Posted on: Monday, February 28, 2005

For the Environment

Advertiser Staff

HALEAKALA WEEKEND The Friends of Haleakala National Park needs 12 volunteers to remove non-native species in the Holua area and do minor cabin cleaning and maintenance. Hike in this Friday, hike out Sunday. Call Farley Jacob at (808) 248-7660.

MALAMA 'AINA DAY The Kona Outdoor Circle is coordinating Saturday's community cleanup efforts on the Big Island. Trash bags will be provided. To participate, contact coordinators: Kona Outdoor Circle, Joan Lamont, (808) 329-7286; Waimea Outdoor Circle, Arlene Block, (808) 885-5210; Waikoloa Outdoor Circle, Colette Cobb, (808) 883-8009; Malama 'O Puna, Rene Siracusa, (808) 965-9254; Ocean View Chamber, Bob Zeller, (808) 939-9282; Hilo Downtown Improvement Association, Jeffrey Mermel, (808) 987-7748.

SUNSET BEACH CLEANUP The North Shore Outdoor Circle is seeking volunteers for weeding, sweeping and pruning during its annual Sunset Beach Bike Path Cleanup from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday. Meet at 'Ehukai Beach Park, across from Sunset Beach Elementary School. Closed-toed shoes and gloves are recommended, and volunteers should bring a tool and water; lunch provided. Contact Rex Dubiel at 638-7075 or dubieldesign@hotmail.com.

WAI'ANAE WEED FIGHT Volunteers are needed Sunday 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.

MARSH RESTORATION The Hawai'i Nature Center is cleaning up and restoring Pouhala Marsh, the largest remaining wetland habitat in Pearl Harbor. Volunteers are needed to pull pickleweed from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 19. 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.

GREEN NOTES

COASTAL REFUGE An easy, two-hour guided walk through the Waihe'e coastal refuge will be offered free at 9 a.m. March 12. The Maui Coastal Land Trust property includes coastal dunes, wetlands, remains of old Hawaiian villages, an inland fishpond and several heiau. For information and directions to the meeting place, call (808) 244-5263.

HAZARDOUS WASTE DROP-OFF March 11 is the deadline to make appointments for the household hazardous waste drop-off March 19. Contact 692-5411 or info@opala.org to schedule an appointment. Before calling, take an inventory of the type and quantity of materials. The following materials are among a long list that will be accepted: acetone, arsenic, herbicides, kerosene, lighter fluid, mercury, paint stripper and thinner, rust remover, swimming pool chemicals and wood preservatives. For more information, check www.opala.org.

TOUR DE TRASH Find out what happens to all the stuff you wash down the drain or flush down the toilet, on a March 17 bus tour provided by the city's Refuse Division. The tour will visit the Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant and Water Reclamation Facility, where Veolia Water North America processes wastewater into clean water for irrigation and industry; the Navy's Biosolids Composting Facility, where sewage sludge is composted with ground green waste to create a nutrient-rich compost product; the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant; and Pacific Biodiesel, which converts cooking oil and grease from restaurants into a biodiesel fuel. The tour runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and begins and ends at Kapolei Hale. Participants must show up 15 minutes before departure time. Call 692-5410 to register; for details, check www.opala.org/recycling_businesses/Tour_de_trash_2004.html.

BATTERY RECYCLING The nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. has introduced the Charge Up To Recycle! program at Radio Shack and Home Depot on O'ahu. Look for the RBRC recycling boxes in those stores. Information: www.rbrc.org.

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 e-mail cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.