DLNR.
DLNR) Outreach Specialist
John Kahiapo was busy teaching young fishers at Laupāhoehoe Point Beach Park on Hawaiʻi Island about pono practices and the importance of conservation when he was completely caught off-guard. Fellow
DLNR officers and his ʻohana presented him with an exemplary award. The department chose Kahiapo, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo alumnus, as its recipient of this year’s
DLNR Citizen Conservationist Award, which recognizes people in the community who go above and beyond to protect natural and cultural resources.
“I can’t tell you how much we’ve relied on John to back up our regular officers,” said Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (