Posted by: preservehawaii | September 2, 2009

E Komo Mai!

Volunteers with Surfrider Kauaʻi

Welcome to Preserve Hawaiʻi, a resource for environmental volunteer opportunities in the Hawaiian Islands. Here you find links to over 60 organizations who work with Hawaiʻi’s land, ocean, and wildlife—and how you can help them.

For more in-depth descriptions of the projects you’ll find on this site, and to hear volunteer stories from the field, check out Preserving Paradise, the book. Or to share your own volunteer experiences, click on Share Your Story!

We all need a paradise to come home to. But we need to consider our impact on this paradise. More importantly, our responsibility to it. The volunteer opportunities found on this site are one way to begin.

Check back often for weekly updates from the featured organizations below …

Leave a Comment

Posted in Welcome | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | February 8, 2010

Help Restore Heʻeia Stream

Taking Cuttings for Stream Outplanting

Recent water quality monitoring of Heʻeia Stream in Kaneʻohe, Oʻahu, has shown high levels of nitrates and nitrites (possibly from fertilizer and pesticide overuse, and high turbidity due to stream bank erosion and nonnative vegetation).

The Heʻeia Stream Restoration Project of Hui o Koʻolaupoko addresses these issues by restoring sections of the stream banks and nearby forest with native vegetation, installing erosion control material, and holding workshops to educate area residents about proper fertilizer/pesticide use and useful native plants.

Volunteers play a vital role in this project. In this early stage, workdays focus on native Hawaiian plant identification and propagation, plus clearing invasive plants along the stream. Upon completion of the project, approximately 2,000 feet of stream bank and surrounding forest will have been restored! The area will be used by the community and school groups for environmental education.

Ulei Cuttings

Upcoming Heʻeia Stream Restoration workdays:

February 20
March 20
April 17
May 15

For more information, visit www.huihawaii.org or call Community Coordinator Kristen Nalani Mailheau at (808) 381-7202.

(Additional project partners include: Papahana Kuaola, Hui Ku Maoli Ola, Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch, Environmental Protection Agency, Hawaiʻi Pacific University.)

Leave a Comment

Posted in Oʻahu Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | February 1, 2010

Spotlight: Hui o Koʻolaupoko

Planting Kupukupu at Kaha Garden

Throughout the Koʻolaupoko moku (district) of Windward Oʻahu, Makapuʻu to Kualoa, land-based pollution is a leading threat to ocean health and resources. The mission of Hui o Koʻolaupoko is to protect this ocean health by restoring the ʻaina (land), mauka to makai (from the mountain to the ocean), through: (1) watershed/ahupuaʻa restoration and monitoring, (2) natural resource coordination/community involvement, and (3) scientific data and information dissemination.

Volunteers are essential to these efforts! Projects include erosion control, water quality monitoring, invasive species removal, and habitat restoration using native Hawaiian flora.

Check back throughout February for more details on the upcoming events:

Heʻeia Stream Restoration Project: Help restore sections of the stream banks and nearby forest with native vegetation, install erosion control material, and participate in educational workshops. Next volunteer day: February 20

Volunteer Days at Kaha Garden: Help maintain the garden while learning about native Hawaiian plants and local watershed issues. Next volunteer day: March 27

Water Turbidity Testing on Water Quality Snapshot Day

Water Quality Snapshot Days: Help raise awareness about water quality monitoring and environmental conditions. Next volunteer days: (Kualoa) February 6, (Heʻeia) March 6

For more information, visit www.huihawaii.org or call Community Coordinator, Kristen Nalani Mailheau, directly at (808) 381-7202.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Oʻahu Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | January 28, 2010

Help Restore Koko Head This Weekend

Who: The ʻIhiʻihi Protection Team
What: Koko Head Restoration Community Workday—restoring habitat of the endangered Hawaiian fern ʻihiʻihi
When: Sunday, January 31, 2010
Time: 8:00 am to around 1:00 pm
Where: Oʻahu—ʻIhiʻihilauakea Crater (Koko Head, above Hanauma Bay)—meet at the sidewalk on the bay side of the Hanauma Bay parking lot. (Your $1 parking fee will be reimbursed at the shack when leaving with a receipt validated by the Hanauma Bay office.)

This is a great opportunity to not only help protect an endangered species, but to experience the beauty and landscape of Koko Head Crater on Oʻahu.

Volunteers will hike around the crater rim to the ʻihiʻihi habitat. The hike is a mile or so of steep and sometimes rocky terrain in exposed, sunny areas—but with great views and other native Hawaiian plants at the top. Bring plenty of water, lunch/snacks, sunscreen, sturdy footwear with good tread, comfortable gloves, and weeding tools. (If you don’t have tools, there may be extra and/or you can hand weed.) Please be sure your shoes and gear are free of dirt and seeds that may introduce invasive weeds to the site.

For more information, please e-mail Marian Chau at mmchau@hawaii.edu or Larry Abbott at lra@hawaiiantel.net, or check out the ʻIhiʻihi Protection Team website. Hope to see you Sunday!

Leave a Comment

Posted in Oʻahu Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | January 25, 2010

Surfrider Net Patrol

Gathering Nets
Net Removal

As well as frequent beach cleanups, Surfrider Foundation on Kauaʻi runs a dedicated Net Patrol project, led by Barbara Wiedner. Her team of volunteers remove the massive entanglements that often wash up on shore—nets can break off coral or block sunlight to the underwater ecosystem; sometimes they wrap around sea turtles or monk seals, even whales. To join the Net Patrol effort, contact Barbara at Bwiednerrealtor@aol.com.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Kauaʻi Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | January 18, 2010

Kauaʻi Beach Cleanups and Blue Water Task Force

Bottle caps, plastic bags, lighters, batteries. This isn’t the natural diet of a seafaring bird or marine mammal, but it’s increasingly becoming one. Marine debris is an enormous issue for wildlife whose lives depend on the sea—especially when they tragically ingest these items, mistaking them for food. On Kauaʻi, Surfrider Foundation devotes much of its time to cleaning up the island’s beaches. It only takes a few hours, and you get to experience some of the Kauai’s most beautiful coastlines. To join in on the next beach cleanup, contact surfriderkauai@gmail.com, (808) 337-9977, www.surfrider.org/kauai



Surfrider volunteers also make up the Blue Water Task Force, paddling out to favorite surf spots to test for water clarity, salinity, and bacteria. The Kauaʻi chapter tests 16 beaches on the island every month. Samples are then given to skilled scientist Dr. Carl Berg, who works closely with the State Department of Health to identify polluted areas. On Kauaʻi the largest problems have been associated with cesspools during heavy rains and toxic runoff from agricultural lands. To get involved in the Blue Water Task Force, contact Dr. Carl Berg directly at cberg@pixi.com.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Kauaʻi Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | January 15, 2010

Martin Luther King Day of Service – January 18, 2010

mlk logoDr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a vision of a society motivated by the ideals of nonviolence, equality, and service to one another. On Monday, January 18, 2010, we can help fulfill Dr. King’s vision by making it a day of service in our own communities.

Inspired by President Obama’s national “call to service” last year, the 2009 King Day of Service was the largest in history, with more than 1 million volunteers participating in 13,000 projects nationwide.

To find out about projects happening near you, contact the organizations in your area (click on Find Volunteer Opportunities)—then tell us about it! (click on Share Your Story). For the national MLK Day website, go to www.mlkday.gov.

Leave a Comment

Posted in The Latest News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | January 11, 2010

Monk Seal Reward, Kauaʻi

Monk Seal Mother and Pup

The Kauaʻi chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is one of the leading conservation groups on the island. Recently the chapter posted its second reward for information regarding the murder of endangered monk seals on the island last year. Thanks to all the folks who donated money for the reward, the fisherman who shot the first monk seal was apprehended and is now in jail.

To support this conservation effort by donating to the monk seal reward fund, please go to www.surfrider.org/kauai.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Kauaʻi Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | January 4, 2010

Spotlight: Surfrider Kauaʻi

Kauai Coast

The Surfrider Foundation is a national coastal environmental organization, with chapters all over the United States. In Hawaiʻi there are chapters on Oʻahu, the Kona side of the Big island, Maui, and Kauaʻi. The Kauaʻi chapter is extremely active. This winter they sponsored a conference of the expected effects of global climate change on the island—over 200 people attended (an excellent turn out for an island that has only a few thousand households!). Professors from the University of Hawaiʻi gave their views on the validity of the concerns about global warming, as well as concrete things individuals can do, such as driving a hybrid car or taking the bus, or decreasing or eliminating red meat from their diet.

Check back here throughout January to see what Surfrider projects you can get involved with on Kauaʻi. Or contact them directly at surfriderkauai@gmail.com, (808) 337-9977, www.surfrider.org/kauai

To connect with Surfrider chapters on other islands, click here:
Surfrider Kona
Surfrider Maui
Surfrider O‘ahu

Leave a Comment

Posted in Hawaiʻi Island (Big Island) Volunteering, Kauaʻi Volunteering, Maui Volunteering, Oʻahu Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | December 21, 2009

Pouhala Marsh: Tales from the Field

“It has been a while since I’ve been to Pouhala Marsh, and I’m glad my family was able to make it out there today. … My dad and I planted at least two kamani trees. We used shovels, pick axes, and gloves to create the proper area for the kamani trees to grow. Then my mom and I gathered some rocks and distributed them to other volunteers so that they could make their berms. After planting, my family moved towards the newer volunteers and helped them remove pickleweed and mangroves along the bank of the stream.

“It was so nice to see everyone today. I missed being out in the marsh. I got to see a couple of the aeʻo birds walking in the water. The wetland is just getting more and more beautiful with each Saturday I go out there. To see such progress makes me so happy, and I realize just how far the hard work of volunteers can go.” —Krystina Begonia, volunteer, 2009

To volunteer with Oʻahu’s Hawaiʻi Nature Center, contact Volunteer Program Manager Pauline Kawamata, volunteer@hawaiinaturecenter.org.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Oʻahu Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: preservehawaii | December 14, 2009

Volunteer at Pouhala Marsh Wetlands

Pouhala Marsh

Located in the West Loch of Pearl Harbor, Pouhala Marsh is the last remaining natural wetland habitat on Oʻahu’s south coast. It’s considered a crucial resource for the protection and habitat for several Hawaiian plants and animal species—particularly the endangered Hawaiian stilt, or aeʻo. During non-breeding season, Hawaiian stilt numbers on the marsh can exceed 150 birds, about 10 percent of the remaining world population.

Volunteers at Pouhala

Volunteers have played a vital role in the restoration of Pouhala Marsh. Since December 2001, over 1,700 volunteers have worked on teaching sites for Hawaiʻi Nature Center’s wetland programs, plus cleared habitat areas for the endangered wetland birds. Volunteers meet once a month, on a Saturday morning, to work on a tasks like trash removal, outplanting, and eradication of invasive plant species. To join the Pouhala Marsh effort, contact Volunteer Program Manager Pauline Kawamata, volunteer@hawaiinaturecenter.org.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Oʻahu Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Older Posts »

Categories