Voices of Conservation

Voices of Conservation

Voices of Conservation is an oral history and interview series preserving the stories, knowledge, and experiences of people who have dedicated their lives to Kauaʻi’s native species, forests, and communities.

Through conversations with kūpuna and longtime researchers, conservation practitioners, cultural practitioners, artists, and community members, the series explores how Kauaʻi’s environment has changed over time, what has been lost, what we have learned, and what gives us hope for the future.

The voices of longtime conservationists provide a remarkable firsthand record of Kauaʻi’s changing forests. Many remember a time when native birds were far more abundant and the forest sounded very different. Their stories document decades of research and conservation, encounters with species that have since disappeared, and the profound experience of witnessing ecological change within a single lifetime.

Alongside these historical perspectives, the series captures the voices of people engaged with conservation and culture today. Together, these conversations connect past and present while asking an important question: What knowledge, stories, and relationships do we want to carry forward to the next generation?

Kūpuna & Longtime Conservation Voices

The series includes interviews with David Kuhn, Jack Jeffrey, Jim Denny, Mike Scott, Sheila Conant, Rob Shallenberger, Thane Pratt, Kumu Kehaulani Kekua and Dennis Cabral.

The conservation interviews were conducted in collaboration with the Center for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University.

Contemporary Voices

The project is also documenting perspectives from people involved in conservation, culture, art, and community life on Kauaʻi today, including Lisa “Cali” Crampton, Allison Cabrera, Justin Hite,  and Julia Diegmann.

These conversations expand the story beyond the history of conservation to explore what it means to care for Kauaʻi’s native species and ecosystems today—and what responsibility we have to those who come after us.

A new interview airs each month on KKCR Kauaʻi Community Radio, and we are working to make the full collection available online for on-demand listening. This portion of the project is being developed in collaboration with Story for All, a nonprofit organization specializing in capturing and preserving oral histories.

Recorded presentations and other conservation stories can also be found on our website and YouTube channel.