EP 72 Wildlife biologists Colleen and Ian Cole on making lasting alliances across diverse communities and geographies
From Land and People by Melissa Chimera
February 13, 2026 · 1h 3m · Season 4 · Episode 72
About this episode
Colleen and Ian Cole discuss their careers in wildlife biology and land management, focusing on community alliances in Hawaiʻi.
In this interview, Clay and Melissa talk to husband and wife biologists Colleen and Ian Cole about their respective careers as land stewards and conservation program managers. Both have been working in Hawaiʻi for 25+ years; Ian as a forester and now Wildlife Biologist for the Hawaiʻi Island’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and Colleen as a land manager for the Three Mountain Alliance and now as a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Colleen and Ian speak to the hard work of managing land and people which sometimes equates to small victories over time. They tell us about forging alliances between land owners, hunters, conservationists and biologists and how these experiences bring both unique challenges and lasting rewards.
People in this episode
Host: Melissa Chimera
Guests: Colleen Cole, Ian Cole
Topics covered
- wildlife biology
- conservation
- land management
- community alliances
- Hawaiʻi
Keywords
- wildlife biologists
- land stewards
- conservation programs
- alliances
- Hawaiʻi
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Three Mountain Alliance, Hawaiʻi Island’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Places: Hawaiʻi
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- EP 74 Biologist Jim Jacobi on mapping and surveying Hawaii’s unique ecosystems across time and space · March 13, 2026 · 1h 18m
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- EP 70 Kekuhi Keali’ikanaka’ole on how we find family in `āina · January 16, 2026 · 1h 5m
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