Mālama
Hawai‘i congratulates the Polynesian Voyaging Society and
Nā Kalaiwa‘a Moku o Hawai‘i for following the tradition
of the great navigators and completing the five-month, 8,000 mile
journey from Hawai‘i to Micronesia to Japan. Hōkule‘a
is now back in Hawaiian waters and the Alingano Maisu is in its
new home, Yap. Most crew members have returned safe and sound with
amazing stories that will last several lifetimes. (see PVS’
website for more information on the voyage)
Education was a major theme in the voyages, as tens of thousands
of people were touched in some way by the canoes. Even in places
far from the canoes, children tracked the canoes’ progress
and learned about voyaging along with the messages of mālama
(caring) for one another and the environment.
An excellent educational resource that is available to the public
is the CD-ROM
“The Canoe is the People: Indigenous Navigation in the Pacific.”
This CD was developed by UNESCO as part of its LINKS (Local Indigenous
Knowledge Systems) project.
The "Canoe is the People" honors and explores the knowledge
and skills of traditional Pacific navigation. It is designed for
Pacific youth but will be of great interest to others as well. The
CD serves as an educational tool illustrating the vitality of indigenous
knowledge, know-how, and identity in meaningful ways for Pacific
communities.
Voyagers from countries across the Pacific are featured in this
rich resource. The CD includes 70 videos, 41 stories and accounts,
40 images and diagrams, of which 11 are animated, in addition to
numerous maps, photos and texts. The story of navigation has many
faces and is told in many ways. This CD celebrates the similarities
and the differences in the traditions that must be passed on to
generations to come.
To order a free
copy, e-mail: links@unesco.org
Excerpts for this article are from the “Canoe
is the People” CD-ROM and ADB Institute web site.
One
Ocean, One People, One Vision
 Recently,
as part of the voyage to Micronesia, Hōkūle‘a completed
a 500 mile round trip journey from Yap to Palau. Led by captain
and navigator Nainoa Thompson, the crew headed to Palau included
several novice members including staff of The Nature Conservancy
and Mālama Hawai‘i to explore conservation
lessons in Palau that could be shared back home.
Another special
guest crew member was President Tommy Remengesau, Jr., who is known
for his progressive vision for his country of about 18,000 people.
While aboard Hōkūle‘a, the
President talked about his concern for Palau’s environment.
The country is at a crossroads with rapid modern development knocking
at her door on the island of Babeldaob, the mountainous and largest
island in the nation. He is committed to ensuring an economically
healthy future while protecting the environment and culture of Palau.
Remengesau is a key force
behind the “Micronesia Challenge,” a shared commitment
among the Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, Territory of Guam, and the Republic
of the Marshall Islands to effectively conserve 30% of the near-shore
marine resources and 20% of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia
by 2020. These countries represent 5-7% of the Pacific’s marine
areas and coastlines. Yet the challenge could have a larger impact
on conservation around the globe through leading by example. More
than 600 million people worldwide live on islands.
Recognizing that healthy
reefs are the foundation of Palau’s culture and economy, Palau
has passed a law to develop a network of marine protected areas
that vary in size, location, and management strategy, utilizing
a toolchest of strategies including no take, no entry, specific
species restrictions, seasonal closures, and limited entry for subsistence
fishing. With fishermen involved in the process, they become some
of the strongest advocates for protection as they see results that
ensure fishing for the next generation.
As one whose life is
physically and spiritually connected to the ocean, Thompson reflected
on whether Hawai’i can come to grips with her own challenges
in time. Like what Palau created, he sees the need for a values-based
plan for Hawai’i that is the foundation for all land and marine
use. From this short trip, Thompson became inspired to develop an
exchange program among Hawaii’s and Palau’s youth leaders
to share lessons of conservation and traditional navigation that
will build long-term relationships as these new leaders navigate
their own future.
See
more photos >
Students
Help Hawai‘i Grow Sustainably
By Corinne Knutson
 In
April several thousand people will flock to the Waikīkī
Shell for the fourth annual Kōkua Festival on April 21 and
22. And with tickets already sold out, this year’s two-day
event promises to be just as packed as last year’s day-long
music fest. But don’t despair, with all proceeds going to
the Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation, a large crowd at this
event translates into more money for environmental education in
Hawai‘i schools. (Kōkua Hawaii Foundation reports that
several tickets are being auctioned off on-line – click
here for more information.)
In fall 2006,
Kim Johnson, wife of Kōkua Festival founder and headlining
musician Jack Johnson, along with the Kōkua Hawai‘i Steering
Committee, launched a multi-faceted program known as ‘AINA
In Schools. In addition to the Hawaiian definition of “land”
‘AINA IS also stands for Actively Integrating Nutrition and
Agriculture In Schools.
On O‘ahu
five elementary schools: ‘Aikahi, Mākaha, Sunset Beach,
Wai‘alae and Wheeler have piloted the program for the past
year. “We chose these five based on each of their different
strengths,” says Kaliko Amona, Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation’s
program director. She continues, “For example Sunset Beach
has been with us from the beginning with their recycling program,
Mākaha has the farm right next to their campus and they represent
what our program could look like in 30 years. And Wai‘alae
has a privately run very progressive school lunch program.”
Getting kids to reach
for apples instead of pop tarts is one of the main goals of ‘AINA
IS. The hands-on program teaches kids the importance of nutrition
by getting them into the garden and letting them plant their own
edibles. The students also work with animals such as worms and butterflies
and learn the intricacies of seed science.
Betty Gearen and Tia
Silvasy, who also run weekly sustainability classes out of Gearen’s
home known as The Green House, are in charge of the garden-based
learning in three of the five pilot schools.
Gearen says, “The
thing we’re really working for is getting children to love
locally grown, good-for-you food. If that happens society will be
better, kids will be healthier, and they will understand how to
take care of the earth and in turn take care of each other.”
She explains that kindergarteners
have a butterfly garden in the fall and in the spring they learn
all about plant parts. For first-graders the fall entails measuring
-- growing big plants out of little seeds and measuring their growth
rates. Then in the spring it’s time to learn about how bugs
and plants work together along with planting and eating a green
leafy salad. Fourth-grade students plant sweet potatoes in the fall
and must wait until spring for a harvest and lesson in poi pounding.
Fifth-graders take the garden a step further. In the fall they learn
about plant science by over or underfeeding bean sprouts. During
the spring they apply their knowledge to a colonial garden complete
with herbs and a chance to churn butter.
The other grades -- second,
third and sixth -- focus on recycling and learning from guest chefs
and farmers. Second-graders have in-depth nutrition classes and
guest speakers, while third-graders learn all about vermicasting.
These students use epigeic earthworms housed in bins to compost
and crunch their classroom’s food waste. The worm casts or
droppings are then used as a Grade A fertilizer for the other student-run
gardens.
Mindy Jaffe,
owner of Waikīkī Worm Company has taught third-grade teachers
and any other interested staff the wonders of worming for the past
year. Jaffe says, “What’s different about my piece of
the ‘AINA IS program is that I don’t interact directly
with the kids. We get all the teachers that are participating in
the program and we sit them down and run them through a comprehensive
professional workshop.”
This four hour, two part
series gives teachers a chance to make their own worm bins and four
months later Jaffe returns for a harvesting party and bin critiques.
After that the teachers are trained and ready to bring worms into
their classrooms. Jaffe says not everyone is enthusiastic at first,
but as long as she has a few teachers that are all about earth worms.
She says, “We’re fine.”
Jaffe’s bins along
with the sixth-grade recycling program, which puts upper-level students
in charge of collecting aluminum cans, papers and plastics from
each classroom and delivering them curbside for pick up by O‘ahu
Community Recycling, helps complete the cycle of reducing waste
in local schools.
By learning about the
valuable foods we can grow locally and helping to reduce the amount
of waste in our landfill, students at these five pilot schools receive
Hawai‘i-based knowledge on how to live sustainably in the
future.
Gearen says, “We’re
losing our connection to the earth when we can least afford it.
It’s a real challenge not to leave behind the knowledge of
our ancestors. We need to keep that knowledge alive in our communities.”
This year, the
‘AINA IS program plans to expand to several more schools
and therefore local communities. For more information visit the
Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation Web site at www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org
New
Lay Gill Net Rules Now Law
Mālama
Hawai‘i applauds the Department of Land and Natural Resources’
new rule to severely restrict the use of lay gill nets in Hawai‘i.
The rule, now in effect after being signed by Governor Linda Lingle,
means Hawai‘i joins many other Pacific islands and all other
U.S. coastal states in restricting the use of this indiscriminate
fishing method.
For more information,
visit http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/announce.htm#laynet
and www.faircatchhawaii.org.
Special
Delivery to Micronesia
Mālama
Hawai‘i is honored to support the voyage of Hōkūle‘a
and Alingano Maisu, two very special long distance voyaging canoes,
to Micronesia through outreach and education. If you have been
watching the TV, radio, or newspaper over the past few weeks,
you are aware that the two canoes are now well on their way to
Micronesia after a two week delay. The crews have been facing
strong winds and rough seas, but their resolve is strong. The
voyage is a partnership between the PVS and Nā Kalai Wa‘a,
along with many other organizations and individuals throughout
Hawai‘i, Micronesia, and Japan.
Hōkūle‘a’s
voyage to the islands of Micronesia, including the island of Satawal,
home of master navigator Mau Piailug is to honor and thank Mau
for his contributions to the reawakening of Hawai‘i’s
and Polynesia’s voyaging traditions. Mau not only navigated
Hōkūle‘a on her first voyage to Tahiti in 1976,
he shared his voyaging and navigation traditions with young Hawaiians
eager to learn about how their ancestors sailed the long sea roads
of Polynesia without navigational instruments.
The Alingano Maisu, built by Nā Kalai Wa‘a Moku o Hawai‘i,
is a gift for Mau. Mau’s voyaging navigation traditions
are the foundation of Hōkūle‘a’s voyaging
legacy, which spans over three decades. His teachings have inspired
communities in Hawai‘i and Polynesia to build more than
a dozen deep-sea voyaging canoes. This 2007 journey with Maisu
to Satawal is one of appreciation from the Pacific voyaging family.
It is also a step in a long-term plan to establish a Pacific-wide
school of navigation to ensure that traditional navigation and
Mau’s dream of keeping cultural traditions alive will survive
for future generations.
Mālama
Hawai‘i is helping to link the voyaging crews with educators
and conservation professionals in Pohnpei and Palau, with the
goal of coordinating unique activities that will highlight Micronesia’s
progress in marine and terrestrial conservation. Hawai‘i
has much to learn from Micronesia, whose island people truly understand
the need for sustainability and thinking in terms of generations
rather than political offices. We will share more about this as
the voyage progresses.
Anyone who is interested in this voyage may go to the Polynesian
Voyaging Society’s website to track the voyage via a weblog.
Educators
can go to the Educational Resources and Ideas page to join a weblog
just for teachers and to find links to educational resources.
Students
can go to the Readers’ Space, which allows those following
the voyage in Hawai‘i and the islands of the Marshalls,
Micronesia, Palau, and Japan, to share with the crew and other
readers what is special, valuable, and unique about their home
islands.
For more
information on this voyage, click here.
What’s
next for Fair Catch
By Corinne Knutson
If you’ve
been reading this Web site, you’ve heard about Fair Catch,
a partnership of Mālama Hawai‘i, SeaWeb and The Nature
Conservancy to promote a healthy ocean through responsible fishing.
Since our campaign launch on July 18, 2006, we’ve witnessed
unexpected tragedy (the death of a 5-month-old monk seal in a
lay net) and unanimous victory (the Board of Land and Natural
Resources, BLNR, voted to approve the original lay gill net restrictions).
Our last campaign
update focused on the statewide public hearings and encouraged
readers to send written testimony to the Department of Land and
Natural Resources. We would like to thank those of you who wrote
in and assure you that those responses truly made a difference.
At the BLNR
hearing on Nov. 17, Francis Oishi, Division of Aquatic Resource’s
recreational fishing program manager, in charge of compiling a
report on July’s statewide public hearings, told the board
that DLNR had received 1,047 written comments, of which 850 supported
restricting lay nets. He added, roughly half of verbal testimony
gathered supported the proposed changes while half was opposed.
Petitions from Fair Catch, Tamashiro’s Market, Moloka‘i,
and Anahola, Kaua‘i were also mentioned.
Oishi explained
that after reviewing public comments the department recommended
several changes to the original rule. The changes were deemed
by several environmental groups as a significant weakening to
the original proposal.
The original
rules amendment included an entire ban on Maui and in three areas
on O‘ahu. In addition, all lay gill nets would be registered
with the state, have visible identification tags, and measure
a maximum of 125-feet long by 7-feet high. Lay nets would only
be allowed in the water for four hours and must be checked every
30 minutes. Streams and river mouths along with gill netting at
night would no longer be permitted.
In the revised
version, Moloka’i would be allowed special exemptions including,
longer gill nets of 750-feet and longer set times (12 versus four
hours, including overnight). Two people with separately owned
nets would be allowed to lay 250-feet of net, gill nets would
be permitted half way across river months and streams, and a sunset
provision, which could eliminate the banned areas on Maui and
O‘ahu in five years time, was also added.
These new
changes were discussed at the BLNR hearing. There, a brief executive
session was held and board members (excluding Sam Gon, III, senior
scientist and cultural advisor for The Nature Conservancy, who
recused himself) met privately with the staff attorney. It was
decided that all additional changes added after public comments
were considered substantive.
The crowded
room was alerted that testimony heard that day would apply to
the rules that went out to public hearing in July and additional
changes, Moloka‘i, the sunset provision, etc. would have
to go back out for public review. (Public hearings will be held
on January 16-17, 2007. Check out http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/notices.htm#laynet
for more information.)
Testimony
in support and opposed to the rules followed. Darrell Tanaka,
a Maui recreational fisherman said, “Some fishermen think
that we speak for all other fishermen when it comes to what they
consider their rights. I’m a fisherman and I’ve come
to ask that you pass the proposed rules as it was presented to
the public. And I’m especially against the sunset provision.
In five years, there is going to be a different governor, perhaps
a different chairman, and some of the board members may be different.
If for some political reason the sunset provision is allowed to
lapse, five years is not enough time to bring back decades of
overfishing.” Tanaka continued, “What would happen
to our way of life, if we no longer had fish?”
This past
summer, scientists Dr. John Randall, Dr. Charles Birkeland, Dr.
Richard Pyle, and Dr. Randall Kosaki addressed overfishing in
their co-authored paper, The Case Against Lay Gill Nets. They
wrote, “The populations of important native food fishes
in the Main Hawaiian Islands have declined at least 75 percent
over the past 100 years.”
In addition
to damaging coral and indiscriminately catching under sized and
out of season fishes, lay gill nets have also been known to catch
sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals.
Shawn Bonnell,
an O‘ahu Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team volunteer gave
a tearful recount of his interaction with a mother seal and her
seal pup. The seal pup, named Penelope by volunteers, was killed
in a lay gill net near Makai Research Pier in mid-October.
Bonnell said,
“I would like to try and reclaim the value of Hawaiian monk
seal individuals. They’re being talked about as a population,
but there is roughly 80 to 100 left around the Main Hawaiian Islands.
That’s not very many.” Bonnell continued, “I
feel these animals deserve our protection.”
In his testimony,
Tony Costa, representing Hawai‘i nearshore fishermen said,
“Monk seal deaths by lay gill nets are almost non-existent,
they’re very rare. In fact, the Gill Net Task Force addressed
this when they talked about the double-trolling net.” He
explained, “The net that kills turtles and monk seals is
lay net with a mesh opening larger than 6-inches.”
Commercial
akule fisherman Carl Jellings echoed Costa’s points. He
said that by using 2 ¾-inch mesh net and leaving his nets
out for only 45 minutes, he has never killed a turtle or monk
seal during his 30 years of fishing the Wai‘anae Coast.
However, in
the last two years, local newspapers have reported four monk seal
deaths caused by lay gill nets. The exact mesh size of the lay
nets was not documented.
In the end,
after nearly five hours of testimony, the BLNR voted unanimously
to pass the original rules change. The amended rules will now
be sent to Governor Linda Lingle for her final approval. No official
timeline has been released for the Governor’s review, but
as with written testimony received by DLNR, sending her a letter
showing your support will be very helpful in urging quick action.
We thank DLNR
and the BLNR for taking this important step towards improving
our nearshore resources. Our nearshore resources are too precious
to waste.
Please send
a letter to the Governor today:
Honorable
Governor Linda Lingle
Executive Chambers
State Capitol
Honolulu, Hawai`i
96813
Phone: 808-586-0034
Fax: 808-586-0006
governor.lingle@hawaii.gov
The
Rains of the Makahiki
By Sam Gon III
With
thunder rolling among the dark billows of the coming winter rains,
the kilohōkū, who knew the stars and the portents of
the seasons, stood at the astronomical heiau and marked the rising
of the Makali'i (that star cluster also called the "Seven
Sisters" or the Pleiades) as the sun set. On that sign he
declared that the season of the Makahiki had come. The great drums
of the heiau joined their deep voices then with those of the heavens
proclaiming the season.
 Each
year as we enter the so-called "Holiday Season," we
can look to our Hawaiian heritage to find that in ancient Hawai'i
this was also a time of celebration. The phrase "Hau'oli
Makahiki hou" (Happy New Year) that you can find on Hawaiian-style
greeting cards, has roots that run surprisingly deep into ancient
tradition. The phrase stems from the convention of ending/starting
the Hawaiian year with the coming of the Makahiki Season, a time
of peace, harvest, offerings, and games associated with Lono,
one of the four major Gods of ancient Hawai'i. When you are asked
your age in Hawaiian, it is: 'Ehia ou Makahiki? or "How many
Makahiki have you experienced?"
 The
Makahiki was an ancient time of festival beginning in October-
November (the Hawaiian month of 'Ikuwā), and lasting about
four months ('Ikuwā, Welehu, Makali'i, and Kā'elo).
There was a kapu declared forbidding warfare, and there were many
feasts, celebrations, gatherings of skill at games of many sorts,
and religious ceremonies dedicated to Lono.
Lono is the
god of peace, agriculture, the wet season, games, and fertility.
Lono is also the messenger, the god with active eyes, and manifested
in many forms (kinolau) including cloud-bodies in the heavens,
and the many signs of agricultural success: pigs, sweet potatoes,
gourds, and clouds bearing heavy rains. Lono is a patron of the
kahuna lā'au lapa'au (medicinal practitioners) as well, and
in that role is associated with many medicinal plants. As the
time of Lono coincides with the coming of the wet season (Ho'oilo)
to the islands, so this time of year contrasts with the hot, dry
summer months, dedicated to Kū, god of warfare, politics,
and government.
 One
of the major ceremonies of the Makahiki was a circuminsular procession.
Each island's kāhuna would guide marchers who would slowly
circle the island clockwise*, moving through each ahupua'a (major
land district) along the coastal trails. The procession was led
by the great wooden image of Lono-i-ka-Makahiki; a tall pole,
more than twice the height of a man, which was topped by the pearl-eyed
head of Lono. Below this a cross-piece was set, from which white
kapa, skins of seabirds, and many long garlands of feathers and
foliage were draped. To see this grand image approaching from
afar, its white kapa billowing like rain clouds in the breezes,
and to hear the chants of the Mo'o Lono -- the kāhuna (priests)
dedicated to the rites of Lono -- would mean that the times of
harvest, census, and tribute were come.
* The direction
of the circuminsular processions of the Makahiki reflect the Hawaiian
notion of a basic division between masculine and feminine. The
right side of the body is considered masculine, and faces the
interior of the island, wherein lies the upland forests of Kū
and Kāne, as well as the cloud-realm of Wakea, Sky-father.
The left side of the body is feminine, and faces the flat horizon,
symbol of Papa, Earth-mother. Thus the procession moves in the
only direction that protocol allows, corresponding to “clockwise”
in the Western tradition.
 At
each ahupua'a boundary, the Akua loa (long god) or Akua lā'au
nui o Lono (the great wooden god-image of Lono) would pause, and
a portion of the harvest, both vegetable and food animals, as
well as other products of the land, such as ornaments, featherwork
such as 'ahu'ula (cloaks) and mahiole (helmets), fine kapa (bark
cloth), moena (woven mats), 'umeke (calabashes and bowls), 'upena
(fishing nets), and various tools and implements would be gathered
and placed before it. These offerings were then accepted and made
sacred to Lono with chants perfectly orated.
As the tributes were gathered on the island, the many celebrations
of the Makahiki began. Sports champions from all districts would
gather for the games; some requiring physical skills, such as
mokomoko (boxing), hākōkō (wrestling), heihei (foot
races), and ''ō'ō ihe (spear-throwing); as well as those
requiring wit and oratory, such as nane (riddling contests), and
haku mele (composition of chant). At sea there would be contests
of he'e nalu (surfing), heihei wa'a (canoe racing), and heihei
'au (swimming races). Early engravings from visiting Europeans
showed the throngs that would gather to enjoy these contests,
crowding around the gaming fields, climbing into coconut trees
to gain a vantage. Those contestants emerging as victorious champions
at these games were exalted indeed, the source of stories for
months and Makahiki to come.
 Even
today, school children learn and participate in some of the Hawaiian
games of the Makahiki, such as ulu maika (outdoor bowling with
a cylindrical stone), konane (Hawaiian checkers), hei (string
figures), and pa uma (wrist wrestling). Although the more serious
rites and protocols of the Makahiki were practiced only in secret
for many decades, today there is a resurgence of interest in revitalizing
this important part of the Hawaiian celebration of the seasons.
On Kaho'olawe
(and elsewhere) there are annual celebrations of the start and
closing of the Makahiki season, with Hawaiians in traditional
attire engaged in reestablishing the protocol of those times.
It is a protocol of peace, and of an affirmation of a human link
to the natural world and its evolving seasons.
So, as the
first heavy rains of winter come this year, instead of listening
to malihini bemoaning a "winter without snow," we can
celebrate the start of a new year marked by life-giving rains,
and the thought of the land's riches to come: such was the ancient
way, and it remains a viable choice for our times as well.
Fish
pond volunteers gather invasive algae and nourish farm
By Corinne Knutson
Nestled
in the northwest corner of Kāne‘ohe Bay is Paepae o
He‘eia fish pond, this 88-acre pond is encircled by a 1.3-mile
seawall or kuapā. For the past five years, numerous volunteers,
community groups and charter schools students have worked here
to stop some of the state’s most invasive algae and plants,
namely Gracilaria salicornia, seaweed or limu and Rhizophora
mangle, the American mangrove.
Every month
on the second and fourth Saturdays volunteers can help remove
mangrove, refurbish the kuapā, and remove alien algae. In
September, Paepae o He‘eia along with The Nature Conservancy
hosted their third alien algae clean-up.
Approximately
40 volunteers showed up to battle G. salicornia, this
non-native limu often termed gorilla ogo is blanketing the bottom
of the fish pond at an alarming rate. G. salicornia was
intentionally introduced to Kāne‘ohe Bay and Waikiki
in the 1970s as an aquaculture experiment. Now, it is a menace.
Each tiny fragment of gorilla ogo can regenerate itself leaving
researchers and volunteers frantic in their eradication efforts.
Executive
Director Mahinapoepoe Duarte says, “We do occasional surveys
and we definitely see an increase in repeat visitors, that’s
really encouraging for us. I ask people why they come back, and
apparently the pond is very rejuvenating for most people. They
feel like they’re part of a greater effort.”
In addition
to the many volunteer hands at work, a machine known as the Super
Sucker was also on site at the pond. It is essentially a vacuum
that sucks invasive alga off the reef. In tests the Super Sucker
cleared approximately 800-pounds of invasive limu per hour, according
to a TNC press release, the device does not have blades, so organisms
such as crabs, native limu and fish, inadvertently suctioned are
returned back to their salty habitat.
Volunteers
at this event were given a tour of the pond and a tour of the
Super Sucker. Afterwards the group waded in water past their hips
to an area of dense gorilla ogo. Volunteers worked in teams of
two filling laundry baskets full of the non-native species. The
baskets were then transported to a wooden skiff where Paepae o
He‘eia staff sorted through the seaweed for other creatures
including Samoan crabs and saltwater gobies.
Next, limu
was put in burlap sacks and transported back to the dock. After
several hours of searching the brackish water for batches of limu
the group made their way back to shore. Members of Paepae o He‘eia
weighed each sack of G. salicornia, which totaled nearly
4,500-pounds. Duarte says, “Last time we had a clean-up
we had 75 volunteers, but we pulled about the same amount, so
having the Super Sucker definitely helps.”
Marsha Bolson,
a communications director for Kamehameha Schools, brought her
15 year old niece to Paepae o He‘eia as part of her Hawaiian
culture honors class. “I thought the event was really well
organized,” Bolson says. “I think in keeping with
the whole mission of this place I enjoyed the time they (Paepae
o He‘eia) spent to make the experience educational and meaningful.”
For organic
farmer Charlie Reppun, G. salicornia is useful in his
composts. Reppun started using limu two years ago when a friend
of his started going to the Waikīkī alien algae clean-ups.
Reppun says, “We throw this stuff anywhere and everywhere.”
At his three-acre farm in Waiāhole, Reppun puts the gorilla
ogo on his taro, papaya, banana, corn and sweet potato fields.
Reppun is working with a University of Hawai‘i soil scientist
documenting the benefits alien limu has on his crops. “We
know this stuff is high in potassium and micro-nutrients and that
it complements our fish bone meal fertilizer, but unfortunately
it’s not going to last because we are going to wipe it all
out.”
Despite the
alien limu encroachment the fish pond continues to thrive. During
the past year volunteers cleared 290-feet of mangrove and rebuilt
360-feet of rock wall. This September, Paepae o He‘eia held
their first moi (Pacific threadfin) harvest and they are already
planning for next year’s event.
Duarte says,
“When I first came here this was just a vision, a dream.
We have been very lucky that our founding group sees that vision.
We are already seeing results five years into this. We would not
be able to do this without our 2,500 volunteers annually and the
support that we have from our landowner, Kamehameha Schools. The
pond is vibrant with the community that cares for it.”
Live Energy Lite!
 October
is Energy Awareness Month nationally and in Hawai‘i celebration
of this month will kick off a special effort to create a new conservation
ethic for energy, especially electricity. Hawai‘i depends
on imported fossil fuel for over 90 percent of our energy (including
jet fuel, gasoline, electricity and marine fuel) so we have strong
motivation to use energy wisely -- both to protect the environment
and to save on our electrical bills. Mālama Hawai‘i
joins this effort to conserve energy.
HECO’s “Live Energy Lite” is a campaign to convince
Hawai‘i's people to use electricity wisely -- without sacrificing
safety or even comfort -- and teach us all simple ways to do this.
People understand water conservation and recycling. Now we need
to learn to use electricity with the care it deserves as a natural
resource that has limits. We all need to learn to Live Energy
Lite.
In celebration of Energy Awareness Month, Hawaiian Electric Company
(HECO) will bring its 3rd annual Live Energy Lite celebration
to the Uptown Center Court at Pearlridge Center on Saturday,
October 7, 2006, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festivities
will include live entertainment by the Nā Hōkū
Hanahano Award winning group Ho’okena, games, drawings,
prizes and interactive exhibits featuring energy conservation
and environmental awareness themes.
In addition, mall shoppers can take a simple energy quiz to learn
if they are energy ‘hogs’, get tips on how to reduce
utility bills, see and touch solar panels upclose, watch the Mad
Scientists teach some cool tricks using mathematics and a little
wizardry, pick up water conservation tips, find out how to protect
Hawaii’s unique ecosystem and wildlife, ask experts about
building an energy-efficient home or making your existing home
more energy efficient, and learn how to get involved in Hawaii’s
energy future, among many other activities.
This year’s Live Energy Lite coincides with Pearlridge Center’s
Discoverer’s Day Sale. The event is sponsored by Hawaiian
Electric Company, Pearlridge Center, Hawaii Department of Business,
Economic Development & Tourism and Mālama Hawai‘i.
Other exhibitors include the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, the
Building Industry of America, the Department of Commerce and Consumer
Affairs, The Gas Company, Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation,
and the University of Hawai‘i, School of Architecture.
Paddlers
Pull for Clean Ocean
By Corinne Knutson
 Hawaii’s
next generation of paddlers is sending a strong message that paddling
is more than winning the next race and developing a steady stroke.
For Nahina Lee Loy, 22, and Ross Tilton, 14, a healthy ocean is
top priority.
Lee Loy is
currently training with Lanikai Canoe Club for the Moloka‘i
Hoe, the annual 41-mile paddling race from Moloka‘i to O‘ahu.
For many paddlers the Moloka‘i race is the upper echelon
of distance training, but not for Lee Loy. He paddled four-times
that distance in 2004. Along with champion paddler Donna Kahakui,
Lee Loy paddled 200-miles from O‘ahu to Ni‘ihau to
help promote ocean conservation.
Lee Loy says,
“The trip was a major eye-opener for me. The first day that
we went, we just went for it. The whole time we saw dolphins,
whales and seals.” He adds, “Paddling with Donna,
I felt like the whole ocean catered to her. It was amazing. Things
just went her way, and because I was with her I didn’t feel
as tired.”
This four-day
trek was monumental for Kahakui and her nonprofit organization,
Kai Makana, as it marked the end of a series of yearly paddles
dedicated to ocean awareness. Starting in 1998, Kahakui paddled
78-miles from Maui to O‘ahu. The following year she made
a 140-mile solo paddle from the Big Island to O‘ahu. In
2000, she completed another 140-mile trip, circumnavigating around
O‘ahu. In 2001, it was off to New York where she paddled
55-miles down the Hudson River from West Point to the Statue of
Liberty. For the final and longest distance paddle Kahakui and
Lee Loy completed the O‘ahu to Ni‘ihau trip.
Kahakui started
her distance paddles because she’s tired of people not caring
for the ocean’s resources. She says, dolphins with cuts
from abandoned nets, trash floating in the ocean, and a severe
decline in nearshore fish are all parts of the problem.
Kahakui says,
“Our ancestors were the best conservationists and scientists
and we’ve lost that. We have to take a look back at our
traditional history and ask how Hawaiians were able to figure
out ahupua’a concepts and how they knew when to fish for
certain species. These traditional Hawaiians worked on abundance
for the resource, not just sustaining it. They always worked on
providing for the next generation.”
These sentiments
ring true to Ross Tilton, a young paddler who looks up to Kahakui
and Lee Loy. He says, “The first time I heard about what
they (Kahakui and Lee Loy) were going to do I didn’t think
they could make it that far. So it was really inspiring when they
actually did it.”
Tilton says, he notices a lot of trash when he paddles Monday
through Friday for Kāne‘ohe Yacht Club’s Boys
13 crew. “I see plate lunch plates, Styrofoam cups and lots
of coke bottles.”
Tilton says he picks up trash around Kāne‘ohe Canoe
Club, located next to He‘eia Kea Small Boat Harbor, every
time he paddles. He says pollution and overfishing are the biggest
problems facing the ocean today. “It’s one thing to
see the reefs, they’re pretty nice, but it’s a lot
better to see them full of fish.”
Lee Loy says
he would like to be around to see Kāne‘ohe with crystal
clear waters and much more fish. But he doesn’t foresee
that happening any time soon.
He says, “My
whole life revolves around the ocean. If you spend enough time
in and around the ocean, you learn to care for it.”
Mālama
Hawai‘i joins in the excitement over the announcement
of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands becoming a National Monument
and the largest marine preserve on Earth. Congratulations to
all who have worked incredibly hard over many years to bring
this gift to us and to Hawai'i’s future generations.
Take What You Need, Not What You Can
 Fair
Catch is a new campaign of The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i,
Mālama Hawai‘i, and SeaWeb to restore Hawaii’s
nearshore ocean by encouraging responsible fishing practices and
supporting actions that protect our reefs and fishes.
Hawaii’s
oceans are part of our natural and cultural heritage and define
us as an Island state. Fishing is key to our lifestyle, but the
main islands’ reef fish populations are in a downward
spiral, at less than a quarter of what they were a century ago.
 The
campaign commissioned a statewide poll on Hawaii’s residents’
attitudes on the ocean. The telephone survey of 1,022 residents,
conducted by independent research firm QMark, shows that two-thirds
believe the ocean’s condition has worsened in the past few
years, and they see a myriad of threats. Scientists often point
to overfishing as a chief cause of ocean decline, and Hawai‘i
residents agree, with majorities identifying commercial overfishing
(77%) and recreational overfishing (63%) as serious problems.
(See
results of statewide survey.)
Echoing the
public’s concern, the State Department of Land and Natural
Resources (DLNR) held public meetings in July on its proposal
to restrict a nearshore fishing method called lay gill netting,
with bans in three areas on O‘ahu and entirely around Maui
and strong regulations statewide. Scientists and fishers say these
nets are indiscriminate and unsustainable. The Fair Catch poll
shows support for restrictions is overwhelming (76%) and cuts
across all islands and population segments.
Leading Hawai‘i
marine scientists support a statewide ban on lay gill nets, which
they call the worst offenders in the precipitous decline of nearshore
fisheries. (See
their paper.)
Louis “Buzzy”
Agard, a fisherman for 60 years, says, “To preserve the
species for the future, everyone should have to abide by a moratorium
on lay gill net fishing. In our oceans today, too many people
are fighting over a diminished resource. Everybody keeps taking,
but nobody takes care.”
In addition
to calling for a ban on lay gill nets, Fair Catch is working with
local fishers to encourage more sustainable fishing practices.
“This is not about anti-fishing,” says Pauline Sato,
Acting Coordinator of Mālama Hawai‘i, “this is
about responsible fishing in ways that we hope will allow
for fish and fishing forever.”
For more information
about the Fair Catch campaign, please visit: www.faircatchhawaii.org
See complete
press release.
Helping
Youth Mālama
the World’s Oceans
By Corinne Knutson
In celebration
of World Ocean Day approximately 40 volunteers from non-profit
organizations Parents And Children Together (PACT), Kai Makana
and Mālama Hawai‘i gathered at New Hope Canoe Club
Ministry in Sand Island on June 10, 2006.
The groups
spent the afternoon picking up trash and testing water quality
at the last remaining Hawaiian fishing village on O‘ahu.
Mokauea Fishing Village is located on a 3-mile wide island in
Ke‘ehi Lagoon. The island is home to approximately four
families still dependent on the surrounding ocean for their livelihood.
Donna Kahiwaokawailani
Kahakui, 42, renowned paddler and founder of Kai Makana, a non-profit
organization dedicated to perpetuating ocean awareness for the
next generation, has made the isolated village a top priority
for her beach clean-up events.
Kahakui explains
that she has been coming to the island for the past three years.
She says, “These people are trying to sustain the old fishing
ways by using throw net and developing a fish pond, but so many
people come out here and over fish the area.”
On this Saturday,
Kai Makana had volunteers paddle canoes to the island. There,
the groups collected piles of broken glass and plastic bottles,
took water quality samples from a fish pond and near-shore areas,
and learned about Kai Makana’s plans to begin a limu restoration
project.
Kahakui is
passionate about the environment. Along with her paddling career
and Kai Makana organization, she is also a federal agent for the
Environmental Protection Agency. She explains that most of the
trash found on Mokauea floats from Oahu’s Sand Island area.
To illustrate her point Kahakui held up a photograph she snapped
during a September 2004 trip to Kaho‘olawe. In the photo
thousands of pounds of trash are visible on the uninhabited Island.
She says,
“Nobody lives there and this is how much rubbish is at Kanapou
Bay, this is where we went. And when we actually did the clean-up,
unfortunately, it still kind of looked like this.”
But regardless
of how measurable clean-up efforts appear on the surface, Kahakui
says the most important thing she does is educate the next generation
of local conservationists.
She says,
“Hawaiians used to be the best scientists in the world and
we still can’t figure out half the things they did. So to
try and get all Polynesian kids involved in science with them
not even recognizing the science is a major goal.”
She continues,
“Get outside learn how to paddle, go to another place, take
care of other people, and learn that water is not necessarily
as clean as you may think. We are all about indirect methods and
hands on learning for the next generation.”
See
Photos
Reefs
Receive a Ray of Hope
 Mālama
Hawai'i continues its partnership with local television show,
“Outside Hawai'i” (OC16), to educate the community
about Hawaii’s invasive species and what we can do to prevent
them from spreading.
During the
next few weeks, Outside Hawai'i dedicates its show on invasive
algae (limu) and their impacts on coral reefs. The “gorilla
ogo” has become widespread along coastlines of O’ahu
and Moloka’i. Efforts to control this invasive species have
been bolstered by the launching of the “Super Sucker,”
a floating device that vacuums up invasive limu, which can then
be used as mulch and fertilizer. Initial tests show it can remove
up to 800 pounds in a single hour. On this show, Eric Co of The
Nature Conservancy explains how the Super Sucker works and describes
plans for the future.
Also on the show are Michelle Kapana-Baird and her students from
Kaiser High School. Their hands-on work in removing alien limu
from Maunalua Bay are gaining widespread attention. Students seem
to enjoy conducting real life science in their outdoor classroom.
Tune in to Outside Hawai‘i on Oceanic Cable’s
channel 16 to catch this show (Sundays 6 pm, Mondays
9:30 pm, Tuesdays 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm, Thursdays 9 am, Fridays
11:30 am, and various non prime-time hours).
This presentation of Outside Hawai'i is made possible by a grant
from the Hawai'i Invasive Species Council, which is funded by
the State Department of Land and Natural Resources. For more information
on the Hawai‘i Invasive Species Council, go to http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/HISC/
Can
We Stop the Coqui?
Mālama
Hawai'i continues its partnership with local television show,
“Outside Hawai'i” (OC16), to educate the community
about Hawaii’s invasive species and what we can do to prevent
them from spreading.
During the next few weeks, Outside Hawai'i dedicates its show
on the coqui frog infestation on the island of Hawai‘i and
the threat to the rest of the state. The frog, originally from
Puerto Rico, has spread widely on the island of Hawai`i over just
a few years. You’ll see and hear the frogs on this show,
as well as learn about how individuals and groups in affected
communities are taking action. If other communities are not extremely
careful, the same could happen elsewhere. Even if you hear just
a few frogs, it’s time to take action, advises Howard Lontoc,
Coqui Community Coordinator for Hawai`i County.
Tune
in to Outside Hawai‘i on Oceanic Cable’s channel 16
to catch these shows (Sundays 6 pm, Mondays 9:30 pm,
Tuesdays 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm, Thursdays 9 am, Fridays 11:30 am,
and various non prime-time hours).
This presentation
of Outside Hawai'i is made possible by a grant from the Hawai'i
Invasive Species Council, which is funded by the State Department
of Land and Natural Resources. For more information on the Hawai‘i
Invasive Species Council, go to http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/HISC/
Students
Demonstrate Caring for Maunalua Bay
Hawaiian Voyaging class instructor Michelle Kapana-Baird
assists her students at the alien limu clean up event in Maunalua
Bay on March 18, 2006.
photo and article by Corinne Knutson
For most high
school students getting out of bed on a Saturday before 9 a.m.
is a feat in itself, but for Kaiser High School’s Hawaiian
Voyaging class, approximately 35 sophomores, juniors and seniors
were awake and articulate as they explained how to mālama
Maunalua Bay.
The students are part of a unique learning environment where hands-on
activities such as outrigger canoeing, celestial navigation, invasive
algae clean-ups and hula are integral parts of the class. Classes
are often held outside and focus on fostering an understanding
of Hawaiian culture and how it translates in our modern world.
Michelle Kapana-Baird,
Hawaiian Voyaging class instructor, started the program four years
ago with community partners, including the Polynesian Voyaging
Society, Hui Nalu Canoe Club, and researchers from the University
of Hawaii’s Botany Department. Last fall, the Voyaging class
participated in the 24-hour experiences at Maunalua Bay, involving
additional partners from Mālama Hawai‘i, the Navigating
Change Program, Community Conservation Network, Reef Check, and
the State Department of Land and Natural Resources.
So far, the
Kaiser students have monitored the growth rate of alien algae
over the past four months. Dr. Kim Peyton, a limu specialist who
is conducting her graduate research in Maunalua Bay said, “I’ve
been working out here for a couple of years and I’ve noticed
that the growth rate of Avrainvillea amadelpha (the alien
species most common in the bay) is rather slow. It’s the
tortoise of the species and if I have to work with an invasive
species of algae, I’d rather work with a tortoise than a
rabbit.”
The Kaiser
students will use the data gathered on Avrainvillea to
assist the Department of Land and Natural Resources with future
clean-ups. Peyton explained that from the students’ work,
the Division of Aquatic Resources should be able to estimate how
many person-hours it may take to remove large areas of the invasive
seaweed.
Sophomore
Melissa said, “This is something we’re doing because
we want to get the bay back to the way it was before the alien
limu.”
Love
of Paddling Spans the Pacific
Recently,
a first of three training workshops on Conservation Action Planning
was conducted by The Nature Conservancy and partners on the island
State of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia. The training,
specifically designed for conservation in Pacific island marine
ecosystems, involves two teams from Hawai‘i, along with
one from Palau and another from host island Kosrae. The Hawai‘i
groups are focused on Palmyra atoll and Maunalua Bay, O‘ahu.
Mālama Hawai‘i is fortunate to be part of the Maunalua
team, providing support for community-based conservation and
education efforts that we hope will take place in the near future.
During our
stay in Kosrae, we were able to go paddling on outrigger canoes,
joining local teams of men and women preparing for a Micronesia-wide
competition in Saipan later this summer. While their canoes, paddles,
and paddling styles were slightly different than ours in Hawai‘i,
their love for the sport appears to be just as strong.
In May, when
the team at Maunalua
hosts the second meeting, our Kosraen neighbors will be given
opportunities to paddle out in Maunalua Bay in outrigger canoes
to learn about our marine resources as well as cultural traditions.
This “immersion” method of learning is one that will
be used with our own local communities as our programs develop.
For more information on projects at Maunalua Bay, contact Alyssa
Miller, Coordinator of Mālama Maunalua at greenwaveproductions@gmail.com.
Ululā‘au
– Garden of Trees
 Mālama
Hawai‘i continues its partnership with local television
show, “Outside Hawai‘i” (OC16), to educate the
community about our urban forests. During the month of February,
Outside Hawai‘i features the Ululā‘au nature
park in Waimea, Hawai‘i Island. This 10+ acre nature park,
open to the public, was initiated in 1999 by volunteers and continues
to be a volunteer-driven program. Through donations of material
and labor, this park is being transformed to include native plants
like the rare Acacia koaia and open spaces where kids
can play.
Tune
in to Outside Hawai‘i on Oceanic Cable’s channel 16
to catch this show (Sundays 6 and 9 pm, Mondays 7:30 and 10 pm,
Tuesdays 7:30 pm, and various non prime-time hours).
This segment
of Outside Hawai‘i is made possible by a grant from the
Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry program, which is funded
by the USDA Forest Service and administered under the State Department
of Land and Natural Resources. Kaulunani focuses on improving
the health and viability of trees in Hawaiian communities through
educational programs; financial support in the form of cost-share
grants; technical training; and Arbor Day promotions and partnerships
with the public and private sectors, community groups and non-profit
organizations.
For more
information about Kaulunani, go to: http://www.kaulunani.org
Or contact:
Teresa Trueman-Madriaga, Coordinator
Jackie Ralya, Technical/Volunteer Coordinator
State of
Hawai‘i, Department of Land and Natural Resources
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Phone: 808-672-3383 or 808-672-5167
Fax: 808-672-6323
Email: ttm@hawaii.rr.com
Taking
Care of Our Urban Forest
Mālama
Hawai‘i continues its partnership with local television show,
“Outside Hawai‘i” (OC16), to educate the community
about our urban forests. During the month of January, Outside
Hawai‘i features the annual Urban Forestry Conference organized
by the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program. This conference
included speakers such as Dr. Isabella Abbott (University of Hawai‘i
Botany Professor), Paul Conry (Administrator of the Division of
Forestry and Wildlife), and Jim Clarke (Hortscience). With safety
about falling trees becoming a greater concern, the conference
also showed tips on how to detect rotting trunks.
Tune
in to Outside Hawai‘i on Oceanic Cable’s channel 16
to catch this show (Sundays 6 and 9 pm, Mondays 7:30 and 10 pm,
Tuesdays 7:30 pm, and various non prime-time hours).
This segment
of Outside Hawai‘i is made possible by a grant from the Kaulunani
Urban and Community Forestry program, which is funded by the USDA
Forest Service and administered under the State Department of
Land and Natural Resources. Kaulunani focuses on improving the
health and viability of trees in Hawaiian communities through
educational programs; financial support in the form of cost-share
grants; technical training; and Arbor Day promotions and partnerships
with the public and private sectors, community groups and non-profit
organizations.
For more information
about Kaulunani, go to: http://www.kaulunani.org
Or contact:
Teresa Trueman-Madriaga, Coordinator
Jackie Ralya, Technical/Volunteer Coordinator
State of Hawai‘i,
Department of Land and Natural Resources
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Phone: 808-672-3383
or 808-672-5167
Fax: 808-672-6323
Email: ttm@hawaii.rr.com
 Ho‘oilo
(winter) Greetings
We at Malama Hawai'i
wish to send you and your loved ones greetings of hope and inspiration
during this holiday season. 2005 has been a challenging year for
many people across the globe and in Hawai'i. Through the times
of despair, however, there have been torches of support within
our communities. In our small way, Malama Hawai'i has endeavored
to keep the message of malama (caring) at the forefront of our
work. Mahalo nui loa to all of our partners and friends for continuing
to do the very important work toward the vision of having Hawai'i,
our special home, be a place where the land and sea are cared
for and communities are healthy and safe for all people. May 2006
bring us closer to that vision.
Tackling
Invasive Species in Hawai‘i
 Miconia,
Gorilla ogo, Coqui frog... they don’t sound very Hawaiian,
do they? These species originally from South America, the Indian
Ocean, and Puerto Rico, respectively, are spreading on land and
in waters all around Hawai'i. They are but a few of the alien
invasive species keeping people involved in the Hawai'i Invasive
Species Council (HISC) on their toes. To help out in the cause,
Mālama Hawai'i is partnering with local television show,
“Outside Hawai'i” (OC16), to educate the community
about Hawaii’s invasive species and what we can do to prevent
them from spreading.
During the
month of November, Outside Hawai'i introduces us to various types
of invasive species that people from conservation professionals
to student volunteers are trying to remove. The men and women
of the O'ahu Invasive Species Committee are shown searching for
the elusive Miconia trees, recently found in an abandoned nursery.
Urban forestry, another concept featured recently on Outside Hawai'i,
continues to be explored this month and arborist Kevin Eckert
shares more tips on proper care for trees in your yard.
Tune
in to Outside Hawai‘i on Oceanic Cable’s channel 16
to catch these shows (Sundays 9 pm, Mondays 10 pm, Tuesdays 9
pm, Saturdays 9 pm and various non prime-time hours).
These segments
of Outside Hawai'i are made possible by grants from the Hawai'i
Invasive Species Council and the Kaulunani Urban and Community
Forestry program, which is funded by the USDA Forest Service.
Both programs are administered under the State Department of Land
and Natural Resources.
For more information on the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, go
to http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/HISC/
For more information about Kaulunani, go to: http://www.kaulunani.org
Hōkūle‘a
Statewide Sail Concludes at Maunalua Bay
 The
Polynesian Voyaging Society and scores of volunteers will soon
conclude the 2005 statewide sail of Hōkūle‘a with
a series of educational activities at Maunalua Bay, O'ahu. The
statewide sail, which began in March, celebrates Hōkūle‘a’s
30 years of voyaging, and has touched thousands of people on most
of the main Hawaiian Islands this year. The theme of “mālama
Hawai'i” was promoted throughout the voyage.
At Maunalua Bay, a program called Nā Pua O Maunalua has been
launched through a partnership among Mālama Maunalua, Polynesian
Voyaging Society, Mālama Hawai'i, Hui Nalu Canoe Club, The
Nature Conservancy, and many, many others including Reef Check,
USGS Biological Resources Division, Hawai'i Biodiversity and Mapping
Program, University of Hawai'i, and Navigating Change. Nā
Pua O Maunalua (literally meaning the blossoms, the young fish,the
keiki of Maunalua) involves school children grades 5-12 from communities
near the Bay and neighboring Waimanalo. Groups of about 10 students
have been selected by their teachers at Niu Valley Middle School,
Kaiser High, La Pietra School for Girls, and Hui Mālama O
Ke Kai to participate in 24 hour experiences involving studies
of the Bay’s health and threats (e.g. limu, fish, coral,
water quality), and participation in invasive limu control and
navigation through hands-on activities done in conjunction with
experiences on Hōkūle‘a. View
Photos
Mālama
Maunalua is a recently formed community-based alliance dedicated
to creating a more culturally and ecologically healthy Maunalua
region in Southeast O'ahu. The group shares a vision where the
fish are once again plentiful, pollution and sedimentation are
mitigated, and where people, community groups, businesses and
agencies take kuleana in caring for and sustainably managing the
bay. Mālama Maunalua is supported by Mālama Hawai'i
and the Mālama Learning Center. For more information about
this initiative, please contact info@malamahawaii.org.
The
Urban Forest is All Around Us
 It’s
easy to take trees in our communities for granted and not really
think about how they got there and how they make our urban environment
more livable. Mālama Hawai'i is partnering with local television
show, “Outside Hawai'i” (OC16), to educate the community
about our urban forests and how to improve the quality of life
within our built environment.
During the
months of September and October, Outside Hawai'i will introduce
us to the concept of urban forestry through talking to local urban
forestry experts. Roxanne Adams, Head of Landscaping at UH Mānoa
shares her unique perspective coming originally from the rural
landscapes of Moloka'i; Dr. Andy Kaufmann, Landscape Specialist,
also of UH Mānoa talks about how trees improve our urban
environment; Arborist Kevin Eckert shares practical tips on selecting
young trees for planting and pruning trees; and Horticulturalist
Amy Tsuneyoshi of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply gives water-saving
xeriscaping tips for our home gardens.
Tune in to Outside Hawai‘i on Oceanic Cable’s
channel 16 to catch this show (Sundays 9 pm, Mondays 10 pm, Tuesdays
9 pm, Saturdays 9 pm and various non prime-time hours).
These segments of Outside Hawai'i are made possible by a grant
from the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry program, which
is funded by the USDA Forest Service and administered under the
State Department of Land and Natural Resources. Kaulunani focuses
on improving the health and viability of trees in Hawaiian communities
through educational programs; financial support in the form of
cost-share grants; technical training; and Arbor Day promotions
and partnerships with the public and private sectors, community
groups and non-profit organizations.
For more information about Kaulunani, go to: http://www.kaulunani.org
Or contact:
Teresa Trueman-Madriaga, Coordinator
Jackie Ralya, Technical/Volunteer Coordinator
State of Hawai‘i, Department of Land and Natural Resources
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 325
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Phone: 808-672-3383 or 808-672-5167
Fax: 808-672-6323
Email: ttm@hawaii.rr.com
Developing
Hawaii’s
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
The Division of Forestry and Wildlife and the Division of Aquatic
Resources within the Department of Land and Natural Resources
(DLNR) are developing Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation
Strategy (CWCS), and seek your input.
The revised second public scoping draft is now available on the
CWCS website at: http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/cwcs/process_strategy.htm.
This second revised draft is a result of the public open houses
and technical workshops conducted during the months of June and
early July on the islands of Kaua'i, Moloka'i, Maui, Lāna'i,
Hawai'i, and O'ahu. The website listed also has a document explaining
how and what comments were incorporated into this second revised
draft.
Comments are
welcome through August 15th. This will be the
final public review period before we finalize the strategy for
submission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Oct. 1st.
What
is the CWCS?
Declining wildlife populations and the lack of stable funding
for non-game species prompted the U.S. Congress to enact a visionary
program - State Wildlife Grants (SWG) - to fund efforts by States
and partner organizations that address the species of greatest
conservation need.
The SWG program is designed to assist States by providing federal
funds for the development and implementation of programs that
benefit native wildlife and their habitat. This funding supplements
existing fish and wildlife funding programs and supports wildlife
diversity conservation.
In order to be eligible for SWG funds, states must prepare a Comprehensive
Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS). Planning efforts are now
underway in all 50 states, as well as the U.S. territories.
The intent of a CWCS is to create a dynamic vision for the future
of wildlife conservation. To do this a state CWCS should:
- Address
the broad array of native wildlife in the State.
- Create
partnerships, so that the plan's broad perspective is implemented
through local actions and builds on past efforts for the benefit
of all native wildlife.
- Not
introduce new regulations or constraints.
- Be
fiscally responsible by proactively conserving wildlife.
- Have
a long-term goal of keeping common species common.
The 8 required
elements for the CWCS, as mandated by Congress, are:
- information
on the distribution and abundance of species
of greatest conservation need;
- descriptions
of the location and condition of key habitats
for the identified species;
- descriptions
of threats to the identified species or their
habitats;
- conservation
actions proposed to conserve the identified species
and their habitats;
- plans
to monitor the identified species and habitats
and the effectiveness of the conservation actions;
- procedures
to revise the CWCS every ten years;
- plans
for coordinating the development and implementation
of the CWCS with Federal, State, and local agencies and organizations
managing significant land or water areas; and
- public
participation.
For more information,
please contact:
Christine
Ogura
Planner
Hawai'i Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Department of Land & Natural Resources
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 224
Honolulu, HI 96813
(Tel) 808-587-0058
(Fax) 808-587-0064
Keep
Fires Out of Our Forests
 Summertime
in Hawai‘i is known for hot sunny days and outdoor fun.
After a wet winter, the forests have been fed with fresh water
that may eventually be used by all of us for our daily needs.
The rain has also invigorated the non-native grasses bordering
our native forests. Now that the thick grasses have dried, they
are literally fuel for fire, which can spread into our native
forests and endanger native species as well as, most importantly,
people. Mālama Hawai‘i urges all of us to be ever vigilant
to keep fires out of our forests.
Wildfires started early this summer on almost all islands. One
of the worst so far occurred in May in Nānākuli and
Lualualei valleys on O'ahu. The fire burned for more than a week,
scorching more than 2,000 acres, killing native dryland forest
plants, and threatening many more plants and animals, including
endangered species. The cost to contain and ultimately extinguish
the fire has cost taxpayers and private organizations well more
than $100,000. This fire was started by a teenager who was eventually
caught and arrested.
It is important that children and adults know how devastating
fire could be and that it can take just one match, tossed cigarette
butt, firecracker, or smoldering campfire to create such a disaster
and drain on human and financial resources... and possibly death.
With the drier than normal conditions we are facing today, wildfires
are risks on all islands. A drought emergency has been declared
for the entire island of Hawai'i, and the Hawai'i Department of
Water Supply and Maui Department of Water Supply are asking customers
to conserve water.
Living on an island, we all need to be aware of our limited and
precious resources and take personal responsibility to mālama
Hawai'i.
For information on preventing wildfires in Hawai‘i, please
go to http://www.malamahawaii.org/brochures.html.
Hōkūle‘a
Sets on Statewide Sail
Crewmembers of the Polynesian Voyaging Society have embarked on
a five month statewide sail of the renowned voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a,
revisiting significant sites and honoring community leaders important
in its 30 year history. The voyage will also promote the message
of taking care of our island home – mālama Hawai‘i.
Alu Like and Mālama Hawai‘i have joined the voyage by
working together to connect communities interested in organizing
activities around the arrival of Hōkūle‘a to their
islands and celebrating their efforts to mālama Hawai‘i.
Just a few of the events being organized by communities are:
March
18 - Community
fair in Hilo at the Naniloa pier partnering with Hui Mālama
Ola Nā ‘Ōiwi and Alu Like
March
20-26 - Proclaimed
as “Polynesian Voyaging Week” by Mayor Harry Kim,
County of Hawai‘i
April 15 – Moloka‘i Earth Day celebration
at Mitchell Pau‘ole Center featuring the theme: “lehulehu
a manomano ka mālama Moloka‘i” (uncountable
are the ways to care for Moloka‘i)
April
16 - “Voyaging and Navigation” presentation
on Lāna‘i at Manele Bay Hotel
May 1 – Mālama
Kailua Family Day at Kailua Beach Park
May
14-19 - Hōkūle‘a
School & Community Tours - Wai'anae
May
20-21 - Nānākuli
community celebration, “Ka hono a ka Pilikua” (The
bay of the giant).
June
26 - Hanalei
(Kaua'i) community visits
July
3-8 – Nawiliwili
(Kaua'i) community visits
See the
Mālama
Hawai'i calendar for information on these community activities
and more.
Please click
here for the current statewide
sail schedule. Every effort will be made to stick to the
schedule, but please note that the schedule may need to be adjusted
according to weather conditions.
Hōkūle‘a
will celebrate its 30th anniversary in October at Hakipu‘u,
O‘ahu. Plans are in the making for a wonderful educational
event for everyone from keiki to kūpuna. It will be a memorable
way to culminate the statewide voyage, leading to a long-awaited
voyage to Micronesia in 2006.
The Polynesian
Voyaging Society was one of the founding members of mālama
Hawai‘i. In fact, the term “mālama Hawai‘i”
was taught to us by respected elders Kenny Brown and Pinky Thompson
of the Polynesian Voyaging Society many years ago. Click
here to read the 1973 speech by then Senator Kenny Brown.
Mālama
Hawai‘i welcomes your participation throughout the statewide
voyage and beyond. Please check back with us periodically to learn
more about our next adventures with Hōkūle‘a and
how you can be involved. If you have any questions, please contact:
info@malamahawaii.org.
Common
Sense Conservation
The State Legislature opened on January 19, and the work will
be fast and furious until closing date in May. Leading environmental,
native Hawaiian, and community organizations recently presented
a unified agenda of 13 issues of importance to Hawai‘i’s
environment. The agenda is presented in an attractive, easy to
read legislative briefing book entitled “Common Sense Conservation
2005.” It can be downloaded at: http://www.hi.sierraclub.org/legislative/
Groups include
the Conservation Council of Hawai‘i, Life of the Land, Office
of Hawaiian Affairs, Rocky Mountain Institute, Native Hawaiian
Legal Corporation, Hawai‘i Clean Elections, KAHEA, Hawai‘i’s
Thousand Friends, and the Sierra Club, Hawai‘i Chapter.
The issues
in the booklet are:
- Legacy
Lands Act (establishing funding to preserve open coastal lands)
- Funding
the Natural Area Reserves System (Kokua Bill)
- Cruise
ship pollution prevention
- Shoreline
Certification Process
- Repealing
Automatic Approval
- Invasive
Species Control and Prevention
- Publicly
Funded Elections
- Biodiversity
Prospecting
- Genetically
Modified Organism Safety
- Stopping
Muddy Runoff
- Clean
Energy
- Funding
the Water Commission
- Protecting
existing environmental law, such as the land use law, water
code, bottle law, and public harbors
The health
of our environment and people is largely dependent on good laws
and adequate funding. Please make your voices heard.
 Hau‘oli
Makahiki Hou!
Mālama Hawai‘i wishes you a very happy new year and
many great joys in 2005.
Admittedly, it is hard to celebrate at this time as the victims
of the SE Asian tsunami are clearly on our minds, suffering one
of the world’s worst natural disasters in history. Hawai‘i
is no stranger to earthquakes and tsunami, and we are extremely
fortunate that we have been spared in recent years. However, we
must always be prepared. (See below for tips from the Hawai‘i
Red Cross.)
If you would like to help our Asian neighbors in their great time
of need, please consider donating money to reputable relief agencies
and organizations (see http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/tsunami.aidsites/index.html
). Or you can donate locally to the East-West Center Tsunami Relief
Fund. Checks or money orders to East-West Center Tsunami Relief
Fund can be dropped off at the East-West Center information desk,
any First Hawaiian Bank, or mailed to the East-West Center at
1601 East-West Road, Honolulu HI 96848-1601. Donations can also
be made online at http://www.eastwestcenter.org/find.asp?it=TsunamiRelief
Donations are tax deductible. All money donated to the East-West
Center Tsunami Relief Fund will be distributed to non-profit organizations
joining in tsunami relief efforts in the affected countries. For
more information, call 944-7111.
Tips on Preparing
for Natural Disasters
Prepare
a Personal Evacuation Plan
Identify ahead of time where you could go if you are told to
evacuate. Choose several places - a friend's home in another
community, a church or a shelter. Get a good map and be familiar
with your community's evacuation routes. Listen to local media
broadcasts for the latest storm conditions. If advised to evacuate,
do so immediately. In case you have to evacuate to a Red Cross
shelter, be sure to bring medications, extra clothing, pillows
and blankets and other hygiene and comfort supplies for all
members of your family. Be sure to also make advance preparations
for your pets, which aren't allowed in Red Cross shelters.
Assemble a Family Disaster Supplies Kit
Have emergency supplies set aside for all members of your household,
including emergency medications, non-perishable food and a non-electric
can opener, bottled water (at least three gallons per day per
person), a battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries,
extra clothes, important documents, cash and credit cards, a
first aid kit and other special items for infants, elderly or
disabled family members and pets.
Prepare for High Winds
Make trees more wind resistant by removing diseased and damaged
limbs, then strategically removing branches so that wind can
blow through. Install permanent shutters on your windows and
add protection to the outside areas of sliding glass doors.
Strengthen garage doors and unreinforced masonry. Move or secure
lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans,
hanging plants and anything else that can be picked up by wind
and become a projectile.
A
Season of Giving -- Blood
In the spirit of the holiday season, Mālama Hawai‘i
urges those who can to go to the Blood Bank of Hawai‘i to
make a special gift of blood that could save someone’s life.
This gift is truly one of caring, mālama.
Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body, and
carries carbon dioxide and other waste products back to the lungs,
kidneys and liver for disposal. It fights against infection and
helps heal wounds, so we can stay healthy.
There's no substitute for blood. If people lose blood from surgery
or injury or if their bodies can't produce enough, there is only
one place to turn -- volunteer blood donors.
For the second year in a row, the number of Hawai‘i’s
first-time donors decreased significantly, which could affect
future blood supply levels. In 2003, the number of first-time
donors slipped to its lowest point in 10 years with 6,186 donors.
More than 9,000 people gave for the first time in 2001 and 8,131
in 2002.
Here are three reasons why new donors are needed now more than
ever:
New donors replace those who can no longer give blood
Every year, the Blood Bank loses approximately 7,000 donors due
to medical deferrals, moving out of state and other reasons. To
maintain a safe blood supply level, new donors are needed to take
the place of those who can no longer give.
Each new donor has the potential to save hundreds of lives
A first-time donor is a potential lifelong donor who can eventually
save hundreds of lives. Getting an individual to personally experience
how simple and safe it is to make one donation is the first step
in what could become a lifelong tradition.
Many treatments require large amounts of blood products
Advancements in medical technology have lead to new procedures
that can save more lives and improve the quality of life for many
people. Because many of these lifesaving procedures require large
amounts of blood, more donors are needed.
Anyone who is 18 years or older (17 with a Blood Bank of Hawai‘i
consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian), weighs at
least 110 pounds and is in good health is encouraged to donate
blood.
CONTACT BLOOD BANK OF HAWAI‘I FOR MORE INFORMATION
General
Info
- O‘ahu:
(808) 845-9966
-
From Neighbor Islands: (800) 372-9966
- Whole
Blood Donation Appointment: (808) 848-4721
- Apheresis
Donation Appointment: (808) 848-4724
- Questions
about donor eligibility or test results
8am to 5pm: (808) 848-4739
Email
-
General: admin@bbh.org
- Appointments:
appointments@bbh.org
 Celebrate
Trees!
Trees are
the foundation of our Hawaiian Forest. Without them, we could
not live as we do today, as forests provide virtually all of our
fresh water, a comfortable climate, clean air, recreation areas,
plants of medicinal and cultural value, a storehouse of biological
riches, habitat for native species, woods for commercial forestry
and fine arts, and the natural beauty that makes Hawai‘i
so popular with visitors from around the world.
To celebrate the importance of trees and encourage planting of
trees in our increasingly urban environment, Hawai‘i recognizes
the first Friday of the month of November as Arbor Day. On Arbor
Day, November 6, trees will be given away free
at various locations on the islands of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i,
Maui, and Hawai‘i island (see below). Mālama Hawai‘i
urges all of us to plant at least one tree during the month of
November.
Volunteers are the backbone of the yearly free tree give away.
Sponsored by Kaulunani, Hawaiian Electric Company, the Pearl City
Urban Garden Center and the Waimea Valley Audubon Center, one
hundred volunteers have given more than 1,300 hours of their time
in the planning, growing and execution of this popular event.
Volunteers at the Urban Garden Center began their work eight months
ago, gathering seeds, cuttings and other propagation materials
to grow 2,000 trees and shrubs especially chosen for their appropriateness
to small yards and patios.
Four hundred plants will be available at each give-away site.
They are made up of 13 native and 7 exotic species. All are available
on a first come first served basis, one to a family until they
are gone. Be sure to choose the right kind of trees and plants
for your yard. “Common Hawaiian Trees” by HECO has
helpful information on how to make this choice.
Free Tree Give-away Schedule: Saturday, November 6
O‘ahu
HECO Ward Avenue, 7 am
HECO Ko‘olau baseyard, 7 am
HECO Kahe baseyard, 7 am
Pearl City Urban Garden Center, 7 am
Waimea Valley Audubon Center, 9 am
Kaua‘i
Kaua‘i Nursery and Landscaping, call 808 245-7747
for more information
Hawai‘i
Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden (Kona), call 808 323-3318
for more information
Ho‘oulu Lahui Charter School (Puna), call 808 965-7443
for more information
Maui
Maui Nui Botanical Garden, call 808 249-2798 for more information
|
The State
Division of Forestry and Wildlife will also have a plant
sale on November 6 from 8:00 am – 2:30 pm at the
Makiki Baseyard, 2135 Makiki Heights Drive, O‘ahu.
History of Arbor Day
The first
Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. It was the
brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a Nebraska journalist
and politician originally from Michigan. Throughout his long and
productive career, Morton worked to improve agricultural techniques
in his adopted state and throughout the United States when he
served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture.
But his most important legacy is Arbor Day.
Nebraska's
first Arbor Day was an amazing success. More than one million
trees were planted. A second Arbor Day took place in 1884 and
the young state made it an annual legal holiday in 1885, using
April 22nd to coincide with Morton's birthday.
In the years
following that first Arbor Day, Morton's idea spread beyond Nebraska
with Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio all proclaiming their
own Arbor Days. Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day although
the dates may vary in keeping with the local climate. Arbor Day
is also now celebrated in other countries including Australia.
Variations are celebrated as 'Greening Week' of Japan, 'The New
Year's Days of Trees' in Israel, 'The Tree-loving Week' of Korea,
'The Reforestation Week' of Yugoslavia, 'The Students' Afforestation
Day' of Iceland and 'The National Festival of Tree Planting' in
India. Julius Sterling Morton would be proud. Sometimes one good
idea can make a real difference.
Live
Energy Lite!
October is Energy Awareness Month nationally and in Hawai‘i
celebration of this month will kick off a special effort to create
a new conservation ethic for energy, especially electricity. Hawai‘i
depends on imported fossil fuel for over 90 percent of our energy
(including jet fuel, gasoline, electricity and marine fuel) so
we have strong motivation to use energy wisely -- both to protect
the environment and to save on our electrical bills. Mālama
Hawai‘i joins this effort to conserve energy.
HECO’s
“Live Energy Lite” is a new campaign to convince Hawai‘i's
people to use electricity wisely -- without sacrificing safety
or even comfort -- and teach us all simple ways to do this. People
understand water conservation and recycling. Now we need to learn
to use electricity with the care it deserves as a natural resource
that has limits. We all need to learn to Live Energy Lite.
On Saturday,
October 16, from 10 am to 4 pm, HECO and Ala Moana Center
are sponsoring a major energy awareness and conservation event.
Mālama Hawai‘i will also be there as a co-sponsor with
an interactive booth with games for kids. Free performances at
Ala Moana Centerstage by Nā Hōkū Hanohano-winner
Nā Palapalai; the “good time” Hawaiian music
group Ho‘onu‘a; and the up-and-coming quartet The Next
Generation will highlight the first “Live Energy Lite”
Celebration.
Also appearing
will be “The Mad Scientists,” four Hawai‘i teachers
whose crazy antics on stage will make learning science fun as
well as interesting. Exhibits, interactive displays around Centerstage
and in-store promotional activities throughout Ala Moana Center
will round out this event, part of Hawai‘i’s observance
of national Energy Awareness Month.
The State
Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, the
U.S. Department of Energy, Board of Water Supply, the Gas Company,
University of Hawai‘i School of Architecture, and the UH
Sea Grant Center for Smart Building and Community Design will
also join the celebration, bringing home the message of conservation.
 “Energy
conservation and efficiency are key factors in securing Hawai‘i’s
Energy Future,” said HECO Director of Education and Consumer
Affairs Ka‘iulani de Silva. “Just as we need to conserve
water and increase recycling, Hawai‘i residents need to think
more and do more to limit their use of electric power.
“We
can all do this without sacrificing safety or comfort. In fact,
the best way to protect our safety, security and comfort for the
future is by using energy – and especially electricity –
more responsibly today,” she said.
Hawai‘i
residents will be hearing a lot more about energy conservation
from HECO. Along with renewable energy, central station power
plants and new technology like combined heat and power, energy
conservation is important for two reasons. Everyone has a role
to play and we can start doing it right away.
Lyon
Arboretum Closed Indefinitely
 The
recent and sudden closure of Lyon Arboretum to the public has
caught many visitors, supporters, and partners of the Arboretum
by surprise. Health and safety concerns have prompted the University
of Hawai‘i to close the Arboretum indefinitely. At present,
only staff members are allowed on the premises; even the corps
of volunteers who help maintain collections are banned. The loss
to conservation and education in Hawai‘i with the continued
and potential permanent closure of Lyon Arboretum is severe.
The Arboretum,
located on 200 acres in Mānoa Valley, is part of the University
of Hawai‘i. It is the only university arboretum in the United
States located in a tropical rainforest. Emphasis is placed on
native Hawaiian plants, including research on propagation and
restoration of endangered species, on restoration of Hawaiian
ecosystems, and on the ethnobotany of the Hawaiian Islands.
Every year,
approximately 34,000 visitors participate in classes, research
projects, and other community activities, or they simply wander
the grounds enjoying the beautiful plant displays. Several community
organizations use the Arboretum as their base of operations. All
of the Arboretum’s school field trip programs, adult education
classes, special events, and day-to-day volunteer operations have
come to a halt.
The rare and
endangered Hawaiian plant micropropagation (tissue culture) program
is one of the hidden highlights of the Arboretum. Researcher Nellie
Sugii and dozens of volunteers have been preserving and propagating
tissue cultures of endangered plant species that other organizations
and agencies such as The Nature Conservancy, State Department
of Land and Natural Resources, and U.S. Army depend upon to save
some of the rarest species in the world from extinction and return
them to the wild. Some plants are extinct in the wild but are
being propagated in the lab. Renovation projects over the past
two years of the building in which the tissue culture lab resides,
which disrupted the sensitive light- and temperature-controlled
environment, has resulted in losses of nearly half of the 38,000
plants in the lab. Researcher Alvin Yoshinaga’s seeds in
cold storage from more than 300 rare plants were also at risk.
Mālama
Hawai‘i urges the University of Hawai‘i to “Save
Lyon Arboretum” and work together with the public to correct
the problems related to health and safety and dedicate the resources
and support needed to restore the Arboretum as a community resource
of global importance.
For more information,
contact Nellie Sugii at 988-0470 or Jill Laughlin at 988-0461,
and see the following websites:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Sep/07/ln/ln20a.html
http://starbulletin.com/2004/08/28/news/index2.html
http://www.lyonarboretum.com/lyon_closure.php
http://www.lyonarboretum.com/
Keep
Fires Out of Our Forests
 Summertime
in Hawai‘i is known for hot sunny days and outdoor fun. After
a relatively wet winter, the forests have been fed with fresh
water that may eventually be used by all of us for our daily needs.
The rain has also invigorated the non-native grasses bordering
our native forests. Now that the thick grasses have dried, they
are literally fuel for fire, which can spread into our native
forests and endanger native species as well as, most importantly,
people. Mālama Hawai‘i urges all of us to be ever vigilant
to keep fires out of our forests.
In July, a
“stubborn” fire believed to be started by teens, threatened
rare and endangered native Hawaiian wildlife in The Nature Conservancy's
Honouliuli Preserve, west of Honolulu in the Wai‘anae Mountains.
The fire, which started on adjacent agricultural lands, quickly
spread into the preserve and in total, burned more than 200 acres,
including an acre of koa forest.
Conservancy
staff was in the forest that day. They smelled smoke and then
evacuated. They were fortunate. They knew to leave quickly. Other,
less knowledgeable, people might have been trapped and seriously
injured.
The Conservancy's
Honouliuli Preserve stretches across 3,692 acres on the southeast
slope of the Wai‘anae Mountains from Makakilo to Schofield.
The preserve contains more than 70 different rare and endangered
plants and animals.
Of particular
concern to biologists is whether the fire has damaged habitat
for the O‘ahu ‘elepaio, an endangered Hawaiian forest
bird. There are estimated to be only 1,000 of these birds left
on O‘ahu, and the Honouliuli Preserve is one of their primary
habitats.
In many areas
of the world, fire is part of a natural process and can be beneficial
to a forest. This is generally not true for Hawai‘i unless
near an active lava flow. Here, fire usually kills native species,
accelerates erosion and opens the way for aggressive alien weeds
that are especially adapted to rapid growth after fire.
It is important
that children know how devastating fire could be and that it can
take just one match, tossed cigarette butt, or smoldering campfire
to create such a disaster and drain on human and financial resources.
Living on
an island, we all need to be aware of our limited and precious
resources. One careless mistake can cause a huge negative impact
that will last our lifetime.
For information
on preventing wildfires in Hawai‘i, please go to http://www.malamahawaii.org/brochures.html.
Early
Detection Key to Preventing West Nile Virus from Reaching Hawai‘i
 West
Nile Virus (WNV) is a disease found in many parts of the world,
but to date it has not been found in Hawai‘i. Mālama
Hawai‘i urges all of us to do all we can to keep it from
coming here.
WNV is a serious
public health threat as well as a severe threat to birdlife in
Hawai‘i. The rich birdlife of Hawai‘i and other Pacific
Islands have already been depleted by introduced bird diseases.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the introduction
of WNV into Hawai‘i would have catastrophic consequences
for the native birdlife, including extinctions.
WNV is usually
cycled between birds and mosquitoes. Sometimes humans are bitten
by infected mosquitoes and get the disease. However, the disease
is not passed from person to person.
Large mammals, such as horses and cattle are also at risk for
the disease, as well as some reptiles.
The WNV could
get to Hawai‘i most likely via imported infected birds and
infected mosquitoes. The virus could get here from migratory birds,
but the chances of an infected bird surviving the long journey
on their own are slim.
According
to the Maui News, so far on the Mainland this year, there have
been 32 cases of people becoming ill with the West Nile virus
but there have been no deaths. In 2003, there were 9,862 cases
and 264 deaths. In 2002, public health officials reported there
were 4,156 human cases and 284 deaths; and, from 1999 through
2001, there were 149 reported cases and 18 deaths.
Most people
infected with West Nile virus don't get ill. But, of the 20 percent
who do, their symptoms may include a fever, headache, fatigue
and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of
the body and swollen lymph glands. The symptoms of rare cases
of severe infections, known as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis,
include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation,
coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis. The
elderly and infants are the most at risk of serious infections.
Residents
are asked to eliminate breeding areas for mosquitoes on their
property and to be on the lookout for dead birds and help collect
them for testing by state health officials. If people see birds
that appeared to have died from natural causes (not road or cat
kills), then they should put them in plastic bags and submit them
for testing. Bird drop-off sites are located at Humane Societies
on all islands, the State Department of Land and Natural Resources,
and the Department of Health.
Call the
State Department of Health if you have questions about WNV:
O‘ahu – 586-4400
Big Island – 933-0912
Maui, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i – 984-8213
Kaua‘i – 241-3387
For more information, please see:
http://www.hawaii.gov/health/family-child-health/contagious-disease/wnv/about/wnv-faq
http://refuges.fws.gov/habitats/westNileVirusHawaii.html
http://starbulletin.com/2002/09/11/news/story8.html
http://www.hawaii.gov/health/family-child-health/contagious-disease/wnv/refer/brochure.pdf
Hōkūle‘a
Returns From Voyage to the Kūpuna
Islands
 On
May 23, the voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a embarked on
its historic journey up and down the Hawaiian archipelago, on
a new environmental and cultural mission called "Navigating
Change." Navigating Change is a project focused on raising
awareness and ultimately motivating people to change their attitudes
and behaviors to better care for our islands and our ocean resources.
The project is an educational partnership that includes private
non-government organizations, state agencies and federal agencies
that share a collective vision for creating a healthier future
for Hawai‘i and for our planet. This collaborative multi-agency
effort aims to change behaviors by creating an awareness of the
ecological problems we face and by making it relevant to the decisions
that confront us in our daily lives.
The canoe
is voyaging back to the main Hawaiian Islands. According to Jan
TenBruggencate, crew member and writer for the Honolulu Advertiser
who reported daily on the voyage, fellow crew members planted
native plants and hauled away marine debris. They sailed by endangered
sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals, dived in waters with sharks
and massive ulua, and walked beaches occupied by giant nesting
albatrosses and tiny fairy terns.
The remote
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), also known as the Kūpuna
(ancestral) Islands, contain 9,124 square kilometers of coral
reefs that account for 69% of all the coral reefs in the U.S.
Here, in a nearly pristine environment, 10 small islands support
millions of nesting seabirds and the breeding grounds for the
endangered Hawaiian monk seal and the threatened green sea turtle.
The reefs also provide essential habitat for several commercial
fisheries and countless indigenous and endemic reef species, half
of which exist nowhere else.
The Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands is a microcosm of island ecology where we can
learn to manage and care for a pristine and fragile ecosystem
and apply these lessons back to the main Hawaiian Islands. It
also provides a basis for comparison of the health of our coral
reefs back home. Hōkūle‘a's
mission is to restore an ancient wisdom, the Hawaiian concept
of mālama – of caring for our land and sea to ensure
a balance among all forms of life. "I have a lot of questions
right now. This voyage has changed me," said captain Nainoa
Thompson. "It has raised the issue of our values and our
vision back home."
The Polynesian
Voyaging Society, a founding partner of Mālama Hawai‘i,
has worked with a long list of government, educational, scientific
and cultural partners in developing its new educational mission,
which includes a detailed teachers' curriculum. About 60 classrooms
throughout the state had signed up to participate in satellite
phone discussions with the canoe while it is on its voyage.
For more information:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/specials/hokulea/
http://www.pvs-hawaii.com/voyages/voyaging_03_nwhi.php
http://www.navigatingchange.org
Earth
Day 2004—Celebrating the Ala Wai Watershed
On Saturday,
April 24, Mālama Hawai‘i participated in O‘ahu's
Earth Day event at Kapi`olani Park. More than 1,000 people turned
out to celebrate the Ala Wai Watershed and to learn about conservation,
stewardship, and what community-based organizations and agencies
are doing to keep the waters that drain into the Ala Wai canal
clean. The event was a collaborative effort with more than 27
organizations participating, including the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Ko‘olau
Mountain Watershed Partnership, Mālama Hawai‘i, and
The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i.
 The
City and County Department of Environmental Sciences and the Ala
Wai Watershed Association sponsored the event, which also featured
informational and interactive displays, narrated Ala Wai watershed
trolley tours, armored catfish eradication activities, fish restocking
in the Ala Wai canal, and an alien algae clean up in Waikiki.
With the help of dedicated volunteers, 200 armored catfish were
removed from Manoa stream, and more than 300 mullet were restocked
in the Ala Wai canal. At Duke Kahanamoku Beach behind the Hilton
Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, more than 115 volunteers
showed up to help remove the alien algae, Gracilaria salicornia,
from the reefs. Non-native species like Gracilaria salicornia,
also known as gorilla ogo, are smothering the native life on our
Hawaiian near-shore marine ecosystems. The clean-up event at the
Hilton resulted in the removal of more than 6 tons of alien algae,
which brought the grand total of removed biomass to more than
48 tons.
This removal
event was the tenth volunteer-based alien algae clean-up effort
to date, and is the result of a collaborative effort by multiple
agencies, including the Department of Land and Natural Resources
and its Division of Aquatic Resources, NOAA, The Waikiki Aquarium,
the University of Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i Coral Reef
Initiative, U.S. Fish & Wildlife service, National Park Service
and the Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i. Also contributing
to these events are local dive operators, businesses, schools,
and civic clubs.
 Mālama
Hawai‘i supports the "Remains of a Rainbow" Exhibit
Remains of a Rainbow is a traveling photo exhibit of Hawai‘i's
rare and endangered plants and animals, sponsored by The Nature
Conservancy of Hawai‘i. This stunning collection of portraits
from acclaimed wildlife photographers David Liittschwager and
Susan Middleton documents the rich but imperiled tapestry of life
that is native to the Hawaiian Islands. "We did not undertake
this work to memorialize plants and animals that are destined
to go extinct," says Middleton. "Quite the opposite.
We have done it to call attention to their plight and with the
hope that for most of them it is not too late."
The traveling
exhibit has been to several islands and is now on O‘ahu.
It was also featured on OC16's "Outside Hawai‘i"
television show, which aired in November 2003 and may be repeated
again. Please take the time to visit this exhibit when it comes
near your community. Look for it on the Mālama
Hawaii calendar
Photo
Credit:Susan Middleton and David Liittschwager w/ Environmental
Defense
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