Past Events › KWP Past Events

October 11, 2014–KWP has been growing Kohala’s native trees and shrubs from seeds collected during workdays across the mountain since 2009. We just did the math and an amazing 600 people have planted trees on Kohala Mountain; the total number of trees from volunteers alone is 27,000 trees! That added to the more than 50,000 trees planted by the KWP partners and crew comes to a whopping total of 77,000 trees. WOWEE!

November 8, 2014—There is nothing like the sound of the sickle slicing through a ginger stem, and that funny squeak of the sprayer as you squirt the blue stuff, stem by stem, knowing that you are liberating native plants to live free of a noxious forest invader. Some of you ginger ninjas out there are nodding your head, smiling, knowing just what I mean! For those of you who are ginger control neophytes, this coming Saturday may be your day to join the ranks of the forest protection posse, and find out why we love to spend time in this gorgeous forest controlling an invasive plant!

November 13, 2014—Last year, 200 community members gathered in Waimea at the first Hawai‘i Island Conservation Forum to learn about the good things happening here to connect people to the land, the water, and to mālama our island home.

We want to continue the conversations we started last year, and bring the discussion into the realm of politics and government to answer some questions that we’ve heard so many times: What are the roles of county, state, and federal governments in protecting and regulating our natural resources? Who writes the bills that become laws? How can unfavorable laws and policies be changed? What are the issues we care about most? And how can we involve government in these issues effectively?

We are bringing together environmental and community leaders to inspire us with their stories of political successes in protecting our coastline from development and enacting fishing laws that work for local communities. We’ll also hear from people representing different levels of government who will help us understand how we can get involved in the policymaking process.

Much of the day, however, will be spent on discussions focused on topics of concern, identifying key laws and policies that need work, and forging alliances to advance the changes we seek. We will be sending out a survey to gather pre-Pilina ideas to help us organize discussion groups.

What do you need to do now?

1. Save Thursday, November 13th on your calendar, and spread the word to your colleagues and ʻohana. If you want to stay connected to this island-wide movement, you will need to add your name via this link for new subscribers to sign up for the Pilina email list: http://eepurl.com/Fe8zT
2. Think deeply about the environmental issues in our community that you care most about, and if you choose to add your name to the Pilina email list, then answer the survey when you get the link in the next couple weeks.
3. Look for the registration email coming to those on the Pilina list soon, and reserve your spot!

Ideas? Questions? Concerns? Want to get involved?
Email Melora at coordinator@kohalawatershed.org

December 6, 2014—Join us in planting native trees on Kohala Mountain. Recent wet weather is perfect for our babies as we pack native soil around their roots and send them on their way to grow into a forest. Saturday will be a great day to come out and work with your family, neighbors, and friends. Lots of baby trees to “set free,” including koai‘a, mamane, ‘a‘ali‘i and hō‘awa.

December 20, 2014—Speaking for the KWP crew and volunteer team, sometimes we’re a bit confused about the difference between “work” and “play.” When it comes to certain kinds of “work” like hiking through the forest, planting native trees, controlling invasive species, and building things with rocks, we just seem to have a whole lot of fun!

This Saturday, we’re going to offer a job for everyone, as we go to work in the Koai‘a Tree Sanctuary: planting, controlling weeds, and stabilizing the nature trail. Here’s the menu of work options:

• Nurturing - time to plant some baby mamane trees
• Destruction - vent any pent-up energy by attacking fountain grass
• Construction- trails along the stream need some banking & stabilization
• Creativity - design and construct stone steps on stream crossings
• Bring along your ‘ohana, visitors, neighbors, and friends for this fun day in the native koai‘a forest of Kohala!

Meet at The Kohala Center office at 8:30 am. Wear boots or sturdy shoes and long pants, and bring along a sack lunch & water bottle. Be prepared for sun, wind, and rain. We will provide plants, tools, gloves, and snacks. Don't forget your Santa hat for the final group photo!! We will return to Waimea by 3:30.

Click here to RSVP by Thursday, December 18.

January 19, 2015—Aloha and Happy New Year, wonderful volunteers! Please join us on Martin Luther King Day for a day of invasive weed control in the wet forest of Kohala.

January 31, 2015—Fountain grass is from Northern Africa, where it is well-adapted to droughts and frequent fires. It displaces slow-growing native dry forest species in Hawai‘i, and when it burns, it creates hot, fast fires that kill native seeds and plants. Unfortunately, the fountain grass itself is not killed by these fires, so the resulting cycle of growth and fire creates dense thickets of a single species: fountain grass.