Oʻahu
A monk seal pup was recently born on the North Shore! Volunteers are needed for “pup sitting” and ongoing monitoring—ideal for students and island residents. For more info, contact woolwahine@hawaiiantel.net at the Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team Oʻahu, www.hmsrto.org

Maui
Turtles are hatching on Lahaina and Hoʻokipa beaches, and Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund is in need of volunteers to help watch over the nests—shifts are available both day and night; training is provided. For more info, contact mauihawksbills@gmail.com, www.wildhawaii.org

Hawaiʻi Island
The Hawaiʻi Island School Garden Network has opportunities for volunteers to help with elementary school garden classes every weekday. Click on the Hawaiʻi Island calendar here—www.preservehawaii.org/calendars—and look for HISGN postings in your area.

Kauaʻi
An easily accessible volunteer opportunity for both visitors and residents on Kauaʻi is at one of the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s beautiful sites—the volunteer program is described in detail here—ntbg.org/donate/volunteer.php—with workdays scheduled throughout each week.

Island-wide
Kupu Hawaiʻi and Americorps are giving educational awards of $1,000 to interns (age 17+) who volunteer for 300 hours in a conservation-related field. Awards can be used to pay off student loans or for further education. Learn more about the awards by clicking here, or contact acprograms@kupuhawaii.org

… and note that many other Fall opportunities, for both visitor and kamaʻaina, can be found on the calendar pages at www.preservehawaii.org/calendars

KRCP volunteer Kay Koike and DLNR invasive species technician Sherri Paul

Kokeʻe Resource Conservation Program (KRCP) offers a strategy of experiential education, where volunteers learn by working side-by-side with knowledgeable field staff and passionate local residents. In this way, not only do volunteers make deep connections with the land, but with other like-minded people working to preserve and protect it.

Help become part of the solution on Kauaʻi—become an active partner with KRCP in native forest conservation. For more details about their weekly volunteer opportunities, contact rcp@aloha.net or visit the KRCP website: www.krcp.org

Diellia mannii, photo by David H. Lorence © Smithsonian Institution

Not only is the Kokeʻe Resource Conservation Program (KRCP) concerned about eradicating invasive species, they’re focused on preserving native species, such as two highly endangered ferns in the region, Diellia mannii and Diellia erect f. alexandri. By building fences around these fern populations, it prevents ungulates such as deer, goat, and pig from damaging these plants.

Volunteer opportunities include working in the mesic forest of Kokeʻe State Park, or the wet forest of Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve. (The work involves strenuous hiking and may include the use of herbicides—if you prefer to not work with herbicides, the staff will design a volunteer project for you involving only pulling or cutting).

Join KRCP Mondays through Thursdays, or anytime by appointment. (Lodging is also available in their volunteer cabin by reservation.) Contact rcp@aloha.net or visit the KRCP website: www.krcp.org

The Kokeʻe Resource Conservation Program (KRCP) needs volunteers to help them clear invasive weed species. Rustic housing is available—a few days’ work then affords you a few days off during your stay, when you can explore the drama of nearby Waimea Canyon and Alakaʻi Swamp, or peer over the cliffs into the majestic Kalalau Valley.

Check back here throughout January to learn more about KRCP’s volunteer opportunities. And visit their website: www.krcp.org

At the NTBG’s Nursery and Horticulture Center, volunteers help with collecting seeds, plant propagation, fertilization, pot sterilization, and more. The work is done standing at waist-high tables, and stools are available.

Join the fun every Monday and Wednesday—Mondays are especially social as the volunteer group shares a potluck luncheon, followed by a brief educational lecture about the “plant of the week” from the NTBG nursery manager.

Contact volunteer@ntbg.org to join in, or visit the NTBG website by clicking here.

Breadfruit

On the south shore of Kauaʻi, a living collection of breadfruit grows in the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s McBryde Garden—over 25 varieties of this Pacific region staple food.

Volunteering with NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute means documenting the fruits, their sizes, presence of flowers, and signs of disease or rot, which if not caught early can spread quickly throughout the entire forest. By helping researchers better understand this important crop, you’ll be enhancing its value for food and reforestation in tropical regions around the world.

Click here to go to the Breadfruit Institute’s website, or contact breadfruitinstitute@ntbg.org directly to learn how you can help.

No experience is necessary—all you need are long pants and closed-toe shoes. The garden supplies the tools and gloves. Volunteers are asked to make a 3-hour minimum commitment anytime between 7:30am and 3:30pm, Monday through Friday.

Contact volunteer@ntbg.org to sign up, or visit the NTBG website by clicking here.

As a volunteer with the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), you can help intercept this unfortunate statistic. Four NTBG gardens are in Hawaiʻi—three on Kauaʻi and one in Hana, Maui. A fifth garden is in Florida. These locales are ideal homes away from home for wild-collected tropical species, as well as native Hawaiian plant conservation, habitat restoration, and the perpetuation of traditional local knowledge.

Check back throughout August for how to help NTBG this summer, or contact them directly at volunteer@ntbg.org.