Saving the Native Forests with OISC

Saving the Native Forests with OISC

Hōʻike mai ko ka Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee i ʻelua hana e kōkua ai i ka mālama wai a mālama ululāʻau ʻōiwi, i mea e mau ai kēia mau kumuwaiwai no nā hanauna e hiki mai ana.

“Ke noʻonoʻo aʻe kākou no ka ululāʻau ʻōiwi, e noʻonoʻo kākou i ka piula wai, no ka mea, ma o nā makahiki lōʻihi o kona ulu ʻana ma Hawaiʻi, ua hoʻomaka e lōkahi a kaiaulu mai nā meaola ululāʻau.  He waiwai nui ia no kona moni wai ua.  Ke komo mai nā lāhui komo ʻino ma nā kaiaulu ʻōiwi, hoʻololi ʻia ke kaiaulu a ʻaʻole moni ʻia ka wai ua.  Lawe ʻia mai nā meakanu komo ʻino no ka hoʻonaninani kīhāpai,” ka ʻōlelo a Lara Reynolds, ka Outreach Specialist o ka Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee.

ʻO kekahi kīhāpai i pilikia i ke kanu hewa ʻia i nā meakanu komo ʻino, ʻo ia nō ke kīhāpai o ka Lyon Arboretum.  Hoʻokumu ʻia e ka ʻAhahui Kanu Kō Hawaiʻi, a hoʻokuleana ʻia iā Harold Lyons nāna e hoʻokō i ke ala nuʻukia o ia wahi, ua lawe mai ʻo Harold Lyons i nā meakanu malihini mai nā ʻāina ʻē, a kanu ʻia ia mau meakanu ma laila ma nā kaukani.

Wahi a Mashuri Waite, Collection Manager o ka Lyon Arboretum, “ʻO ke ala nuʻukia mua loa, ʻo ia nō ka mālama ʻāina i mau ai ka wai.  No laila, ua lawe mai ʻo Harold Lyon i 10,000 lāhui malihini a kanu iho ma ʻaneʻi.”

ʻOiai ʻaʻole komo ʻino nā lāhui malihini a pau, ma loko o ka pūʻulu lāhui malihini i lawe ʻia mai a kanu ʻia ma ka Lyon Arboretum, ua ʻike ʻia kekahi mau lāhui komo ʻino.  No ia kumu, no ka lā hana manawaleʻa i ka mahina nei, kono akula ko ka Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee i ke kaiaulu e hele i ka Arboretum no ke kōkua ʻana ma ka waele meakanu komo ʻino.

“ʻO kēia ko mākou lā hana manawaleʻa a kono ʻia ke kaiaulu e hele mai a kōkua ma ka huki meakanu komo ʻino.  Ua hui ko ka Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee me ka Lyon Arboretum no ka ʻimi ʻana a no ka huki ʻana i nā meakanu komo ʻino ma ko lākou kīhāpai, ma hope hoʻomalele ʻia a pilikia ka ululāʻau Hawaiʻi ma uka,” ka ʻōlelo a Lara Reynolds.

E like me ka hana a ka Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee, a me ke kaiaulu, ua hiki iā kākou a pau ke alu like ma kēia hana.

Wahi a Lara Reynolds, “No ka poʻe ʻiʻini i ka hoʻonani kīhāpai, he mea nui ke koho ʻana i nā meakanu komo ʻino ʻole.  ʻO nā meakanu ʻōiwi o Hawaiʻi, he mau meakanu komo ʻino ʻole lākou.  Ke koho pono kākou, a ke hana manawaleʻa kākou, ua hiki iā kākou ke mālama i nā kumuwaiwai no nā hanauna e hiki mai ana.”

E eʻe ma ke kahuapaʻa ʻŌiwi TV no ka loulou e kuhi mai ana i kahi o ka ʻikepili lā hana manawaleʻa me ka Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee a me ka loulou e kuhi mai ana i kahi o ka ʻikepili kanu meakanu lāhui ʻōiwi.  A no laila e ko Hawaiʻi ponoʻī, e alu like mai kākou a e hoʻoulu lāhui ʻōiwi, i mau ai ka wai o kākou Hawaiʻi.

-na Nāhulu Maioho

E hana manawaleʻa me ka Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee:

http://www.hear.org/oisc/volunteer/

E kanu i nā meakanu komo ʻino ʻole:

http://www.plantpono.org/

E kanu i nā meakanu ʻōiwi:

http://www.hawaiiannativeplants.com/

The Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee shows us two things we can do to help protect and ensure that the water and forests of Hawaiʻi continue on into the future.

“If we think of the native forest you can think of the water that comes out of our tap, really, because the native forest, plants have been here for millions for thousands and thousands of years, they’ve come to a point of co-existing they’ve formed a community.  And its really good at collecting all the rainwater that falls.  When an invasive species gets into those tight communities, they can change it, so you don’t get those layers to collect the water.  Invasive plants are brought in um accidentally, put in peoples yards and then they escape peoples yards,” says Lara Reynolds, the Outreach Specialist for the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee.

One yard that has accidentally brought in invasive plants, is that of the Lyon Arboretum.  Founded by the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association, for reforestation purposes, thousands of non-native plants were planted there.

Mashuri Waite, Collection Manager of the Lyon Arboretum says, “The original mission was about improving our environment, making sure that our natural environment was healthy and able to provide us with services such as water.  So Harold Lyon was able to bring in close to 10,000 species, who were planted here.”

Although not all of the non-native species brought in were invasive, some were discovered in their collection, which became the focus for this month’s Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee community volunteer day.

“It’s our monthly volunteer trip where we bring people from the community, to remove invasive plants.  The Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee partnered with Lyon Arboretum who wanted to look at the plants in their collection and remove those that um they identified as invasive, before they kind of jump the fence and get up to the native forest that are in the upland areas,” says Lara Reynolds.

Join the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee in helping to save Hawaiʻi.

According to Lara Reynolds, “Its really important for people who are landscaping their yards um adding anything to their yards to consider, um, uh, looking for plants that are considered non-invasive. Any native plant that’s native to Hawaiʻi is by itself non-invasive.  Being aware of those choices and actively volunteering in the community, to remove things before they can get up into the forest, can serve to protect our islands for the future.”

Find links leading to more information on volunteer days and planting native, on oiwi.tv.  May we all join together to save our water, our forests, and our Hawaiʻi.

-by Nāhulu Maioho

Volunteer:

http://www.hear.org/oisc/volunteer/

Plant non-invasive:

http://www.plantpono.org/

Plant native:

http://www.hawaiiannativeplants.com/

ʻŌiwi TV reaches across generations, socio-economic statuses, and geographic locations as the sole media venue where the Hawaiian language, culture and perspective thrive. Through Digital Channel 326, ʻŌiwi TV reaches over 220,000 households across the entire State via Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s network. Through its website, mobile, and social media venues, ʻŌiwi TV is reaching Hawaiians everywhere and engaging a generation of Hawaiians that expect to access anything and everything from anywhere at anytime.

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