Learning Events 2008

Aloha! And welcome to The Kohala Center!

My name is Cindi Punihaole (cpunihaole@kohalacenter.org), and I have the best job on the island! As The Kohala Center's Volunteer and Public Outreach Coordinator, I get to create programs—especially designed for our Friends—that explore Hawaiʻi Island’s cultural and natural landscape.

In the past, we've spent a full day with Na Maka Haloa, working and learning in the loʻi (taro fields) of Waipiʻo Valley. On another day, Jack Jeffrey, a wildlife biologist, birder, and award-winning photographer, helped us to learn to appreciate nature's beauty through a camera lens; we learned—though all of us were at different skill levels—the art of photography from this winner of the Sierra Club’s 2002 Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography.

We've also arranged small dinners, so that our Friends can meet and talk with Western scientific experts, such as Marian Chertow, Director of Yale's Industrial Environmental Management Program, or with noted Hawaiian cultural leaders, such as Kepa Maly.

For generations, my family, the Punihaole ʻohana, has had the kuleana, the responsibility and the privilege of caring, for some very special places—from the cooler, forested uplands of Kalaoa Mauka down to the hotter, arid shores of Kona, stretching from Mahaiula to Kukiʻo on the west side of the island.

Please join me, join us, in the pleasure of caring for our beautiful island and our beautiful planet.

Mahalo!

Explore spectacular Hawaiʻi Island habitats on these four unique learning adventures!

Cost for the Manta Dive, Hakalau Forest visit and Kaʻūpūehu Dry Forest: $50 per excursion for current Circle of Friends members. $150 new membership + one excursion; each subsequent excursion add $50. The Waiakamali Gulch Restoration Project Site excursion is free of charge to members. Spaces are limited, so reserve your space now!

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, June 28 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Wildlife biologist, birder and award-winning photographer, Jack Jeffrey leads this expedition into the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. Hike two miles of the 32,733 acre refuge located on the windward slopes of Mauna Kea, through native montane rainforest, habitat for 14 indigenous (of which 8 are endangered), 13 migratory and 20 introduced bird species. This habitat also serves as the home of the endangered Hawaiian bat ʻōpeʻapeʻa, and 29 rare plant species. Learn the history of Hakalau and current conservation efforts. Learn how grazing by ungulates (hoofed animals) and feral pigs affected native koa and mamane forests and how grazing contributes to the extinction and endangerment of many species. Visit the over-100-year-old koa cabin of Pua ʻAkala, and enjoy Jeffrey’s retelling of the mysterious death (July 1834) of Scottish botanist David Douglass, who was last seen with bullock hunter and escaped convict Edward “Ned” Gurney.

Participants should come prepared for a two-mile hike. Bring a light rain jacket, small backpack, rubber-soled shoes or sneakers, and binoculars.

Kaʻūpūlehu Dry Forest
Tuesday, August 26 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

An aloha ʻāina (love of the land) opportunity to meet the dryland forest and lands of Kaʻūpūlehu on the slopes of Hualālai with kamaʻāina naturalists and oral historians, Yvonne and Keoki Carter. The Carters and their friends will share remembrances, history, and moʻolelo (stories) of sites cherished by generations. See the landscape through this historical lens, visit wahi pana (sacred sites) such as petroglyph fields and burial caves, and identify both common and rare native plants, some among the rarest in the world. At the final destination--the new Kalaemano cultural center--will be an opportunity to relax, learn how to make a nose flute, and enjoy a barbecue. This ahupuaʻa event is a sojourn from mountain to sea.

Participants must be in good health, able to walk short distances on rough terrain, ride in a 4WD van, and be prepared for hot, dry conditions.

Tour of Waiakamali Gulch Restoration Project Site
Saturday, September 13 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Experience Kohala’s dry forest and rain forest habitats on a driving and walking tour with conservation biologist Melora Purell and her assistant Brad Lau of the Kohala Watershed Partnership. Follow Waiakamali stream gulch from Kohala Mountain Road to the Puʻu O Umi Natural Area Reserve two miles mauka. Hike the protected dry forest of the Koaia Tree Sanctuary, then drive up the gulch and visit a mesic forest remnant—home to plants seen at few other places in Kohala. Spend an hour helping these plants survive by pulling weeds, especially banana poka, an invasive vine that kills mature trees. Lunch at the top of the gulch, then enjoy a short walk into the rainforest of the Puʻu o Umi Natural Area Reserve, a parcel of which is designated for protection by the State.

Participants should bring rain gear, and wear hiking or rubber boots. Also, be prepared for some strenuous walking over steep, uneven, and muddy terrain, as well as intensive weeding. Tools, gloves, snacks, water, and lunch will be provided.

Free of charge for members of The Kohala Center’s Circle of Friends.

Manta Ray Night Dive, Kona Coast
Sunday, October 5 2:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Manta Rays, or hāhālua are cousins of sharks—but lacking teeth and a tail stinger, are considered shy and completely harmless. Pectoral fins resembling wings can span more than 20 feet across; a cephalic fin on the front of the body unfurls to help funnel water and food into the mouth. Feeding on microscopic plankton and somersaulting through the water allow manta rays to capture the large amounts of food needed for sustenance. Spend classroom time learning interesting facts about manta rays from the experts of the Manta Pacific Research Foundation, spend the late afternoon and evening diving or snorkeling with certified divers from Jack’s Diving Locker, a 2008 Small Business Success Award winner.

Participants should be comfortable aboard a boat on open ocean; snorkel and dive participants must be proficient swimmers; divers must have dive certification.

Download an application for Manta Ray Night Dive event here and fax to The Kohala Center at 808-885-6707.