Sam Gon
Sam Gon (second from right)
OccupationSenior Scientist and Cultural Adviser
EducationBachelor's in Zoology at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Master's in Zoology and PhD in Animal Behavior at University of California at Davis.
A Theridion grallator, also known as the happy-face spider, an endemic species to the Hawaiian Archipelago

Samuel M. 'Ohukani'ōhi'a Gon III is an American scientist and cultural advisor for The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi. He was born and raised in Nuʻuanu on the island of Oahu. Gon studied Hawaiian culture under Kumu John Keolamala'āinana Lake.[1] Gon worked to integrate Hawaiian culture, values, and knowledge into conservation efforts. Gon sat on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs panel, the Hawaii Land Board (2006-2014).

Early life

Gon graduated from McKinley High School[2] and earned a Bachelor's in Zoology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.[3] He continued his education at the University of California at Davis[3] earning his Master's in Zoology and PhD in animal behavior, studying the Happy-face Spider, Theridion grallator.

Career

Gon joined The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii in the 1990s. As the Hawai'i Conservancy's director of science, he orchestrated research that supported its initiatives to preserve Hawaii's biodiversity.[4] Gon managed biological inventories for the Conservancy and the state of Hawaii.[5]

He worked as the supervisor for the Hawai'i Natural Heritage Program from 1992 to 1994. Gon directed a team working to protect the environment across all Hawaiian Islands by developing conservation and management strategies.[6] Gon directed ecological analysis and data management systems for projects in East Asia, Latin America, Polynesia, and Micronesia.[7] In 1991, Sam sailed on Hōkūleʻa around the Hawaiian Islands. He served on the board of the Ōhi'a Project, focused on Hawaiʻi's endemic and most abundant native tree.[8] He was an executive committee member of the Hawaiian Conservation Alliance.[9] Gon was a board member[5] for Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi which aids in conserving native plants and animals in Hawaii and for the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission with a focus on habitat restoration.[10] In 2015, while Gon was a part of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, he was an advocate for the protection of the native fish, O'opu[11] (Awaous stamineus) at risk of extinction. He was named a Living Treasure of Hawaii[2] by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii[12] for his contributions towards preserving Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian ecology.

Gon served on the Board for more than three terms between 2006 and 2021. In 2021, Governor David Ige withdrew his nomination of Gon to continue in that capacity.[13]

Research, publications and speeches

Gon has given numerous presentations about Hawaiian ecosystems and culture to global audiences, such as the Dalem Ethnological Museum in Berlin, Germany(2011), the American Museum of Natural History in New York (2012), and the Museum of World Culture in Paris, France (2014).[5]

In 2014 Gon gave a TedTalk in Maui on how combining science and cultural practices can be beneficial. Gon and colleagues contributed to a collaborative effort calculating the ecological footprint of pre-contact Hawaii.[14]

Gon published articles on altitudinal effects on the general diversity of endemic insect communities in Leeward Hawaiian forests (1978), invertebrate domestication (1984), water bears (1986), native and endemic plants (1987; 2008), sex-biased pattern variations in birds of prey (2003), applications of traditional Hawaiian knowledge (2008), using human ecological footprints to inform bicultural restoration and sustainability (2018), the Hawaiian Renaissance (2019), optimizing ecosystem services (2020), and a conservation roadmap for subterranean biomes (2021), and on the methodology for exploring indigenous conceptualizations of nature and conservation (2022).

He is also the creator of Trilobites.info A guide to the Orders of Trilobites[15]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ "Kumu John Keola Lake". Hui o Nā ʻŌpio est. 1965. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Hawaii's 'Living Treasure' to give talk in Kuching on 9 November". programs.wcs.org. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 by. "Sam 'Ohu Gon III – Biocultural Initiative of the Pacific". Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Nature Conservancy in Hawaii". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "Sam 'Ohu Gon III". www.hawaiiecoregionplan.info. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Speaker Samuel GON III". IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Sam 'Ohu Gon III". trilobites.info. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The 'Ōhi'a Tree and Native Forest Birds - Revive & Restore". Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Our Committees". Hawaii Conservation Alliance. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Use Plan Page". www.kahoolawe.hawaii.gov. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  11. ↑ "BOARD TALK: Land Board Tightens Lay Gill Netting Rules, Vows to Continue Dialogue with Fishers, Hawaiians -". Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ Herald, Hawaii (September 13, 2019). "The Hawaii Herald - Hawaii's Japanese American Journal". The Hawaii Herald. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ige Withdraws Land Board Nominee Sam Gon". April 9, 2021.
  14. ↑ Iii, Samuel M. ʻOhukaniʻōhiʻa Gon. "Wao Kānaka: The Hawaiian Pre-Contact Ecological Footprint". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ↑ "A Guide to the Orders of Trilobites".


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