Instead of relaxing at the beach or the mall this summer, hard-working groups of teens and young adults across the state have chosen to help conserve Hawai'i's natural resources.

They are all part of the Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps, a hands-on educational program that teaches responsible conservation practices through work with various environmental agencies.

"We're teaching them about natural resource management," said John Leong, executive director of KUPU Hawaii, which coordinates the program. "Everything from planting, how to care for the native Hawaiian forest, coastal areas and wetlands. In turn they gain a lot of skill sets, including a heart to serve and make a difference for their community."

HYCC participants log about 120,000 service hours each year working for local and state organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Each week, the interns work with a different agency at a different site. This summer, groups on O'ahu have removed invasive mangrove and limu with Paepae o He'eia in Kane'ohe Bay, participated in forestry projects at Kaena Point, restored bird sanctuary signage and boundary markers at Goat Island in La'ie Bay, and worked at Nu'upia Ponds at the Kane'ohe Bay Marine Corps Base. Projects on the Neighbor Islands have been tackled by groups on Maui, Kaua'i, Moloka'i, Lana'i, and the Big Island.

"I knew it was going to be hard work, but it's really rewarding," said Maile Pujalet, an incoming senior at Punahou. "I feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day, and it's nice to think that I'm giving back before heading off to college."

One of six O'ahu groups spent the past week planting native species and removing invasive mangrove from Moku o Lo'e (Coconut Island) in Kane'ohe Bay. Five truckloads of native plants were donated by Matthew Kanemoto, head of Kahuku High School's agricultural program.

"We have very little volunteer efforts out here, and without HYCC, it probably wouldn't have gotten done," said Kai Fox, a UH postdoctoral student with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.

This week, the group will head to Kaho'olawe, where they will work on erosion control and reintroduce native species.

"We have discussions after every day's work, and the stuff that they learn in this program is different than what they would learn in school," said Makanani Akiona, an HYCC team leader. "They work for themselves, and for their land and for their people. Hawaiian or not, this is their home, and so it's their kuleana."

In addition to the six-week summer program, HYCC also offers year-round internships for young adults ages 18 to 30 and a "Hana Hou" summer program for second-year participants. Summer interns earn three college credits from the University of Hawai'i and receive a small stipend upon completing the program.

"If anything, you're wasting your summer if you're not doing anything productive," said Kapolei High senior Isaac Pieper. "People can be having fun, but having fun is one thing, helping is another thing. Pono is another thing, and I think pono is the better option to go to."