Native forests gain
ground at Kokee

Local and federal grants
buoy efforts to weed out
hurricane-spread threats

By Trish Moore
Star-Bulletin

KOKEE, Kauai -- Native ecosystems in the forests of Kokee have a fighting chance, thanks to a cooperative volunteer effort to control invasive alien plants.

Nature lovers can follow resource conservation specialist Kate Reinhard through pristine areas of Kokee State Park and help combat plants such as strawberry guava and Kahili ginger that threaten native species.

Two hurricanes have helped spread alien species, making them more abundant than ever in native forests, Reinhard said.

Volunteers pull the seedlings of alien plants and use a carefully tested weed-specific herbicide on larger, more established plants, Reinhard said.

The Resource Conservation Program is a collaborative effort among nonprofit and government agencies to coordinate volunteer efforts at the park.

With 24 hours' notice, Reinhard said, she can accommodate groups that want to participate. The public can come to help on scheduled workdays, the first Saturday of each month. Volunteers are welcome to stay overnight in rustic cabins at the historic Civilian Conservation Corps camp in Kokee.

"This is very exciting stuff," said Kokee Museum Director Marsha Erickson. "It's a model project, with absolutely open collaboration between all parties."

The museum, through its nonprofit corporation Hui o Laka, provides administrative support for the program and helps with grant-writing and fund-raising.

Volunteer efforts in state parks often are hampered by a requirement that a state employee be present for all projects.

Under this program, Reinhard essentially works for the state but is paid by private money.

Wayne Souza, head of state parks on Kauai, is supervising Reinhard's work.

Guy Nagai, noxious weed specialist for the state Department of Agriculture, developed the weed-specific herbicide treatments.

The project has a $10,500 start-up grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation, and a pending $42,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will carry the project through its first year, Erickson said.

"The project is blessed because of Kate's passion and determination," Erickson said.

Reinhard has mapped out about half of the park's 4,000 acres where native ecosystems are still largely intact. "These are areas right on the verge, which in five to 10 years would be solid guava," she said.

Tall, graceful koa trees with relaxed canopies provide shade and protection for new seedlings of native maile, koa, mokihana and uki uki.

Weed trees like guava and myrica faya evolved in more competitive ecosystems, and their aggressive growth patterns would eventually choke out the more relaxed native species.

The trees can be lightly sprayed at their base, allowing them to die slowly and providing still more protection for native regeneration, Reinhard said. Otherwise, the area could be vulnerable to invasive blackberry and ginger.

Reinhard is careful to replant with native seeds collected from the immediate area because "every gulch and microclimate has different plants. We want to keep the gene pools pure."

Her goal is to cover the entire 2,000 acres within a year. After that, Reinhard will evaluate the program's value.

For inspiration, she points to a similar program in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where 30,000 acres of native forest have been successfully preserved by a 10-year weeding effort.