A natural stretch of white sand beach, a carpet of lush grass, and a ring of swaying palm trees, surrounds a beautiful island lagoon. This tropical paradise in Kamuela, Hawaii was not created as a getaway for tourists, but rather as a natural habitat environment for a pod of friendly dolphins. The innovative and thriving Dolphin Quest program at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort houses nine dolphins in a safe and nurturing captive environment. Its "non-invasive" research efforts to understand these unique water mammals, all under the banner of "Knowledge is the foundation for caring," have set world-wide standards in conservation practices and in the design and creation of large "natural" environments.

Landscape designers and planners participated in the creation of this very large and stimulating area for the active mammals. The Dolphin Learning Center Lagoon contains 2 million gallons of crystal-clear filtered water and reaches depths of 20 feet. The facility, sixty-five times larger than required by law, far surpasses federal regulations for public display of dolphins. The saltwate, sandy-beached tidal lagoon, at a new international standard of excellence in natural habitat creation, supports the development of large natural habitats for dolphins much like wildlife parks have done for zoo animals.

Developer and then-partial owner Chris Hemmiter designed and installed the Landscape Architecture of the hotel lagoon when it was originally under the Hyatt name. Enveloped by a lush quilt of nepaka, the lagoon was initially created as a private, green environment for the dolphins. Surrounding palm and coconut trees shade the lagoon and provide bright splashes of tropical colors in the landscape. Now carrying the Hilton name, the resort will undergo plans to remove this somewhat restrictive plant and replace it with Bermuda Grass, thereby opening up the popular attraction to make room for the constant flow of spectators. Current Hilton Engineering Executive Robert Lopez describes the Landscape Architectural plan as a "punch-bowl effect" that, along with strategically placed rocks and boulders, will sculpt the terrain into a natural amphitheater without losing the private atmosphere intended by the original designers.

The Hilton recently made headlines when Dr. Rae Stone, Dolphin Quest marine mammal veterinarian, proudly welcomed four dolphin babies to the hotel lagoon. Pele, Leilani, Kona, and Shaka each have a newborn baby boy, and Dr. Stone accredits the designers with the fact that all four females were able to bring new lives into their safe and spacious environment. Medical records reveal that these much-loved dolphins flourish in their pristine environment, safe from the dangers of marine pollution, ocean debris and vanishing food resources that their counterparts in the wild oceans face encounter everyday.

The Dolphin Quest program encourages the public by means of education and entertainment to develop a sensitivity to the wonders of the dolphin; by emphasizing the crucial connections between marine mammals and the entire ecosystem, the program hopes to gather active supporters for conservation and preservation efforts. A portion of the proceeds from each Dolphin Quest program is donated to the Waikoloa Maine Life Fund. Over the past five years Dolphin Quest has donated over $400,000 to this non-profit foundation to help support crucial conservation and non-invasive research efforts aimed at increasing scientific understanding of marine mammals and the marine environment.

Privacy remains an important requirement for the Dolphin Quest managers and planners. Although daily dolphin encounter sessions provide hotel guests with several opportunities to be educated and entertained, the trainers do not support a stadium arrangement that would violate the privacy and scientific integrity of the program. The high traffic situation would only heighten with planned stadium seating, so in order to maintain comfortable and enjoyable viewing opportunities for hotel guests, the Hilton Waikoloa Village is currently working on a plan to provide naturalistic seating and viewing arrangements. Natural grass-covered boulders surrounded by white palm trees will shelter the viewing area and will retain the seclusion of the dolphin lagoon.

With the success of the Hilton Waikoloa Village comes more opportunities to start similar programs in hotels across the country. An exciting new program is beginning in the pristine, blue waters of French Polynesia in a lagoon inside the coral reef surrounding the Moorea Beachcomber Parkroyal Resort. Innovative educational, interactive programs are currently being developed with dolphins native to local waters.

Created as a means to bridge the gap between business and environmentalism, the Dolphin Quest program wisely aims to inspire conservation partnerships between landowners, developers and habitat researchers. Landscape Architects can participate within these efforts by incorporating habitat requirements into their landscape designs of zoos, aquarium parks, hotels and resorts. Together, successful professional partnerships can pave the way towards a genuine human appreciation and scientific understanding of our natural ecosystem.LASN