The U.S. Forest Service's Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry (IPIF) has named Fa'afo'i Tony Maugalei and John Ah Sue as interns in its Professional Internships in Pacific Terrestrial Island Ecosystem Management program. Maugalei and Ah Sue, both with American Samoa Community College's Forestry Program, are two of 10 interns to be accepted into the new program.
The internship program was established to address the concerns of Pacific Island foresters, who have long voiced the need for scholarships and programs that recruit and train the next generation of forestry professionals. Maugalei and Ah Sue were competitively selected based on nominations by their agency and personal essays, which outlined their experience and intended contributions to forestry.
"We're thrilled about this program and its potential to prepare interns for careers of service in forest conservation," said Katie Friday, an IPIF forester and coordinator of the program. "The ten interns we selected have the potential to become both leaders and cooperators, and we hope to work collaboratively with them and their agencies for years to come."
Interns began the two-year program at community colleges on their home islands and will be traveling to Hilo, Hawaii, in January 2009 to complete coursework at Hawaii Community College and the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Later that year, they will return to their home islands to implement focus projects, in which they apply their studies, with the help of mentors, to forestry and natural resource issues of significance in their communities.
In American Samoa, Maugalei and Ah Sue will develop and evaluate an agroforestry project on private lands as a demonstration of an economically viable, culturally acceptable, and effective method of working forest land and watershed management.
"The Forest Service mission in the Pacific is to equip island agencies and people to manage their forest resources," Friday said. "We hope to arrange follow-up, on-island training that includes the interns' colleagues and cooperators, something that will benefit the larger community."
In addition to supporting the development of young forestry professionals, the internship program is intended to enhance partnerships and encourage institution-building among the program's numerous partners.
Funding for the internship program is provided by Forest Service State and Private Forestry, International Programs, and Research. Regional assistance and matching funds are provided by The Nature Conservancy; Micronesian Conservation Trust; University of Hawaii, Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; and numerous sponsoring island organizations.