Posted on: Monday, April 25, 2005

For the Environment

Advertiser Staff

BLUE WATER RESPONSE TEAM Free training for the Sierra Club's Blue Water Campaign and the Reef Check program will be Saturday at the Lihu'e Community Center. Blue Water training, 9 a.m.-noon, will instruct volunteers on how to spot and document potential water pollution violations; training for Reef Check surveys will be 1-4 p.m. Call 537-9019 on O'ahu or e-mail bluewatercampaign@verizon.net.

KA'ALA SERVICE TRIP Reservations are required for a May 7 Sierra Club service trip to Ka'ala in the Wai'anae Mountains. Volunteers will remove non-native species and plant native plants in an area damaged by feral pigs. Be prepared for a moderate-to-strenuous two-mile hike and rainy, cold weather. Call Reese Liggett at 732-4489.

POUHALA MARSH RESTORATION The Hawai'i Nature Center is cleaning up and restoring the marsh, the largest remaining wetland habitat in Pearl Harbor. Volunteers are needed to pull pickleweed 8:30-11:30 a.m. May 7. Bring work gloves, water, hat, sunscreen, towel and change of clothes; covered footwear and long pants required. To sign up, contact Pauline Kawamata at 955-0100, ext. 18.

REEF CHECK TRAINING AND SURVEY Volunteers will learn about coral reef ecology, fish identification and Reef Check survey methods during training 9 a.m.-2 p.m. May 7 at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Regional Visitor Center, Fort DeRussy, Waikiki, with Reef Check survey to take place at 8:30 a.m. May 8 behind Fort DeRussy Park.

WAIKAMOI TRAIL WORK A weeklong service trip will be held June 18-25 at Waikamoi, Maui, to maintain a hiking trail. Sponsored by Sierra Club's Hawai'i Service Trip Program and the state's Na Ala Hele Program. Limited to eight volunteers; barracks-style accommodations at Kaulanapueo Church in Huelo with cots provided. Cost, which includes air fare, is $150 for students, $200 for others. Sign-up deadline is May 21. E-mail Jamie Tanino at monkey_gurl1008@yahoo.com.

DROP-IN VOLUNTEERS The next Laulima o Haleakala work day is 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Projects include non-native species removal, weeding planters and trash pick-up. No experience is required; the work is appropriate for those age 6 and up. Meet at the summit maintenance yard at 9 a.m.; wear long pants and closed-toed shoes and bring rain gear, sunscreen, hat, layered clothing, water and lunch. No reservations are required unless it's for a group of six or more people. The Laulima o Haleakala volunteer drop-in program takes place the third Saturday of every month. For more information, contact the Haleakala Volunteer Program office at (808) 572-4487 or HALE_VIP_Coordinator@nps.gov.

WAI'ANAE WEED FIGHT Volunteers are needed May 21 to remove buddleia, blackberry and phytolacca (pokeberry) from the Wai'anae Kai burn site. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Wai'anae Kai gate at the end of Wai'anae Valley Road. Bring water, lunch, rain jacket, good hiking shoes, sunscreen, a hat, gloves, and, if possible, hand saws, hand clippers, and machetes. For information, e-mail hoala@hawaii.edu.

For a free listing of your event, send details to For the Environment, P.O. Box 156, Wailuku, HI 96793; fax (808) 242-1520; or cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.