UPDATE: Unfortunately we have to cancel our 2/7/26 celebration due to inclement weather. One of the benefits of an urban wetland like Keawāwa is that it acts like a rain garden, but that means it can get very slippery and potentially dangerous when it pours. Make sure you're signed up for our email list! If we're able to reschedule, we can notify you over email.
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UPDATES:
Agenda:
8:30 a.m. | Gates Open to the Public
9:00–9:30 a.m. | Opening Ceremony
9:40–10:10 a.m. | Wetland Bird Tour led by Rich with the Hawai'i Audubon Society
10:30 a.m.–12:10 p.m. | Speaker Series
10:30 a.m. | Native Hawaiian & Medicinal Plant Walk led by Heidi Bornhorst, Horticulturist
11:00–11:40 a.m. | Mālama ʻĀina Demonstration & Planting Activity
12:30–1:00 p.m. | Live Music with Maunalua
1:00–1:30 p.m. | Closing Ceremony
Participating Organizations:
Speaker Series:
10:30 a.m.–10:50 a.m. : Helen Raine | Igniting Hope for the ‘Alae ‘ula
1050 - 1110: Mahi La Pierre | ʻĀina Pulu: Craters, Critters, & Coastal Narratives
1110 - 1130: Susan Scott | Kōlea and Wetlands: A Global Journey, A Shared Home
1130 - 1150: Rich Downs | It Takes a Village: Citizen Science and the Care of Manu o Kū
1150 - 1210: Melani Spielman | TBD
Speaker Bios:
Helen Raine is the Hawaiʻi Conservation Coordinator for Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture, and focuses on the protection and restoration of wetlands and waterbirds. She is based in Kauaʻi but works across the state, building local partnerships to tackle wetland conservation challenges, and connecting partners with the resources and funding they need to carry out effective conservation work. Helen has worked in natural resource management for over 20 years and has an MSc in Conservation from University College London. Pacific Birds will be launching a campaign on the ʻalae ʻula on April 4th at 11am, Kukui Grove, Kauaʻi. Find out more: https://pacificbirds.org/priority-habitats/hawaii-wetlands/igniting-hope-for-the-alae-ula/
Lance Genson Mahi La Pierre, an educator and mixed-media artisan from Kapālama and Maunalua, Oʻahu, has worked in the fields of education, conservation, and cultural resource management with non-profit, private, and State entities. Mahi is passionate about learning and perpetuating the art and science inherent in Hawaiian cultural traditions and practices. He enjoys creating traditional Hawaiian implements and kūpuna-inspired, modern interpretations of wood, stone, bone, shell, and fiber
Susan Scott is a longtime Hawaiʻi nature writer and conservation advocate. She wrote the weekly OceanWatch column for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser from 1987 to 2020 and is the author or coauthor of 10 books on Hawaiʻi’s natural history, including works on kōlea (Pacific Golden Plovers) and manu-o-Kū (White Terns). She helped revise the 7th edition of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society’s field guide, Hawaiʻi’s Birds, and was elected president of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society in January 2022. A former registered nurse with a biology degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Susan continues to share her passion for Hawaiʻi’s wildlife through education, writing, and conservation work.
Rich Downs is a biologist with Pacific Rim Conservation and the coordinator of Hui Manu o Kū, where he has led collaborative efforts since 2016 to advance awareness, appreciation, and conservation of the White Tern (Manu o Kū). He leads the Hui’s White Tern Citizen Science project, engaging the community in research on this iconic urban seabird. Rich has co-authored peer-reviewed studies on White Terns published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, and his work has been featured by the Smithsonian Institution and the BBC. He is also active with the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society, promoting science-based bird conservation and helping connect people with Hawaiʻi’s birdlife.
Melani Spielman is the Outreach and Education Specialist for the Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership. (more to come)
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World Wetlands Day 2026 aims to celebrate the vital role of wetlands and native birds, fostering respect for natural and cultural resources and ensuring mutual enrichment between tourism and communities.
This event will feature informative booths from local wetland organizations, encouraging volunteerism among residents and tourists in spaces like loʻi and wildlife refuges to enhance local quality of life and create lasting visitor memories. A speaker series will blend Western science with Hawaiian traditional knowledge and practices to deepen understanding of Hawaiʻi's heritage, while guided tours and hands-on activities at Keawāwa Wetland will empower active participation in conservation efforts, ensuring the preservation of Hawaiʻi’s wetlands and native species.
This event is free and open to the public.
World Wetlands Day is recognized globally through the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international treaty dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. While the official 2026 theme is "Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage," we will also be highlighting how wetlands support our native waterbirds.
Many thanks to Kilohana by CNHA and the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority for the award money allowing us to host this event!
