EP 68 Restoring the land is a family affair: researchers Pat Hart, Susan Cordell and Colin Hart on the secret world of plants, birds and cacao

Husband-wife team Dr. .Susan Cordell and Dr. Pat Hart have made their conservation careers in Hawai`i since the early 1990s in their respective fields of native ecosystem restoration ecology and Hawaiian forest birds. In addition to Susan’s research with the U.S. Forest Service Institute of Pacific Island Forestry and Pat’s work on Hawaiian forest bird ecology at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo, the pair have undertaken the restoration of 20 acres of prime farm lands at their home in north Hilo since the early 2000s. Their son Colin Hart has led the transformation of former agricultural fields into the selection, cultivation, processing and selling of boutique chocolate for his company Honoli`i Orchards. The family describes their commitment to Hawai'i's land and people–from students learning about Hawaiian birds, to restoring endangered plants in native ecosystems, and finally cultivating the land to produce a homegrown agricultural product.