Saving Hawai'i's Honu

Dive into the life story of George Balazs, the American sea turtle scientist responsible for bringing awareness to and ultimately saving the green sea turtle population of Hawai'i. When George Balazs saw his first green sea turtle, or honu, his life changed forever. He moved to Hawai'i to study the beautiful animals but was deeply concerned by what he found in local restaurants and stores. Right before his eyes, he saw the green sea turtle population dwindling from people serving turtle soup, turtle steaks, and even selling turtle shell jewelry. George asked himself one question: How many honu are left in Hawai'i? What happened next was the journey of a lifetime. George lived on remote beaches, learning from the turtles and advocating for their protection-all to save Hawai'i's honu from extinction. George Balzazs spent his entire life researching the Hawai'i green sea turtle, educating the public all the way up to the state level of government. His persistence resulted in Hawaiian state legislators to ban the commercialization of sea turtles. Saving Hawai'i's Honu is the perfect introduction to students about the importance of protecting the world's wildlife population. Educators have the opportunity to discuss the sea turtle population with this story and then expand on studies of other endangered species around the world.