Tag / native

with contributions by Katie Ersbak [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4][Photo Gallery] On the last day of field work on Kahoʻolawe, we collected bunches of pili grass seeds for out planting, like the older individuals we planted in Hakioawa the other day. Jamie explains that the seeds disperse a short distance by wind, […]

with contributions by Katie Ersbak [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4][Photo Gallery] Getting another early start, I was particularly stoked because I was asked to drive one of the trucks… not a passenger one, but one of the dually trucks that was meant for transporting equipment, etc. After fueling up, we stopped by […]

with contributions by Katie Ersbak [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4][Photo Gallery] Most people never really think about going to Kaho‘olawe… Mainly because much of the island had been obliterated by the navy over the period of several decades after World War II, and many believe that there is nowhere to walk on […]

[Part 1] [Part 2] With the increase in foot traffic on the local trails due to social media, I constantly remind our crew to make sure our time in the mountains is well spent. Whether it being conservation work, mapping / surveying native species, invasive species removal or basic trail maintenance / clean up, I’ve […]

[Part 1] [Part 2] With our recent lesson from Dr. Nori, several of us were motivated to do more snail surveying along the Waianae Summit. With the same group (Nate, J, Katie, Ryan, Jenelyn and I, and Aaron, who wasn’t able to make other trip) did a moderate traverse along the Waianae Summit from Star […]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Hike Map] The day after we arrived at Lonomea, the crew decided to hike up Koaie Stream to look for a waterfall marked on the topographical map Baron had on his smartphone. Unfortunately, the mapping application malfunctioned, so we would not know how close (or far away) we were from the […]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Hike Map] Baron, Josh and I had been talking about backpacking into Waimea Canyon for some time, so we finally committed to doing so on the weekend of Josh’s birthday in June. Though last minute forecasts suggested thunder storms in Hawaii’s “Grand Canyon,” we (Baron, Katie, Rhonda, Paul and I… JOSH […]

One of the closest trails to where I grew up, Waiau Ridge trail, is a 6 mile grinder of elevation changes… as opposed to the nearby Waimano Trail (~7 miles), which steadily contours it’s way up to the Koolau Summit Trail (KST). A few months in advance, Josh asked me if I’d help clear the […]

After hiking up to Lanihuli from the Pali Puka, I had no desire to get to the peak again anytime soon. This is mostly because of the distance one has to travel up (or down) from Alewa heights, if hiking the conventional route that is. However, a shorter route (and far less dangerous than other […]

Originally introduced to Hawaii for food in 1956, it’s ironic that most people haven’t eaten a Tahitian Prawn (Macrobrachium lar) before. No, these are not the crustaceans you get from the North Shore Shrimp Trucks. The vendors more commonly sell either penaeid “white shrimp (which are marine), and less commonly, a freshwater palaemonid “Giant River […]