KALAHEO — National Tropical Botanical Garden and Kaua‘i Community College will present a free public lecture by acclaimed Australian naturalist Ian Hutton on Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria on the KCC campus. Hutton has spent more than
KALAHEO — National Tropical Botanical Garden and Kaua‘i Community College will present a free public lecture by acclaimed Australian naturalist Ian Hutton on Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria on the KCC campus. Hutton has spent more than 30 years studying the ecology of Lord Howe Island and will share the richness of its flora and fauna during his brief visit to Kaua‘i, according to a news release.
Similarities between Lord Howe Island and the Hawaiian Islands will become evident during Hutton’s talk. Forty percent of its roughly 300 species are unique to the island. Lord Howe is one of 11 World Heritage areas in Australia.
The plants are a blend from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Eighteen species of land birds breed in the forests and fourteen species of seabirds breed on its shores and interior.
Lord Howe Island has the most southerly coral reef in the world, with a fascinating blend of tropical and temperate marine life.
Ian Hutton has a bachelors of science with majors in plant ecology and climatology, and has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his services to conservation and tourism.
He has produced 10 books about the island, and his notes, drawings, photographs and plant specimens are shared with other researchers at the National Botanic Gardens, Canberra and at the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, England. Hutton became the first person licensed by the Lord Howe Island Board to conduct guided reef and botanical tours, and he was the driving force in creating volunteerism opportunities in invasive plant removal.
The lecture is one of many collaborations between the National Tropical Botanical Garden and Kaua‘i Community College.
Both NTBG and KCC share a common goal of quality education to change lives. NTBG is a not-for-profit institution, headquartered in Kalaheo. KCC, which is part of the University of Hawai‘i system, operates a large campus in Lihu‘e.
For information on the institutions, visit their respective websites at www.ntbg.org and kauai.hawaii.edu.
