STUDENT LEADER: SASHA ZAGORSKI, CLASS OF 2022
ʻAina STEWARDSHIP AT HAMAKUA MARSH WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
SENIOR SASHA ZAGORSKI LEADS HIS PEERS IN CRITICAL CONSERVATION PROJECTS AT OUR HAMAKUA IMPACT WORKSITE
This project highlight is brought to you by Le Jardin Academy’s Office of Experiential Education, dedicated to the idea of a'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka halau ho'okahi — not all knowledge is learned in one school. Please contact David Hays, Le Jardin Academy’s Experiential Education Aide, if you have any inquiries about this highlight, Sasha’s service work, or require a recommendation. You can email David at david.hays@lejardinacademy.org, or call/text during normal working hours at (808) 398-3603. Mahalo for your support of LJA’s IMPACT Programs. If you have any questions about this valuable ongoing project, or wish to help out at the next community workday, Sasha welcomes you to reach out to him at any time.
LJA deeply values its long-standing partnership with Hawai'i State Representative Dr. Lisa Marten and her nonprofit, Healthy Climate Communities (HCC), at Hāmākua Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary. For years, our students have visited the protected wetland to help preserve and restore the important ecosystems within. Sasha Zagorski, senior and Wild Kids General Council member, has served as a student leader at our Hāmākua project for over a year, each Wednesday facilitating a student workday where he brings a group of high school students to engage in meaningful environmental stewardship. Current projects include the installation of irrigation dam tarps, the clearing of virulent invasive flora, and the re-planting of endemic species (such as Acacia koa). In helping care for the natural world in and around our campus community, Sasha and his volunteer team have demonstrated significant commitment to the 'āina which sustains us. We are grateful for the past and ongoing efforts of these amazing students, and can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Sasha prepares to deliver his opening briefing at the Hāmākua worksite after arriving after school. A habitat for several endemic birds, it is not uncommon to see critically endangered species in the wetlands at the site.
Sasha leads students on a short walk to the rear portion of the wildlife sanctuary, to the irrigation dam tarps where they will be working for the day.
On this particular workday, Sasha works to remove invasive plant species from the irrigation tarps, making room for native flora.
When Sasha first worked at Hāmākua in middle school several years ago, he never imagined that one day he would lead projects at the site.
Now, Sasha also serves as a mentor to younger students and peers who may one day be in his role.
“Working at Hāmākua every week for over a year now, I’ve really been able to form a connection with this place and develop a personal interest in protecting it. It’s truly a special time each week that I look forward to and cherish, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be responsible for such an amazing project.”
Mahalo for your support of LJA’s IMPACT Programs.
Please direct any inquiries about this story to David Hays (david.hays@lejardinacademy.org), LJA Experiential Education Aide.
