KWA Coordinator – TNC Kaua‘i Forest Program, Summer 2020 Newsletter

This quarter we take you up to Kōkeʻe State Park and share our experience at an amazing gathering of conservationists who told stories about the native forest they encountered 45 years ago. And, we provide a brief update on a new field data collection system, moving from pencil and paper to cloud technology, which will upgrade our field workflow when we return to our full schedule. But if you are itching to get into the forest, we invite you to take a virtual tour of our project areas, so please register using the link found later in the newsletter. We remain optimistic about the health of Kauaʻi’s native forest despite the many changes in the world since our last newsletter. Please take care of one another and stay healthy and safe.  Read More.

 

KWA Coordinator – TNC Kaua‘i Forest Program, Spring 2020 Newsletter

Fifty years ago, the first Earth Day celebration attracted 20 million Americans and led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and laws like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. It’s a great reminder that collective efforts do make a difference. Especially in these challenging times we need to support one another to get the job done. At TNC, we focus on relationships with partners, donors, contractors and each other to protect the forests that provide Kaua‘i’s fresh water. We are growing the next generation of conservationists as we train new interns and are sharing our pioneering Australian tree fern control methods with colleagues and partners across the state. I invite you to take a few minutes out of your day and come with us into the forest.  Read More

KWA Coordinator – Hana Hou! Magazine Article on Bogs across Hawai`i

Water Worlds

Hawai‘i’s high elevation bogs are treasure troves of biodiversity
Story by Shannon Wianecki. Photos by PF Bentley.  Read here.

KWA Coordinator – TNC Kaua‘i Forest Program, Winter 2019 Newsletter

In 2019, we celebrated the recovery at Kanaele and continued our work to invigorate Kauaʻi’s fresh water source – our remote native forests. Much of our work is done in areas only accessible by helicopter, so we’re sharing a virtual tour today to give you a sense of these beautiful and remote places.  Read on to learn more about how we are using advances in drone technology to make our work more efficient. Our Kauaʻi Forest team wishes you and your ʻohana a happy and healthy holiday season and new year! Read More

KWA Coordinator – TNC Kaua‘i Forest Program, Kaua‘i ROD Strategic Plan, Version 1, December 2019

Kauai ROD Strategic Plan v1 December 2019

KWA Coordinator – TNC Kaua‘i Forest Program, September 2019 Newsletter

As we move from summer to fall, change is in the air and we are happy to share some positive changes with our team, with the Kaua‘i forests we manage, and with technology innovation. We welcome back Sheila Berry as our Program Coordinator, we are seeing
improvements in the condition of the native forests we care for, and we have a new partnership targeting one of our worst weeds – Australian tree ferns.  Read More

KWA Coordinator – TNC Kaua‘i Forest Program, April 2019 Newsletter

When I first joined the Kauaʻi Forest team in 2008, we had just finished the building of our first fence in Kanaele.  Fencing out destructive non-native animals from priority native forest areas is the best way to keep the forests healthy and capturing fresh water for the island. We now have 13 miles of fencing protecting 7,000 acres of prime watershed forest on Kauaʻi. This newsletter showcases our work at Kanaele and shares insights on how the technologies that we use for one purpose can also be used to give insight into a threat that was unknown during the original application. Also featured this month is a short-video that will take you on a journey deep in to the Alaka’i Wilderness to learn about Nicolai Barca’s conservation evolution. Read More

KWA Coordinator – TNC Kaua‘i Forest Program, January 2019 Newsletter

Where does the time go?  We have crossed into 2019 in a blink of an eye it seems, but our work and our hope of protecting Kauaʻi’s native forest continues to be strong and successful.  Keeping an eye on the latest research and technology helps us to advance our projects and use our greatest resource, our team, in the most effective way possible.  From our team to you, thank you for your continued interest in our work, and we wish you and your family a happy and healthy New Year. Read More

 

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Pathogen Found in Kaua‘i Forest

Guest blog for ‘Don’t Move Firewood’ website by Melissa Fisher, Director of Kauai Forest Program, The Hawai’i Chapter of The Nature Conservancy

One evening early in May 2018 I received a call from the Kauaʻi Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) branch manager that started with, “Are you sitting down?” She quickly shared with me devastating information that the deadly disease that has killed thousands of trees on the island of Hawai’i, Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD), had now also been found on the island of Kauaʻi. ʻŌhiʻa trees anchor Kauaʻi’s native forest and are deeply significant culturally. The thought that kept running through my mind was, “we thought we had more time.”

Read more

Forest survey crew sample suspect trees. credit: L. Behnke, TNC

KWA Coordinator – TNC Kauaʻi Forest Program, October 2018 newsletter

Since our last update, we have been challenged to stepaway from our planned projects and incorporate the unexpected into our work. Kauaʻi experienced catastrophic rain in April, quickly followed by the discovery here of the disease currently devasting the native ʻōhiʻa trees on Hawaiʻi Island. As a Greek philosopher once said, “the only constant is change”, and while we cannot predict the next change, as this newsletter will share, our team will be here to help find solutions thanks to your support. Read more

ʻŌhiʻa lehua blossom at Kanaele Bog on Kaua’i