Anya Tagawa fondly recalls the most thrilling moments of her career in natural resource conservation, such as rappelling into lava tubes to access rare plants that had thrived in the shelter of the tube, or blazing trails and flying by helicopter to far-flung places in Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island to search for rare plants.
“It’s an exciting field,” Tagawa said. “It’s been an exciting life, for sure.”
Tagawa’s higher education journey, which prepared her for a successful career in conservation and education, began in Hawaiʻi Community College’s Tropical Forest Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management program, or Forest TEAM.
Forest TEAM students learn to manage Hawaiʻi’s native forest ecosystems, grow native plants, establish agroforestry operations, and use Global Positioning Systems and Geographic Information Systems.
The Forest TEAM program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and Tagawa’s education and career highlight the reason Hawaiʻi CC established the associate degree program.
Opportunities for Hawaiʻi residents
Founded by the late Hawaiʻi CC professor Fred Stone, the Forest TEAM program was created so Hawaiʻi residents like Tagawa could get the education they need to compete for jobs in the conservation and forestry industries, rather than having all the hires come from outside Hawaiʻi.
“It was so Hawaiʻi kids could get these jobs with the forest service and the national park and other organizations, so we could equalize the playing field and local kids could have access to these jobs,” said Orlo Steele, one of two professors who lead the program.
In the two decades since, many graduates have found careers with government organizations, non-profits, and businesses or started businesses of their own.
Steele said about half of graduates go directly into the workforce after earning their associate of science degrees from the Forest TEAM program and half continue onto bachelor’s and graduate programs.
Forest Solutions, Inc. is a forestry management business that manages 150,000 acres on Hawaiʻi Island and has hired several Forest TEAM graduates over the years.
Nicholas Koch, Forest Solutions general manager and president of the Hawaii Forest Industry Association, said that a trained workforce is vital for any industry, and, for Forest Solutions, graduates who have training plus knowledge of the local environment are an asset.
“They’ve walked on lava before. They’re familiar with it and they don’t mind,” Koch said. “They’re not surprised by the conditions of the land that we have here. They know what guinea grass is all about.”
Growing up outdoors
Tagawa was one of those “Hawaiʻi kids,” the program was designed to benefit, and her upbringing in Kurtistown provided the inspiration to pursue the education and career path she did.
“Both of my parents were avid hunters, so I spent a lot of time in our native forests, and part of why I chose to enroll in the Forest TEAM program and other programs that led me to conservation, was because of these early outdoor experiences, experiences that eventually led me to what I’m doing today,” said Tagawa. “We did a lot of exploring as kids, me and my siblings, and two of us became conservationists, so I think our outdoor lifestyle as children was impactful.”
When Tagawa enrolled at Hawaiʻi CC after high school, she found a program that was a perfect fit for her. It was more affordable than a four-year university, she found “amazing” supportive faculty, built lifelong friendships, developed connections in the industry, it was close to home and her family, it bolstered her work ethic, and the hands-on experiences in the program gave her an edge when looking for jobs.
The program provided opportunities for leadership that sparked a love of teaching and education. She was the Forest TEAM club president, and as a student worker, she started and led a program for upcoming high school students.
“Because of that job, I realized I really enjoyed the teaching component,” she said.
She now applies her love of education as the education manager at the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, and was an outreach and education specialist for the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Natural Area Reserves System.
After graduating from Hawaiʻi CC in 2005, she earned her bachelor’s degree and then a master’s in tropical conservation biology and environmental science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
“Some people say, ‘Oh, you kind of painted yourself into a corner by staying in Hawaiʻi and only learning here,’ but it was a really nice corner to paint myself into,” she said.
—By Thatcher Moats
