Meet the Specialists

David Chai

Director of Natural Resources, Hualālai Resort

David has been restoring and maintaining the ponds at Ka‘ūpūlehu since 1990. He has a Master Degree in Geography, specializing in Coastal Ecology and Aquatic Resource Management. First brought on as a consultant twenty years ago, he has built a natural filtration system to preserve our ponds natural resources. He has trained students and developed management plans for coastal communities on Hawai‘i Island and received an EPA award for his involvement in the Punawai Lake here at Hualālai Resort located on the Ke'olu Golf Course. This lake is cleaned by natural filtration technology.

Chai, who is part Hawaiian, is trained as a scientist, but what makes his work special is the community-wide focus and culturally based approach that he brings to it. The coastal waters at Ka‘ūpūlehu were once famous for moi, he'e (octopus), and large gatherings of opelu (mackerel scad). These fisheries have been depleted by unrestricted fishing, and to revive them Chai has been working with cultural and community groups, conservation agencies, landowners and other resorts up and down the coast, conducting fish counts, replenishing fish stocks, restoring ponds, and developing an area-wide marine resource management plan.

"We already provide a model for what can be done to manage marine resources in a traditional Hawaiian way," says Chai. "There are a lot of places that want to do exactly what we're doing, especially in development areas where you need to involve the community. People want to get started but they don't know how. So we try and help out."

Nicole Tachibana

Natural Resource, Outreach Coordinator

Nicole was born and raised on the island of Moloka‘i. Her love and passion for nature and the ocean started when she was very young. She always knew her path would be connected to the ocean and animals. "If there was a day that I wasn't around the ocean or animals I would go crazy," says Nicole. These two things are as necessary as water to her. As a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, she has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marine Science. She has been involved in the Pacific Internship Program for exploring science and the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center doing research. Her main focus at Hualālai Resort is with educational outreach. Designing lesson plans for schools and arranging site visits to the property are only part of her day. Assisting teachers with hands-on science base activities, providing graduate and college students with access to use the property for science related projects or internship, improving her knowledge with our natural ecosystems and learning about animal care and therapy is her main focus these day. You can say her passion for the ocean and wildlife makes her want to protect them which drives her to continue to educate anyone interested.

Chris Keeling

Natural Resource, Maintenance Specialist

Chris, who is part Hawaiian, is like his grandfather a lawai‘a and mahi‘ai (fisherman/farmer). Valuing what nature provides, Chris from a young age has learned how to provide for his family by respecting the abundance of food available from the ocean and land. His knowledge of traditional Hawaiian methods include fishing and planting based on the moon phases. He has taught this to his children so they too can teach their kids the value of traditional Hawaiian methods and our ecosystem. He believes that life experiences is what helps you make your choices. "These choices will influence the future," says Chris. He has been here at Hualālai since 2006. His focus is to maintain the ponds and the marine life that inhabit them. As a Natural Resource Specialist he also helps maintain the ponds at Kona Village and shares his knowledge with those that are interested.

Brandon Lopes

Natural Resource, Facilities and Programs Specialist

A University of Hawai`i at Manoa graduate, Brandon holds a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management. His love for the outdoors and the water has landed him a career with taking care of the resources here at Hualālai Resort.

Originally from Wai`anae, O`ahu , Brandon knew from an early age that working close to nature was his path. His career path started at the Animal Quarantine, then with Na Ala Hele, a State of Hawai`i Trail and Access Program. He also worked at the Hawaiian Humane Society and later landed a job with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife. Working closely with the land and wildlife sparked an interest for him to experience water management and marine life, that’s when he decided to move to Hawai`i Island and be a part of Hualalai Resort and the Natural Resource Department. His love and respect for hunting wild pig and sheep has not stopped. He probably has had more excitement here on the mountains of Maunakea, Kohala and Maunaloa. He also loves to fish for the big one, “ulua” (giant trevally), o`io (bonefish) and dive for he`e (octopus) or throw net. He is a true ambassador of the land and the ocean.

Sierra Tobiason

Natural Resource, Husbandry Specialist

Sierra, recently graduated with her Masters from the University of Hawai`i at Hilo in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science. Her path to become what she is today started at a very young age. While vacationing with her family in Mexico she got to know the Mexican locals and they introduced her to a world under water. She swam with the dolphins, learned about sea turtles and snorkeled with the fish. This was only the beginning to her future in marine biology.

Originally from Olympia, Washington and later moving to Eugene at the age of ten, found her way to Hawai`i to attend college in Hilo. Her focus was to learn how to produce seafood and ornamental fish through sustainable aquaculture practices. She discovered her passion and began working with Tuna, a unique species, and started to perform aquaculture techniques in Hawai`i, which no one has ever done. Besides her love of science in marine biology she enjoys scuba diving, hula hooping, swimming and running.

Melissa Van Der Merwe

Natural Resource, Programs and Marine Specialist

Believe it or not Melissa’s passion for marine life was influenced by her fish tanks that she grew up with. She always had one and this instilled her infatuation with fish and how they lived. As a child Melissa lived in South Africa and later moved to California. It wasn’t until she attended college at University of Hawai`i at Hilo that she realized this was her path. She learned about the methods the Hawaiian community in ancient times (kahiko) used and what they would did to preserve ocean life. This inspired her to want to learn more and educate the community about the ocean and all the treasures it possessed. You’ll be inspired with what Melissa has to share while on a tide pool tour or pond tour as she explains the ecology of marine life and the value of treating the ocean with respect. Her passion for the ocean doesn’t stop here. She loves surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling.