Dilek Sahin
Project Coordinator
Dilek has a B.Sc in biology from Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University (Turkey) and an M.Sc from Istanbul University (Turkey) in bird ecology and conservation. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bogazici University (Turkey) studying the conservation genetics of endemic Mediterranean shearwaters. Dilek has been working on seabird conservation projects since 2010, mainly in Europe before moving to Kaua’i. These projects mainly focused on endangered species research and management, predator control and biosecurity, light pollution, fisheries by-catch, and creating behavioral change for conservation.
Kylie Smith
Field Crew Leader
Kylie has a decade of experience in the environmental field, encompassing work with diverse bird species such as Newell’s Shearwaters and California Condors. Her expertise includes leading outreach programs, kayak guiding, farming, and creating scientific illustrations. She holds a Master’s Certificate in Scientific Illustration from CSU Monterey Bay and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz. Since 2023, Kylie has focused on studying and working with native Hawaiian Seabirds on Kauai, an island ecosystem she cares deeply about. Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys puzzles, board games, painting, and playing roller derby.
Erin Leal
Field Technician
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, allowed Erin to spend a lot of time outside exploring the forests and rocky coast of the Pacific Northwest. After completing a B.S in Biology from Portland State University, they took an internship helping collect data on sharks in the Bahamas, and that is when the seabird obsession really started. Since committing to avian conservation and research, Erin has moved around the United States and worked in Alaska, Oregon, Maine, and the Florida Everglades before joining the KESRP team as a KUPU ʻĀina corps member.
Hazel Cashman
Field Technician
Hazel’s background is in education and she is feeling very lucky to be able to make the transition into conservation as a field tech with KESRP! Originally from Bellingham, Washington, Hazel attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, earning a B.S. in Geology and Anthropology. She then worked with a few residential environmental education programs in Maine, Washington, and Colorado before returning to the University of Maine, Orono to earn a M.S in science teaching. After teaching middle school science in Maine and here on Kauaʻi, she joined the Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project in the fall of 2024 as a KUPU ʻĀina Corps member. She is excited to now be one of the conservation scientists that she had enjoyed inviting to her classroom in the past, and is really enjoying working with Kauaʻi’s incredible seabirds and contributing to the project’s outreach and education efforts.
Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project 