WE'VE GOT SOME BIG NEWS!
 
Beginning in early February, HOK will begin work to clear the final acre of mangrove remaining on the He'eia Estuary Restoration Project on He'eia State Park property!  

The final acre of mangrove lines the stream and northern portion of the bridge. The removal work is estimated to take four to five weeks and will be immediately followed by out-planting of native species. We welcome volunteers of all ages to be a part of the restoration efforts by joining one of our organized events.

The mangrove trees will be cut by hand (no machinery in the mud flats), the trunks will be removed whole to be used for offsite hale building projects, and the canopy and prop-roots will be cut to ground level and burned in compliance with the Department of Health: Clean Air Branch burn permits and regulations. Native out-planting will begin immediately after the mangrove removal work is completed.  
 
For more information on this project and research supporting the removal of mangrove in Hawaii, please visit our website. If at any time you have questions or concerns please call HOK staff at 808-381-7202.  
 
We are excited to begin the final phases of mass invasive species removal and we look forward to working with the community to help the area return to a native species dominated estuary.
 
Me ke aloha pumehana, 
 the Hui o Ko'olaupoko Staff and Board

As 2018 comes to an end, the Staff and Board of Directors at Hui o Ko'olaupoko want to send a huge aloha and mahalo to every volunteer, grassroots activist, and conservation hui we have had the opportunity of collaborating with and working alongside this year. Without a well rounded community network and support system, the massive projects that nonprofits like ourselves take on would not be possible. 
 
We are so grateful to the 1,270 volunteers who have joined us in the field this year, and to the countless others who have supported HOK in various ways such as Plant Foster Parents, technical assistance, and monetary support- we could not do it without your help! Together we have worked almost 7,500 hours in the field, and we still have one more month to go! 
 
We wish everybody a joyful holiday season and encourage you to give gifts that keep on giving. Whether that means volunteering for a cause that is close to your heart or choosing to make a monetary donation, HOK would be honored to be a part of your holiday giving.  
 
Visit our calendar for a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities or check out our Giving Tree to see how your monetary donation will be put to good use. 

For the past two years, HOK has participated in a special effort to collaboratively improve and track environmental clean-up efforts across the Hawaiian islands. The Hawaii Environmental Clean-up Coalition (HECC) consists of 11 organizations that conduct and promote these clean-ups so that volunteers and community members can easily get more involved, and that data from the efforts can be recorded in a central location.


​HECC's efforts include dozens of beaches, parks, reefs, and urban areas in the main Hawaiian Islands and directly supported coastal restoration projects through community stewardship and activism.

CLICK HERE to check out how much of an impact the cleans-ups have had and to see who might be working in your neighborhood. The HECC would like to extend big mahalo to the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and the Hawai'i Community Foundation for funding this endeavor and to all of the HECC partners and volunteers for all their tireless efforts to keep our island ecosystems thriving!