HOK's Outreach Coordinator, Sanna, is joining the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program on a journey to the North Western Hawaiian islands (NWHI) in the Papahānaumokuāea Marine National Monument to study the Hawaiian Monk Seals this summer!
 
The Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the most endangered species in the world and the objective of the trip is to monitor and assess the seal populations in the North Western Hawaiian Islands.
 
Sanna is spending the month of June training with the program and preparing to deploy in mid-July to Lisianski Island with two other team members. She will likely spend her days walking the shores of the 384 acre island, counting monk seals, and assessing their health.
 
Sanna is really excited for the opportunity to be a part of the conservation efforts of the seals and be able to share her experiences when she gets back to Oahu in mid-October. Stay tuned for stories and photos of her journey at our Second Saturday Outreach Series in November! If you want to read more about the Hawaiian Monk Seals and the field camps in the NWHI click here. You can also send your messages of support to Sanna directly!

Hui o Koʻolaupoko (HOK) and Oʻahu Resource Conservation and Development Council (ORCD) are joining forces to conduct community outreach to support an update to the Koʻolaupoko Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (KWRAS).
 
HOK and ORCD will host a series of four virtual outreach meetings for each subsection of Koʻolaupoko in Spring 2021 and four follow-up meetings in Fall 2021.
 
Meetings held in late April for southern and northern Kaneohe area ahupua'a, provided wonderful insight to the needs and concerns surrounding water quality. "Community members voiced the need for widespread and consistent water quality monitoring, improved access to monitoring data, and consistent enforcement of regulations. Participants also expressed the desire for the updated WRAS to contain more historically accurate stream names and identification of cultural sites, where appropriate. These additions to a future updates WRAS could lead to more frequent leveraging of the document by locally active community groups while applying for project funding” says Kristen Kāne, HOK Project Director.
 
Upcoming Meetings
Waimānalo: Wednesday May 26th, 6pm
Kailua: Thursday May 27th, 6pm
 
These virtual and regionally-oriented community meetings will focus on identifying active community groups and individuals doing watershed restoration, water quality monitoring, and explore community needs and interests. 
 
Meetings will be hosted on Zoom and will utilize a variety of facilitation tools and techniques to capture data and interactive feedback from participants. While the meetings can be joined via phone, it is strongly recommended that participants join via a laptop or desktop computer to access links for active participation.
 
 
For more information and to register, visit www.huihawaii.org/wrasupdate.html

Hui o Koʻolaupoko (HOK) and Oʻahu Resource Conservation and Development Council (ORCD) are joining forces to conduct community outreach to support an update to the Koʻolaupoko Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (KWRAS).
 
HOK and ORCD will host a series of four virtual outreach meetings for each subsection of Koʻolaupoko in Spring 2021 and four follow-up meetings in Fall 2021. These virtual and regionally-oriented community meetings will focus on identifying active community groups and individuals doing watershed restoration, water quality monitoring, and explore community needs and interests. 
 
Meetings will be hosted on Zoom and will utilize a variety of facilitation tools and techniques to capture data and interactive feedback from participants. While the meetings can be joined via phone, it is strongly recommended that participants join via a laptop or desktop computer to access links for active participation.
 
The first KWRAS was developed in 2007 to provide guidance on environmental activities to reduce non-point source pollution and improve water quality in the Koʻolaupoko area watersheds. "Since the publication of the original KWRAS, there have been numerous changes in the Koʻolaupoko moku that necessitate an update of the plan. We are looking forward to connecting with the Koʻolaupoko communities and relaying their environmental needs through this preliminary report” says Kristen Kāne, HOK Project Director.
 
Meeting dates & regions:
Southern Kāneʻohe (Kāneʻohe Bay Drive through He’eia): Wednesday April 28th, 6pm
Northern Kāneʻohe (ʻĀhuimanu through Kualoa): Thursday April 29th, 6pm
Waimānalo: Wednesday May 26th, 6pm
Kailua: Thursday May 27th, 6pm
 
For more information and to register, visit www.huihawaii.org/wrasupdate.html