The annual Hawai'i Conservation Conference is adding a new component this year: the ocean. The theme will be "Sustainability: Mauka to Makai."

"This year we are broadening our horizons in total, and not just focusing on land and air," said Lee-Ann Choy, conference coordinator. "And we expect a whole new audience (because of this)."

The theme is about being self-sufficient, "keeping Hawai'i Hawai'i, and preserving our plants and animals" that are indigenous to the Islands.

The conference will be held from July 26 to 28 at the Hawai'i Convention Center and is sponsored by the Hawai'i Conservation Alliance. According to Choy, it's an opportunity for people to share experiences and ideas on a wide range of conservation issues.

More than 700 people "from all islands" are expected to attend the conference, Choy said.

Guest speakers will include Thomas Goreau, president of the Global Coral Reef Alliance; Kameran Onley, assistant deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of the Interior; and Nalini Nadkarni of the Environmental Studies Program at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.

A public session is set for 7:30 p.m. July 27, with Goreau speaking on global warming and the future of coral reefs.

Registration fee until June 30 is $165 for nonstudents and $100 for students, and includes the conference, lunch and morning refreshments. After June 30, the fee increases to $200 and $125, respectively. For one-day attendance, the fee is $90, then $110 after June 30.

Applications can be downloaded at www.hawaiiconser vation.org and mailed to Hawai'i Conservation Alliance, c/o 45-520 Kamooalii St., HI 96744, or faxed to (866) 211-3427.

Walk-ins are accepted throughout the conference. For more information, contact Choy at 864-9812 or prc@hawaiibiz .rr.com.