During spring break, ten University of Idaho students volunteered for the ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative, a local Hawaiian non-profit focused on cultural and environmental preservation. Traveling to the big island, this group learned about Hawaiian culture while restoring wetland ecosystems.
The Department of Student Involvement’s Volunteer and Leadership Programs Coordinator Sandra Kelly planned and oversaw this Alternative Service Break.
“One of my big goals with these trips is to have people learn to love volunteering,” Kelly said. “I want people to discover what they’re passionate about and learn what’s meaningful to them.”
This is the second year Kelly has brought students to work for the ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative. Kumiko and Patrick Mattison founded the initiative. Since the pandemic, the couple has been breathing life back into the Lokowaka, Ki’onakapahu and ‘Akahi fishponds.
“The name ʻĀina Hoʻōla means ‘land in the process of healing,’” Patrick Mattison said. “We thought healing was the most descriptive word for our title. We’re not just cleaning or clearing, we’re healing.”
As they remove more and more invasive species from the overgrown wetlands, their efforts are rewarded. Animals native to the habitat are returning, including endangered species like the Nene, the Hawaiian goose.
Kumiko Mattison explained why this deeply historic land is so important. “By doing this [restoration work], you connect with the past, and it’s also how future generations will connect with us.”
Kumiko and Patrick use history as their guide, referring to old maps made in the early 1900s as they work.
“I feel the past here. When I touch certain areas or touch the rock walls, I can feel and imagine the Hawaiians 400 years ago stacking those rocks and going out into the middle of the pond to find them and bring them over here,” Patrick Mattison said.
When Kumiko and Patrick began this passion project, they didn’t expect it to grow so much. They had over 600 volunteers in the past year, including UI’s team of 10 students.
Junior sustainable food systems student Maggie Meyer shared what she gained from this volunteer trip. “It’s the kind of experience you can’t get in Idaho. Community service in general is necessary, especially as college students. We get a lot from the community around us, so it’s really good to give back and be a part of something bigger.”
The initiative focuses on more than just the physical land. Kumiko and Patrick are dedicated to educating their volunteers and the public about Hawaiian culture.
Kumiko Mattison opened each day of work with Hawaiian chants and prayers, allowing students to learn about this aspect of their culture.
Political science and public relations student Braden Robinson gained a new perspective to complement his studies. “Alternative Service Break trips like this don’t just allow for students to visit beautiful places,” he said. “They provide opportunity for immersive and holistic cultural experiences that are profoundly meaningful, truly unforgettable, and overall life changing.”
Meyer expressed her gratitude for this traveling experience. She said, “It’s good for college students to remove themselves from things you’re used to, and experience new things.”
Junior Ronauk Roomiany enjoyed the bonding aspect of this community service. “Aside from the physical work, the environment was pretty cool. It felt like we were all in this together, group mentality,” she said.
Kelly explained how she chose the initiative for this year’s project. She said, “I felt really good about Kumiko and Patrick, and the program they run. It took all of 15 minutes to realize that this was a really special place to be.”
Kumiko and Patrick are deeply connected to the initiative’s mission. When they aren’t facilitating work at the initiative, Kumiko and Patrick run a tourism business where they teach visitors about native species and conservation. Down the road, they hope to expand the initiative and work on it full-time.
Patrick Mattison expressed that he never sees this project ending. He said, “One of the most important things is handing off to the next generations. It has to go perpetually, because the grass will just come back.”
UI has developed a very special relationship with the ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative over the past two years.
Kumiko and Patrick expressed their gratitude to the Vandals.
“To have you all the way from Idaho means so much to us. What we’ve done together is something that I will never forget,” Kumiko Mattison said.
Sophia Robertson can be reached at arg-life@uidaho.edu.