.
wetland on Internet
Students at 3 schools create a
Web site on the Hamakua MarshBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com
And they got their hands dirty.
The students have been a key element in restoring the marsh that lies just mauka of Hamakua Drive in Kailua, said David Smith, a Department of Land & Natural Resources wildlife manager.
And their virtual marsh on the Web provides a wealth of information about the plants, insects and animals of that ecosystem.
About 350 students from 18 classes at Kailua Elementary, Lanikai Elementary and Ke Kula o Samuel M. Kamakau participated. The results are impressive.
On the Web site are colorful illustrations of what the birds look like, recordings of what they sound like, and detailed scientific information about their lifestyle.
Meanwhile, in the real world, just a stone's throw from businesses along well-traveled Hamakua Drive, the marsh is emerging as a favored place for the birds featured on the site.
On any given day, an observer can see the aeo, or Hawaiian stilt; akekeke, or ruddy turnstone; aukuu, or black-crowned night heron; and many more.
The birds are returning to the marsh after acres of mangroves were cleared from it last year, which made it more attractive to them. They're being coaxed to stay, at least in part, by the outdoor efforts of the students.
At a recent planting session with Lanikai Elementary fourth- and fifth-graders, wildlife technician Ethan Shiinoki briefed the students on how to plant puu kaa native sedge along the bank of the stream that runs along the marsh.
He told them to bury the plants at the same level in the ground as they had been in the pot. Plant too deep, and the plant stems will rot in the earth; too shallow, and the roots will dry out.
"And be careful not to step on any of your friends' plants," he concluded.
When he asked the students what use the birds would make of the sedge, hands shot up.
"It attracts bugs for them to eat," one student suggested.
"They use it to make a nesting area," another said.
The kids were not making this up. They learned it in their research, said Lauren Apiki, the technology consultant who helped the children translate their work into a Web-workable form.
Each student participated at his or her level of ability, Apiki said. Younger students drew pictures of the birds. Older ones researched the birds' habits and their place in old Hawaiian stories. Those with computer skills worked on the more technical aspects of setting up the Web page.
In addition to recordings of the birds, the Web site has student voices telling about the marsh and its inhabitants, in both English and Hawaiian.
"It was a collaborative effort," Apiki said, and that is reflected in the fact that students' names do not appear directly on their art or with their writing.
"I told them, 'It's not about who we are, but what we know,'" Apiki said. "People will go to the resource page to find out who you are" if they are impressed with your work, she said.
"I think every kid should be doing something active like this, so later our kids can study native Hawaiian birds as well," said fourth-grader Elijah Jennings as he tamped down soil around a sedge plant.
Elijah said he first became interested in the Hawaiian stilt from reading about it.
But when he brought his parents to Hamakua Marsh and actually saw one, he recalled, "I was amazed."
On the Net:
Visit the Hamakua Marsh Web site at kalaheocomplex.k12.hi.us/hamakua/mainmenu.htm.