Preserve Hawaiʻi » Oʻahu Volunteering

Fall Volunteering Update

preservehawaii — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 01:45:02 +0000

Here’s just a highlight of some exciting Fall volunteer happenings among the Preserve Hawaiʻi network partners throughout the islands …

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

New Organizations Added

preservehawaii — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:22:09 +0000

We’ve just added new organizations to the Preserve Hawaiʻi network! Now over 80 environmental groups are sharing their volunteer projects here … click on the calendar pages for the most updated information.

Volunteer Calendars Online

preservehawaii — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:09:54 +0000

Volunteer calendars are now online at preservehawaii.org—one for each main Hawaiian Island, every month of the year! Click here to view the calendars. Then simply click on a project’s listing for more details … Projects will be added regularly, so check back often for updates.

How to Respect Honu

preservehawaii — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:30:39 +0000

Hawaiʻi’s green sea turtles are threatened—and not by their ocean-faring predators, but by those of us who aren’t aware of the harm we might be doing them. Beachgoers have been known to drag honu from the ocean, sit on them, lift them for a better picture, or try to turn them over.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of groups like Malama Na Honu, we can share with others how to respect these gentle creatures:

- Give basking honu their space, at least 6 feet.
- Never push a honu back into the water, or pour water on it. Allow them the freedom to come and go from the ocean.
- Don’t feed honu. Their diet comes from the sea.
- Dispose of your trash, and pick up any you see on the beach or in the water—it can do a lot of harm to sea life.
- Don’t buy items made of turtle shell.

Become a Honu Guardian with Malama Na Honu and learn more about educating others: www.malamanahonu.org

Volunteering for the Honu

preservehawaii — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:30:23 +0000

Spending your days at a beautiful North Shore beach isn’t the only lure for volunteers with Malama Na Honu. Hear it from them:

“The heart of Malama Na Honu is the volunteers … What I did not realize at first was how nicely this volunteer opportunity would draw together my interest in marine biology and my love of teaching. As my commitment to Malama Na Honu increases, I have found that I am growing in ways I never imagined.” —Diana Bonsignore

“I have had so many great times at Laniakea on my Monday night sunset shift, with wonderful memories of winter evenings, very few people on the beach, honu basking, the sun setting, the surf pounding.” —Sarah Svedberg

Join the Honu Guardian team and create your own memories … visit www.malamanahonu.org to learn how.

Meet the Honu of O’ahu’s North Shore

preservehawaii — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:30:26 +0000

If you volunteer with Malama Na Honu on Oʻahu’s North Shore, you might get to know the green sea turtles below:

Brutus

Brutus was one of the first turtles to bask in the sun repeatedly at Laniakea Beach, Oʻahu. He’s been hooked by fishing line, entangled by nets, and nibbled on by predators, but he continues to lumber up on shore almost daily. He truly lives up to his Hawaiian name, Nalukai, “one who has weathered the storms of life.”

Olivia-Dawn

Olivia-Dawn, or Ipo (“sweetheart”) is a deep sea diver. During the first 20 days of her migration to the French Frigate Shoals, she averaged 16 dives per night—one of them 135 meters deep!

Kaheka

Kaheka (“tidepool”) is the youngest basker at Laniakea. After veterinarians de-hooked and disentangled him from fishing gear, they released him on Oʻahu’s windward side. In less than a week, he had swum back around the island, to the tidepools at Laniakea.

How can you tell these and the other 20-some honu at Laniakea apart? With the Honu ID book—there’s a copy in the volunteer beach bag to learn from. And every volunteer who logs in 100 hours gets their own personal copy.

To find out how you can join Malama Na Honu, visit their website: www.malamanahonu.org

Spotlight: Malama Na Honu

preservehawaii — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:14:18 +0000

When you come to the North Shore, you might meet Brutus or Hiwahiwa or Olivia Dawn. They’re honu, Hawaiian green sea turtles, and one of them is usually basking on the sands at Laniakea Beach, Oʻahu.

The volunteers of Malama Na Honu have made it their mission to protect these threatened (meaning “likely to become endangered”) sea creatures, educating viewers on how to respect and protect them.

Stay tuned throughout November to learn how you can join Malama Na Honu, or visit their website: www.malamanahonu.org

KAUPA Urges You to Upcycle!

preservehawaii — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:30:08 +0000

How can we be a positive force in reducing the amount of waste that goes into our landfills? The 3Rs are a start—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Or better yet, we can Upcycle—converting waste materials into fashionable bags, totes, pencil cases, and more! (Plus each eligible piece of trash can be redeemed for $.02 each.)

What items are eligible? Drink pouches, chip bags, cookie and candy wrappers, gum wrappers and packaging, pens and markers, tape dispensers, glue containers.

Upcycling in action: To encourage upcycling, the Kalihi Valley nonprofit KAUPA held a fundraising contest during Spring Semester 2010 at Kalihi Waena Elementary School. Ms. Honold’s 4th-grade class collected the most items for upcycling, and donated the proceeds to KAUPA’s nonprofit efforts. In return, the kids were rewarded with a Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Party!

Another contest will be held during the Fall Semester, so get your family, school, work, church, sports, or neighborhood together and start gathering those items we usually throw away. For more information, email kaupa4kalihi@hawaii.rr.com, or call Barbara Natale at (808) 381-3643.

Mahalo for helping to divert waste from the landfill, and making Oʻahu an even more beautiful place . . .

Learn from KAUPA’s Ahupuaʻa Curriculum

preservehawaii — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:30:18 +0000

KAUPA (Kalihi Ahupuaʻa Ulu Pono Ahahui) is getting Kalihi, Oʻahu, students out in Kalihi Stream—monitoring water quality, planting native species, and doing overall stream restoration. In partnership with 4th-grade teachers from Kalihi Waena Elementary School, they’ve created a curriculum for students to examine and understand their entire watershed.

The response has been tremendous: One teacher says that by learning what helps and harms our earth, the students are now applying this knowledge to their everyday life. Another teacher applauds the curriculum for featuring hands-on activities, providing for learning styles that differ from the traditional lecture approach. The elementary school principal notes that not only are students learning about native Hawaiian land and stream use, they’re building relationships with each other and applying theory to a real-life setting.

If you want to learn more about the Kalihi Ahupuaʻa curriculum, please contact Dana Guilizia, KAUPA’s Education Coordinator at (808) 489-0884 or gulizia@hawaii.edu.

Preserve the Environment through Art

preservehawaii — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:00:47 +0000

Opposite a streambank in Kalihi, Oʻahu, is a 250-foot wall that’s continually tagged by graffiti. Rather than keep repainting it, KAUPA (Kalihi Ahupuaʻa Ulu Pono Ahahui) is launching Public Art Kalihi, a 3-year community-based mural project aimed at creating pockets of community pride within the heart of the valley.

The goal is to visually represent the cultural, environmental, social, and political issues and stories of the community. Local artists Meleanna Meyer, Prime of 808 Urban, Solomon Enos, and Kahi Ching will be assisting on the first mural of many along the stream. The rough vision to depict the area from mountain to sea, with native flora, fauna, and local people. To add your input to the vision, click here to take KAUPA’s quick online survey (and receive a free KAUPA reusable bag!).

To be selected as a Kalihi mural artist, you must be 16-30 years old, with a serious interest in art, developing your talent, and transforming this public space. Submit a 1-page essay (handwritten or typed) about your thoughts and feelings about Kalihi and Kalihi stream. At the top of the page, include your name, age, address, and phone number.

Submit your essay by email to kaupa2create@yahoo.com, or postal mail to:

Public Art Kalihi
PO Box 17673
Honolulu, HI 96817

Selected artists will be notified by July 16, 2010, and required to attend workshops on July 17, 24, and 31. Mural painting will begin the first week of August!