Service Project at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine Sat. Dec. 19th

Please join with us on Saturday Dec. 19th from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm to malama Na Pohaku o Hauwahine located along Kapa’a Quarry Rd. in Kawainui Marsh, Kailua. Our restoration efforts at this site is to remove alien plant invasives and replant with endemic natives. We are also restoring a native wetland bird habitat in the marsh.  We will be primarily concerned with weeding in areas planted with natives and watering to keep the young plants alive and growing.  Wear work clothes, shoes, bring your gloves, weeding or cutting tool, water and snack. Contact Kaimi Scudder at 593-0112 if you’re coming and for more information. Also, see Ahahui Malama I ka Lokahi’s website at: <www.ahahui.net>

Save Feb. 6, 2010 for World Wetlands Day in Kailua

Wetlands Day Save the date

Click on the link above to see the flyer for World Wetlands Day to be held on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010. Event to be held in Kailua town with exhibits, activities for kids, booths, tours etc.

Birds of the Marsh Tour Sat. Dec. 5th

Birds of the Marsh tour

Leader: Ron Walker, wildlife biologist

Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009   (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

Learn about Hawaii’s endangered waterbirds and the efforts to restore the Kawainui, Hamakua and Kaelepulu wetlands.

The tour will go to Hamakua wetlands at Creekside in Kailua, then to Kaelepulu. The third stop would be at Kawainui Neighborhood Park (Kaha) to look at the Kawainui Estuary and islets and, finally to Na Pohaku o Hauwahine to look at the volunteer created wetland bird restoration project.

This natural history tour is co-sponsored by Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi, Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club, Kawai Nui Heritage Foundation and the Hawaii Audobon Society.

A $5.00 donation is requested. We will car-pool between sites.

Please sign up for the tour with Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi by calling 593-0112 or emailing to email@ahahui.net.

Natural & Cultural History Tour of Kawainui Marsh Sept. 5th

Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi and the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club will begin
their Fall Kawainui Marsh Educational Series, Saturday Sept. 5, 2009 with an
introductory natural and cultural history tour of Kawainui Marsh.  It will
include possible interpretive sites around Kawainui Marsh that could be used
for kiosks and even a Kawainui Gate Park Visitor Center.  (Next month on Oct.
3rd, Dr. Floyd McCoy, geologist at UH/Windward Community College will lead
the geology tour.)  Handouts of our educational tours and service projects
schedule for the remaining of this year and 2009 will be distributed on
Saturday, and see post below for further information.

Travel back in time when Kawai Nui Marsh and Kaelepulu Pond (Enchanted Lake)
were ocean bays and the first Polynesians came to the shores of the ancient
Kawainui Lagoon, constructed their heiau, (sacred temples), fishpond and
taro terraces.  Chuck “Doc” Burrows, Hawaiian naturalist will lead
participants on a driving/walking tour from Ulupo Heiau to Na Pohaku o
Hauwahine and the Kawainui Estuary at Kawainui Park. He will explain how
these sites were used in ancient and historic periods and present plans by
community volunteers, State and Federal agencies to restore the health of
the natural and cultural ecosystems of the marsh and the Kailua Ahupua¹a.
New residents to Kailua are encouraged to come. The tour will start at 8:30
am and be completed by 12:00 pm.  A donation of $5 is requested.

Contact Kaimi Scudder at 593-0112 or reply <chuckb@hawaii.rr.com> for more
information and registration.

Community Meeting on Future of Kawainui Marsh invite from Sen. Tokuda

Kawai Nui Marsh Discussion on Next Steps – March 28th

Dear Friends, As you know, the transfer of title between the City & County and the State of Hawaii last year was a critical turning point for the restoration and preservation of Kawai Nui Marsh. With land ownership now resolved, it is important that we take the next steps as a community to determine our shared vision for the marsh and the best way to get there. From the conversations I’ve had with our congressional delegation and various federal agencies, there is a strong interest and desire to continue supporting projects in the marsh. Knowing this, the community advocates who have shouldered the weight of protecting and restoring Kawai Nui all these many years should provide the direction for where we go from here, and what projects are a priority for the community. On Saturday March 28th from 1:30pm-4:00pm at Le Jardin Academy’s Wong Auditorium, the Harold Castle Foundation and I will be hosting the first in what will likely be a series of facilitated planning discussions on Kawai Nui Marsh. Your presence and participation will be critical to our success. Please help us, also, by forwarding this invitation to past, present and future stakeholders and advocates for the marsh. If you will be able to attend, please contact us at 587-7215 or via email at sentokuda@capitol.hawaii.gov. This will give us a headcount, and help us plan for the event. If you have any questions or cannot attend but would like to be kept informed about the outcomes of the discussion, please do not hesitate to contact us as well. I look forward to seeing you there!

Mahalo! Jill

Senator Jill N. Tokuda

District 24 Kaneohe, Kailua, and Enchanted Lake

Majority Whip

Chair, Committee on Higher Education

Vice Chair, Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture & Hawaiian Affairs

Phone: 587-7215 Fax: 587-7220

www.senatortokuda.com

Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi encourages your participation in this meeting.

Kaimi Scudder

Celebrate Ramsar World Wetlands Day Feb. 16th

Learn about why Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh are listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. There will be exhibits, talks and wetland places to go check out. Free – open to the public.

Kawainui Neighborhood Park, (at end of Kaha Street), Kailua, Hawaii

Program:

9:00am Welcome & Opening Protocol
• Sam Ohukaniohia Gon
• Herb Lee, Master of Ceremonies
“Ramsar Designation for Wetlands of Importance”
• Dr. Charles Burrows, ‘Ahahui Mālama I Ka Lōkahi
“DLNR’s Vision for Kawainui-Hāmākua”
• Laura H. Thielen, Chairperson of DLNR
”City Support for Kawainui Marsh”
• Cyndy Aylett, Project Manager, Mayor Hanneman’s Office
“Kawainui Marsh Environmental Restoration Project”
• Nani Shimabuku, Army Corps of Engineers
“Managing Kawainui-Hāmākua Wildlife Sanctuary”
• Paul Conry, Administrator, DOFAW
Remarks:
• Senator Jill Tokuda
• Representative Cynthia Thielen
• Representative Pono Chong
• Terry George, Castle Foundation
Recognition of the Stewards of Kawainui
9:00am Wetland Exhibits
10:00am Depart Kawainui Neighborhood Park for Tour Sites
10:30am Tours Begin at 4 Sites
• Ka‘elepulu Pond • Nā Pōhaku o Hauwahine
• Hāmākua Marsh • Kaha Native Plant Garden
12:00pm Closing Remarks

Birds of the Marsh tour, Sat. Dec. 6th

Birds of the Marsh tour

Leader: Ron Walker, wildlife biologist

Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008   (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

Learn about Hawaii’s endangered waterbirds and the efforts to restore the Kawainui, Hamakua and Kaelepulu wetlands.

The tour will go to Hamakua wetlands at Creekside in Kailua, then to Kaelepulu. The third stop would be at Kawai Nui Neighborhood Park (Kaha) to look at the Kawainui Estuary and islets and, finally to Na Pohaku o Hauwahine to look at the volunteer created wetland bird restoration project.

This natural history tour is co-sponsored by Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi, Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club, Kawai Nui Heritage Foundation and the Hawaii Audobon Society.

A $5.00 donation is requested. We will car-pool between sites.

Please sign up for the tour with Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi by calling 593-0112 or emailing to hemanumalia@hotmail.com.

Board of Land and Natural Resources approves land transfer for Kawainui Marsh

Great News!

The Board of Land and Natural Resources today approved the land ownership transfer details of Kawainui Marsh from the City & County of Honolulu to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. This will allow the Army Corps Of Engineers restoration project to proceed as well as give access to Division of Forestry and Wildlife for all of the marsh that was owned by the city and county.

Mahalo to all who had some involvement in getting this process done. Time to move forward!

Celebrate World Wetlands Day in Hawaii – 2/2/08

You are invited to help celebrate World Wetlands Day. Learn why Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh Complex in Kailua, Oahu was designated a Ramsar Site in February 2005. On Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 we will celebrate World Wetlands Day at Le Jardin Academy from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be exhibits, speakers, events for the kids, free tours to Na Pohaku o Hauwahine, Kawainui Neighborhood Park garden, Hamakua wetland and Ulupo Heiau State Historic complex. See what may happen to restore Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh Complex, learn about the wildlife, and native plant restoration projects and how you can get involved in helping to malama this cherished area. The event is free. Sacred to Hawaiians, Kawainui Marsh is the largest remaining emergent wetland in Hawai‘i and the state’s largest ancient freshwater fishpond. Located in the center of the caldera of the Ko‘olau shield volcan., the marsh today provides primary habitat for four of Hawaii’s endemic and endangered waterbirds. The marsh stores surface water and provides flood protection for Kailua town.Hamakua Marsh is a smaller wetland that is historically connected to the adjacent Kawainui Marsh. Is also provides significant habitat for Hawaii’s endangered waterbirds.Fostering worldwide wetland conservation is the primary goal of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. First signed in 1971, this international treaty promotes conservation activities that also incorporate human use. Participation in the Convention brings nations together to improve wetland management for the benefit of people and wildlife and promote biological diversity.  See:  www.ramsar.org  and,  www.ramsarcommittee.usThere are more than 1,600 Ramsar designated sites in over 150 countries, including 22 sites in the U.S. Many of these sites are National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). Kawainui and Hamakua Marsh Complex is the only current Ramsar site in Hawaii. 

‘Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi receives a Grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) for the restoration of Na Pohaku o Hauwahine in Kawai Nui Marsh, O‘ahu, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

‘Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi receives a Grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) for the restoration of Na Pohaku o Hauwahine in Kawai Nui Marsh, O‘ahu, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

‘Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi (AML) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant of $23,066 from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to revegetate endemic plant species and create a wetland bird habitat for the endangered ‘Alae ula (Hawaiian gallinule) at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine in Kawai Nui Marsh, O‘ahu, a Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance. The award is for a one-year period.  As curator of the site, AML works closely with the State DLNR-Division of State Parks and Division of Forestry and Wildlife to protect and enhance the site’s cultural, ecological, and archaeological treasures.

AML will use a part-time person skilled in Hawaiian cultural practices and the restoration of Hawaii’s natural resources to help lead the restoration efforts by volunteer individuals and groups and assist with teacher-training at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine. AML will improve the water pumping system, which is needed during dry periods. AML will also acquire from native Hawaiian plant growers a range of native dry forest plants and associated plant propagation supplies that would allow for the continued expansion of the 12-acre planted areas of Na Pohaku o Hauwahine. AML will enlist the services of college students and professors and other volunteer professionals in the GPS and GIS mapping of on-site botanical and cultural resources of Na Pohaku o Hauwahine.

AML has received grants in the past from the LEF Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for the dryland forest and wetland bird habitat restoration at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine. The OHA grant will allow for continued work through 2008.  AML will also seek a Ramsar Convention Grant to promote the Kawai Nui/Hamakua Marsh Complex as one of the United States’ 22 wetlands of international importance.

‘Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi’s mission is to develop, promote, and practice a Native Hawaiian conservation ethic relevant to our times that is responsible to both the Hawaiian culture and science. This ethic is protective of native cultural and natural heritage and is expressed through research, education, and active stewardship. AML’s website is http://www.ahahui.net.