Hawaii Forest Institute Volunteer Work Day on April 8

Brayden, Carol and Brycen Abe prepare the soil for planting native Hawaiian flora at Pu’u Wa’awa’a Forest Reserve in North Kona. Kaiser Permanente courtesy photo.

The Hawai‘i Forest Institute is having a volunteer work day at La‘i‘Ōpua Preserve in Kealakehe on Saturday, April 8, from 8 a.m. until noon.

Volunteers are asked to bring their own water bottle, sunscreen, hat and to wear closed-toe shoes.

The Preserve is located between West Hawai‘i Civic Center and Kealakehe High School on the corner of Ane Keohokālole Highway and Kealakehe Parkway.

For more information, email laiopua.preserve@gmail.com or call (808) 937-2707.

La‘i‘Ōpua Dryland Preserve restoration and outreach activities are part of the “Connections Not Forgotten” project, a dryland restoration project to maintain native forest habitats while engaging volunteers in stewardship activities at Kaʻūpūlehu Dryland Forest, Pālamanui Dry Forest Preserve, La‘i‘Ōpua Dryland Preserve, and the shoreline salt ponds at Kalaemanō Culture Center.

Through Connections Not Forgotten, coordinators and educators are merging traditional knowledge of local habitats and cultural knowledge into restoration activities like dispersing seed, planting seedlings and weeding.