"Land-snail faunas world-wide are under extreme threat and have the dubious honor of having the highest number of documented extinctions of any major taxonomic group," Meyer said.
Hawai'i was once rich with snail species but more than 90 percent of described Hawaiian land-snails are now extinct. The first endemic Hawaiian snails were described by an explorer in the 1800s, Meyer said. The explorer wrote in his journal about a lei he received that was decorated with snail shells. Since then more than 750 endemic species have been described.

"Snails used to hang from the trees like bunches of grapes," Meyer said. "They used to call the Hawaiian tree snail a singing snail but the singing was actually coming from nearby crickets."

As part of his Ph.D. fellowship, Meyer is tasked with putting together an educational program related to his studies. He is studying endemic snails - Hawaiian succineids - in the cloud forest above Hilo. Finding a similar environment in the Kohala Mountains and similar snails above Waipi'o Valley, Meyer sought to partner with a local high school.

Honoka'a High School science teacher Rick Roper was interested in the project and together Meyer and Roper began the arduous, and as-yet unfinished, task of setting up the program.

First Meyer had to choose a study site. When access to his first choice of sites off White Road was denied, Meyer found an alternative site accessed via water department land. A van pool was arranged and after two false starts, Meyer, Roper and a group of college-prep biology students took their first field trip to the study site in December.

Roper said the experience was exciting.

"The idea that students need time in the field is important," he said. "That's really where science is done - in the field."

On their first visit, the students photographed and began to identify the plants within the study area. Back in the classroom, they'll work to develop a plant key which they will use once the snail counting begins. On subsequent visits, the students will mark off sections of study area and, leaf by leaf, examine the plants for snails. The snails will be identified and marked and their locations recorded. Counts will then be taken at regular intervals allowing the students, Meyer and other scientists to gather some basic data about the snails: how many there are; what plants they prefer; if they move about much; how long they live.

"This is what science is about;" Meyer said, "it's about answering questions." And for the students, the project is also about learning the processes involved in gathering information aimed at answering those questions.

Ideally, the results of the project will be interesting to the kids and scientifically relevant. Meyer hopes that once the program is in place, it will continue after his involvement is over in about three years.

Meyer is also teaching about the snails during an upcoming class sponsored by The Kohala Center. As part of the Quest for Hidden Jewels program in March, Meyer will lead a hike and teach about endemic snails.

In the end, Meyer isn't looking to make snail lovers out of students. But he does want them to learn to appreciate their natural surroundings. If a snail can help him do that, all the better.

"I'm not trying to make them all into scientists but nature lovers would be good," Meyer said while examining an ohi'a leaf, the bright sun glinting off snow-capped Mauna Kea in the background.