First photo: UH-Maui College SACNAS Club President Lahela Mata-Goldman awards Danielle Enright a mountain apple tree start after she spun the wheel and won during Tuesday’s Earth Day Celebration on the Kahului campus. “I think Earth Day is really important,” said Mata-Goldman, who is president of Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science  “There is so much people can do, like plant a plant.” Enright, who is a research technician with the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute, said it is a celebration of Earth and life. “Earth Day is a day to celebrate the Earth and the ecological services it provides us.”

Second photo: Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute coral specialist John Gorman shows UH-Maui sophomores Cherry Balasan (left) and Stacey Coloma small, fast-growing corals during Tuesday’s Earth Day Celebration. He said the corals can be used to help struggling Maui reefs recover. “We’re trying to accelerate the growth of coral, to encourage coral to grow to its neighbor,” Gorman said.

The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos