At a very basic level, people know that Hawaii is the Endangered Species Capital of the World.

I decided to go back to school, study Hawaiian studies with a Malama Aina focus.

Hawaiian resource management with a cultural perspective.

You see different areas that Hawaiians could help contribute to natural resource management.

Working with species like Palila and working with species like mamane is a dream, dream come true to be able to work on Mauna Kea.

(indistinct background chatter).

So for the next couple of days, we're hosting what we refer to as the Palila Point Counts.

It's a survey that's done every year in the core population of the Palila.

And we essentially attempt to count the amount of Palila that are on the mountain.

(crickets chirping).

(music playing on radio).

It's 5:09, and we are leaving Mauna Kea Recreation Facility to head to Kaohe on the first day of our 2017 Palila annual survey point counts.

♪ ♪ This would be my third point count.

We pair up a primary counter with a secondary counter.

All of the pairs will get dropped off at certain areas on the mountain.

And depending on where you get dropped off at, you then have to hike to your first transect.

(heavy breathing).

(footsteps).

It's, it's kuleana.

You know, it's kuleana that was given to me the second I was born as a native Hawaiian, right you, you come from the land, and, and you're born into it.

And you need to take care of it as much as you can while you're here so that there's something to hand down to your keiki.

RESEARCHER: How much do we count?

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