On a sunny day in October, twelve strangers met in the parking lot of the Big Island’s Fish & Wildlife Service Commission office (FWSC) in Hilo. I went to accomplish a mission for the FWSC. I assumed the others scheduled to join me had similar goals.
After brief introduction, we loaded our gears into the three SUVs. With an overview of our assignment and a chance to familiarize ourselves with the FWSC’s map, we were sent away to begin our four days project. Our rewards? Breathtaking scenery and a sense of pride and accomplishment for our efforts.
The first forty-five miles of the journey on a paved road went smoothly. Soon enough, however, we turned onto a country road so rocky that we had to tighten our seatbelts and hold on. We supposedly drove only thirty miles (who could say? Our brains were scrambled by then!). The 33,000-acre refuge of the FWSC is situated on the eastern slope of the snowcapped Mauna Kea Mountain; the amazing scenic refuge reminds me of my parent’s summer home in the country back in Persia.
Our welcoming committee included a pair of Nene’s and their eight offspring. In the midst of wilderness, our accommodations-a beautiful, three-bedroom, solar powered cabin with fourteen bunk beds, a kitchen, and bathroom.
We spent the afternoon of our first day working in the greenhouse. Early the next morning, we packed our lunches, along with fifteen hundred Koa & O’hia tree seedlings, into the SUV’s. If you think the road to the center was rough it was nothing compared to the pummeling we felt in every part of our bodies on this forty-five minute ride to our work location for the day. We started in teams of two, one with the tree seedlings and the other with a hole-digging device. The endless rows had been somewhat prepared by a tractor, but the ground remained hard, grassy and uneven. And the process was: dig the hole, place the seedling in it, cover the hole. Hope for the best. Repeat.The next day promised the same drill, but we rose on time in great spirits and got to work. We planted 2,030 tree seedlings in two days!
On the fourth day, we tackled evasive Plants, which are designed to suck the life from the native trees. After driving two hours and unloading gear, we started walking, rolling, and pulling ourselves through waist-high green grass. Locating the evasive plants was easy, but finding their roots was tricky. It took a team of three to four people to get to the root and nip it out. We were happy to be saving trees and at the same time sorry to be killing plants that produced such delicious yellow fruit.
On the fifth day, we went birding. We had the privilege of seeing honeycreepers, Iiwi, Apapane, and Amakini.The scenery was rewarding, but no more so than the mission.
There is nothing like having a common goal and a desire to do well to bring people together. The twelve of us endured some challenging conditions, learned to work together efficiently, and enjoyed some beautiful scenery in our week of work.
We came together as strangers, and said good-bye as friends in the parking lot back in Hilo.
Join us in Alaska next year, dmerat@skywaterconsulting.com.
Dean
Hakalau Forest NWR's goal is to promote the recovery of endangered forest birds and their habitat. Current efforts are focused on removing wild pigs and cattle, controlling weeds, and planting trees to restore native habitat. Plant and animal populations are monitored to determine their health and to measure their response to management actions.
