Mauna Kahlwai Watershed Partnership

Fencing is fun! Hahaha, jk, jk. Fencing is actually not always funit is actually quite laboriousbut we do try and make the most of it! A recent influx of deer has prompted us to modify and improve one of our strategic fences. Initially, we experimented here with a combination of hog wire and deer mesh on this fence line, with the hog wire along the bottom 4’ and the lighter-weight deer mesh along the top 4’. Unfortunately, the elements proved to be too harsh for the plastic... mesh, so we’ve had to replace that all with hog wire. So, here’s our jolly crew member Marcus DoktorSonne pretending to be a circus performer, balancing a giant bag of old deer mesh on his head #longlivethenatives #fenceconstruction #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : OG crew member and Fencing Supervisor Johnny Colorado

Down in the depths of the boggy-bog world, here’s some miniature forest action for you. Like we said in our last post, our high elevation bogs are blanketed with the most wondrous dwarf forest comprised of stunted little hia lehua, pkiawe, helo, and several other friends that aren’t captured in this pic. Along the right side are clumps of Oreobolus furcatusthose mounds that like grassy hills rising out of this mini forest. This is an endemic sedge that is native to the... upper elevation bogs of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui. Like so many other native forest friends, these sedges provide habitat for other friends to grow, and you can often find little baby helo, hia, and others sprouting out from them. Bonus: if you can peer into the blurry background, you can see a young, round head of a Lobelia gloria-montis poking up into view. #longlivethenatives #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : intern Veronica Fernandez who had a magical day up in the bogs

Klea lau lii beautiful-ness One of the most striking characteristics of this small leaf klea is these gorgeous magenta liko. They’re so pretty. No surprise that the liko make really nice lei. Hawaii is home to 19 endemic species of klea (Myrsine spp) that are distributed across our pae ina in mesic to wet forests from 150’ to 5,000’ above sea level. While their morphology is highly variable with a range of leaf shapes and sizes, they all come in these very strikin...g colors. #longlivethenatives #klealaulii #myrsinesandwicensis #endemic #nativehawaiianplant #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : our stellar intern Veronica Fernandez

Oh hello, helo! How gorgeous are these bright little babies emerging from a mini forest of moss. As you may imagine, with such striking colors, the liko, berries, and flowers of helo can make beautiful lei. Hawaii is home to three species of helo (Vaccinium spp), all of which are endemic to our pae ina. Like their blueberry and cranberry cousins in the Ericaceae family, helo also produce edible fruits which many of us know and love. Yet, since helo are sacred t...o Pele, it is customary to offer the fruits to her first before eating any yourself. #longlivethenatives #helo #vaccinium #nativehawaiianplants #endemic #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : OG crew member and mama bear Jill LaBram

Something great is happening next week Wednesday! The great Maui Huliau Foundation is hosting a "Careers In Conservation" virtual event targeted at Maui County youth ages 12-22. This online event will feature 25 Maui professionals from a range of environmental career fields (including our very own Kimberly Thayer), who will share more about their jobs, their career paths and their inspiration for working to protect the ina. Check out their website to learn more and sign up! https://mauihuliaufoundation.org/careers-in-conservation/

It’s a boggy bog world up there around the summit of Puu Kukui. In the foreground, a young Lobelia gloria-montis rises up from the carpet of dwarfed hia and other bog-loving plants. Many of the plants that live in this landscape aren’t found anywhere else on this mountain. As is the case in all of our native forests, all the plants and meaola that inhabit this upland bog ecosystem are all friends with each other. Rather than fighting with each other for space, resources..., and nutrients, all of our natives encourage, nourish, and help each other to grow and live their best lives. When the plants are happy, our forests are happy. Happy forests are healthy forests, and healthy forests produce ka wai ola, the waters of life. These high-elevation bogs are such interesting landscapes, blankets of dwarfed forests dotted with Seuss-like lobelias. For those who are interested, here are a few words for bog in lelo Hawaii: naele 2. vs. yielding, soft, miry, spongy; misshapen; swamp, mire, bog. nakele nvs. Soft, boggy, slippery, yielding, sinking in; a shallow boggy area. olo.kele n. Bog, swamp. #longlivethenatives #lobeliagloriamontis #endemic #nativehawaiianplant #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : OG crew member Jill LaBram who loves a visit to the bogs

Mosses are cloud catchers, too! Mini forests within forests, mosses are critical members of our native ecosystems. Just like the trees, shrubs, and ferns that compose the giant living sponges of our native forests, mosses are also fantastic at capturing cloud drip, soaking up rain water, promoting groundwater percolation, and preventing erosion and runoff. Despite their small stature, they have a huge impact. No wonder the wise Hawaiians of the w kahiko recognized a myriad o...f mosses and their qualities. alani 3. An upland moss. .kaha 2. A moss growing on rotted trees. Also limu kaha. hine.hine.ula n. A moss listed by Rock hini.hini ula n. Air upland moss (no data) hulu.hulu 8. n. Kinds of seaweeds and mosses. hulu.hulu-a-.lio n. A green, velvety, carpet-like mountain moss. The spore cases rise above the plants. Lit., fur like a dog's. hulu-o-Kaau.hele.moa n. A moss said to grow only in Plolo Valley, Honolulu, named for Kaau-hele-moa, a legendary cock defeated in battle by a hen. She pulled out his feathers, which fell and became this moss. It is used in leis. ili.ohe n. Name reported for a green fresh-water moss kala maka pii Same as mkole mkpii and kalemakapii, mosses. limu kau l.au n. All tiny ferns (such as filmy ferns), lichens, liverworts, and mosses growing on trees. limu kele n. Moss growing on trees in rain forests. limu-m.kole-maka-pii Same as mkole mkpii, a moss. There are more than this. Let us know what else you find! #longlivethenatives #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #moss #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : OG crew member and woman warrior Jill LaBram

Saving this for future reference!

Saving this too for future reference!

As a follow up to our last post, check out this awesome moss action. Limua kia wahi! We aren’t joking when we say that mosses are a huge part of our rain forests. As they cover tree trunks, branches, rocks, soil, and more, mosses significantly increase the sponginess of our native forests, thus enabling our watersheds to capture rainfall and cloud drip to replenish our streams and aquifers. limua... vs. Overgrown or covered with moss, seaweed, or any limu. Cf. ua limua. #longlivethenatives #moss #limu #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : our fantastic intern Veronica Fernandez

Iliahialoe, a coastal variety of sandalwood, is one plant we are always grateful to see. Most everyone knows the story of the sandalwood trade that led to the decimation of our sandalwood forests from the 1790s to the 1830s. If you don’t know it, definitely take the time to look it up. Just as the forests were heavily and severely exploited, so were the Hawaiian people who were forced to harvest all the iliahi they could find. Many suffered hardships, famine, and even deat...h. And to this day, it is uncommon to find an iliahi of any great size. While iliahi and iliahialoe are famous for their fragrant wood, called lau ala in lelo Hawaii, they have many other uses in Hawaiian culture. Various parts of the plant are used in lau lapaau, traditional medicine, for treating dandruff, lice, and other afflictions. Liko, pua, and hua are used in lei, and the heartwood and bark are used in kapa making. And of course, they are integral to diverse native ecosystems across the entire pae ina o Hawaii. #longlivethenatives #iliahialoe #sandalwood #santalumellipticum #maytheforestbewithyou #alohaina #mlamaina #maui #hawaii #maunakahalawai #maunakahlwai #mkwp : Ops Manager Jill LaBram who is having a great day in the mountain!