"Like the ecosystems we seek to protect, the human interactions around ecosystems (between managers, users, politicians, and individual citizens) are incredibly complex. Success in conservation and resource management requires a deep respect and understanding of both the natural and human environment in which we work."


Name: Miwa Tamanaha
SFS Program: Mexico, Fall '99
Education: B.A., M.A. in Economics, University of Southern California
Current Position: Executive Director of KAHEA, a grassroots non-profit conservation organization in Hawai'i


Why did you choose SFS as a study abroad program?

In fact, being in Los Angeles at the time, people sort of laughed when I told them about my plan to study abroad in Baja, since the top of the peninsula is only a few hours from where I grew up! But the Baja I experienced could not have been a more amazing, deep or meaningful study abroad experience. I think the main thing that appealed to me was that the location was uniquely rural, and that the program was dedicated to living within a rural community on a field campus with the smallest possible ecological footprint.

Reflecting back on your time in the program, what did you gain from your SFS experience?

My field study involved surveys with small-scale inshore fishers. In time, I was no longer studying fishing pressures in the abstract or seeing the fishing community as a "them" threat. The fishing community I was studying was made up of people I knew. I had sat in their homes, talked to their families. My SFS experience helped me to appreciate the complexity of conservation in practice, and how we communicate in the face of complexity. There's very little black and white in the world, there's little that is monolithically bad or good. Like the ecosystems we seek to protect, the human interactions around ecosystems (between managers, users, politicians, and individual citizens) are incredibly complex. Success in conservation and resource management requires a deep respect and understanding of both the natural and human environment in which we work.

What is your most profound or lasting memory from your SFS program?

Oh, there are so many! So much that happened in those months has shaped who I am today. One that stands out to me is a mid-morning kayak I took. We were near these cliffs where the desert landscape dropped off and turned to sheer rock faces plunging into the ocean. My friend Talia turned to me and said, "This is the most beautiful place I've ever been." It was such a simple statement. But I remember it being so intensely felt and said in that moment. That moment comes back to me today often. There is something so deeply human about our feeling of connection to these wild landscapes. Even places to which we have never, and will never, go. So many ecosystems face a precarious future.

What advice would you give to a prospective SFS student?

Go with an open mind. If you have a set and strictly defined expectation about what you are going to "get" from the experience, you'll miss out on all the things you never expected to find and learn. Instead, give freely of yourself. Give of your mind, your talents, your sense of fun. You will get from the experience in equal measure to what you give it.

What do you do for work?

I am the Executive Director of KAHEA, a grassroots non-profit conservation organization in Hawai'i. We work to secure protections for ecologically important and culturally sacred places across the islands, from the remote reef ecosystems of Kure Atoll to the snowy summit of Mauna Kea. This involves everything from advocating marine reserve areas to ensuring opportunities for native Hawaiian communities' participation in resource management planning.

What does that entail on a daily basis?

I wish I could say it means I get paid to hike around and surf and swim all day! But in practice, it means I write a lot of emails, attend a lot of hearings and meetings, and make and field a lot of phone calls. I work closely with our incredible staff and Board members. Our work is grassroots, so we organize, get people together, and go door-to-door. We are in the community, helping to get the right resources at the right time to the people who need it.

I'm constantly working to raise funds for our programs, and looking for creative ways to encourage people to support our work. I also spend a lot of time reading, going through the paper, doing research, ensuring that we are ahead of the issues and working from the most accurate, current information available. I think a lot, and I write a lot. I review and write a lot of letters and briefs. I prepare testimony, editorials, articles, reports, and… the occasional alumni profile!

I also get the opportunity to travel around the islands. I meet inspiring people every day. Indeed, you can't wake up each morning to do this work and NOT be inspired! Hawai'i's places and culture are all facing threats, and all are defended by passionate individuals with incredible heart. Of course, there are good days, and there are less good days. But on the whole, what's great about my job is that there is no daily basis. Every day is different with new challenges, new problems, new issues, new people.

Did your SFS experience contribute to where you ended up?

Absolutely. My SFS experience was pivotal in both my personal and professional development. In practical terms, it was my introduction to the conservation community; it is where I first learned the walk and the talk. I met some wonderfully crazy, smart, and fun people, whom I still consider good friends today. Professionally, I routinely see SFS alums from other years and programs crop up.

But most importantly, I fell in love with a landscape and came home with a deep conviction: there are places in the world for which we are called to find the time, effort, and resources to protect and conserve. If for no other reason than that these landscapes speak to our hearts. This is at the very foundation of who I am and what I do today.

What are the two most essential skills that got you to your position?

First, being first a careful listener and seeking to understand where people are coming from, weighing the facts of what is being presented, and bringing an analytical mind to an issue before making a judgment.

Second, passion. I believe the best environmental and conservation work comes from a place of excitement and commitment to a landscape, ecosystem, species, and community. Said Baba Dioum, "In the end, we will conserve only what we love."

What advice do you have for other SFS alumni looking to get into your field?  What do you wish someone told you?

Always be up for the grand adventure! I don't know that there was a clear career path leading to where I am today. In fact, it's been a somewhat hairy ride, since by nature, I'm a planner! I like to know and see twenty steps ahead. I wish someone had told me ten years ago not to worry too much about what's next, how each thing will lead to the next thing. Have an eye for the future, but be responsible for who you are in the world in the moment. Be fully present for what you are doing. Live well, and learn all you can. So when the next step comes, whatever it is, you'll be ready for it!