This year is the tenth annual Nāhelehele Dryland Forest Symposium. It will feature presentations by scientists and conservationists who are working to learn about and preserve Hawaiian dryland forest plants and ecosystems. The Symposium will be held at the Courtyard at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel on Friday, February 26th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration is $65 and includes lunch and parking. Student registration is $35 thanks to sponsorship by Hawai’i Forest Institute. Registration is limited to 200 to preserve the quality of the event for everyone attending and to facilitate networking. There will be two accompanying half-day field trips ($35 each, lunch/pupus provided) to the Ka‘ohe Restoration Area on Thursday, February 25th and to Pālamanui Dry Forest Preserve on Saturday, February 27th. Both field trips will provide the opportunity to do some on-site work to “give back to the forest.”

The dryland forests of Hawai‘i are fragile habitats that are home to many of the rarest plants in the world. Dryland forests were once considered to be the most diverse forest ecosystem on the Hawaiian Islands but today they are extremely deforested and degraded. Only remnant patches of the habitat remain to remind us of the highly diverse community of plants and animals that once dominated the landscape of West Hawai‘i. The Dryland Forest Symposium provides a forum for hearing about recent developments in dryland forest conservation and restoration, and an opportunity to interact with others interested in dryland forest.

Speakers

The theme of this year’s symposium is “Dryland forest conservation – where we’ve been and where we are going.” Ku’ulei Keakealani, a native of the North Kona cultural landscape, will start things off speaking about “Wiliwili, my relation.” She will be followed by keynote speaker Dr. Doug Jacobs, Professor of Forest Biology and Associate Head in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University. Jacobs will talk about “Restoring forests: What constitutes success in the twenty-first century?”

Other speakers this year will include:

• Susan Cordell, USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry – Ten lessons learned about tropical dryland forest conservation
• Tom Gillespie, Professor of Geography at the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability - Measuring, modeling, and restoring dry forest in Hawai’i.
• Art Medeiros, Auwahi Forest Restoration Project – Reflections on a career in dryland forest conservation
• Flint Hughes, USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry – Rapid ohi’a death
• Matt Keir, Laukahi: The Hawai‘i Plant Conservation Network – Conservation gardening for Hawaiian dry forest restoration on O‘ahu
• Mike Donoho, Pūlama Lāna'i – Dryland forest management in a whole-island context
• J. B. Friday, UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources – Future directions for forest restoration in Hawai’i
• Christina Hoffmann, Hawai’i Community College Pālamanui - Education & Dry Forest Stewardship at the new HCC-Palamanui Campus

Poster Session
There will be a poster session in the lobby outside the symposium conference room. Poster displays and other outreach materials about organizations involved in dryland forest conservation and education, as well as posters about research projects or findings, are welcome. There will be a dedicated poster viewing session after lunch, including a dessert and coffee station to enhance your enjoyment! All presenters are required to be at their table during this time. Pre-registration for a poster table is required and must be submitted no later than February 16th. For more information about posters or to sign up for a poster, contact Kathy Frost at kjfrost@hawaii.rr.com or 808-325-6885.

Field Trips
Thursday, February 25
Ka‘ohe Restoration Area, Mauna Kea
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Meet at 8:45 at the Kilohana Hunter Check Station, off Old Saddle Road. (directions will be provided) 4WD transportation will be provided from there to the Ka‘ohe area.

This field trip will visit the Ka‘ohe Restoration Area. The 1,400 acre reserve, enclosed by an ungulate exclosure fence, is located on the west side of Mauna Kea at 5,800’ to 7,000’. Historically, this site supported a rich dry forest of māmane and naio. Native Hawaiians rarely visited high elevation forests, although they may have passed through on their way to adze quarries at higher elevations. Following the arrival of Europeans, centuries of cattle grazing degraded this densely forested area. In 2010, livestock were completely removed. The area is now classified as Palila Critical Habitat. Upper and lower areas still support māmane and naio. ’Ulei and a’ali’i occur in some areas. The understory is dominated by non-native species including kikuyu grass and fireweed, and invasive cape ivy is common. Since the removal of ungulates, natural recruitment of māmane seedlings is occurring throughout the unit.

The Ka‘ohe field trip will be led by Jackson Bauer and Kalā Asing with the Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project (DLNR/DOFAW). Participants will explore the exceptional high-elevation dry forest of Mauna Kea, led by experts who are working to restore this sub-alpine forest ecosystem. They will see and learn about the diverse and specialized flora that make up the forest, the native birds that call it home (including the palila), and also learn about the geology, historical heritage, and history of the area. The methods and successes of restoring this fragile forest habitat will be discussed. There will be some opportunity for bird watching. After lunch (provided by Nahelehele) participants will have the opportunity to assist in restoration work by planting native seedlings. Participants must be able to walk on rocky, uneven terrain and able to hike at high altitude (7,000-ft).

Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to the starting point. Cost of a field trip is $35 and includes lunch. This trip is limited to no more than 25 people, first come first served, so register early! Must register before February 16th, no exceptions. For more information about field trips, contact Kathy Frost at kjfrost@hawaii.rr.com or 808-325-6885.

If the field trip is sold out, please contact Stella Caban at scaban@kohalacenter.org or 808-887-6411 to be put on the waiting list.

Saturday, February 27
Pālamanui Dry Forest Preserve
2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Meet at 2:15 in the parking area at the new Pālamanui Community College. Carpools to the start of the trail will be organized from here. 4WD vehicles NOT required.

Pālamanui Dry Forest Preserve is lowland dry forest on the leeward side of Hualalai Volcano. It is dominated by lama trees, alahe‘e and sandalwood, and includes rare species such as hala pepe. This evergreen dry forest receives fewer than 40 inches of rain each year. It has probably never seen a major disturbance. This area may rank among the most intact lowland dry forest fragments remaining on the Island of Hawai’i .

The Reserve is privately owned and protected as a conservation easement within the larger 725 acre Pālamanui mixed-use residential community. It is located mauka and about one mile north of Kona International Airport. Over the next 30 years, Pālamanui will include about 1,100 new homes. In addition to the 55-acre Dry Forest Preserve, it will include over 200 acres of open space, a 70-acre business park, a 20-acre regional park, and 7 neighborhood parks (35-acres). Adjacent to Pālamanui are approximately 350 acres of state land earmarked for higher education. This is the site of the new Hawai‘i Community College Pālamanui which opened for classes in Fall 2015.

The Pālamanui field trip will be led by Dr. Richard Stevens (Lecturer in Humanities at UH Pālamanui Community College) who spearheads dryland forest restoration at the West Hawaii Veteran’s Cemetery. Dr. Stevens, supported by Pālamanui LLC, has been leading the restoration of ancient trails in the Pālamanui area since 2014. He will be joined by Roger Harris of Pālamanui LLC and Christina Hoffmann, faculty at Hawai‘i Community College – Pālamanui.

The field trip will include a walk down an old mauka-makai trail through the Pālamanui area, and will include archeological features such as caves and petroglyphs. There are some fantastic old lama trees near the trail. Along the way, participants will have a chance to “give back to the forest” by collecting native seeds, hand clearing weeds along the trail, and pulling fountain grass under the lama trees. This trail is not yet open to the general public.

Nāhelehele will provide water for the walk, plus pupus and other libations afterwards at the HCC courtyard. Relax after your hike and enjoy the sunset at the new HCC-Pālamanui. The views of the coast are excellent, the breeze is great, and it’s a chance to see the new campus if you haven’t already.

Participants must be able to walk on rocky, uneven terrain and narrow trail. Wear decent sturdy close-toed shoes/boots for walking through rough terrain, no slippers. You might want to bring your walking stick! Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to the starting point at the parking area at the new Pālamanui Community College. Cost of the field trip is $35 and includes pupus and libations afterwards. This trip is limited to no more than 30 people, first come first served. Must register before February 16th, no exceptions. For more information about field trips, contact Kathy Frost at kjfrost@hawaii.rr.com or 808-325-6885.

If the field trip is sold out, please contact Stella Caban at scaban@kohalacenter.org or 808-887-6411 to be put on the waiting list.

Sponsors
The Nāhelehele Dryland Forest Symposium is a project of Ka‘ahahui ‘o ka Nāhelehele, a non-profit organization dedicated to dry forest advocacy and partnerships. Sponsors of this symposium include Mark and Carol Ann Solien, Hawai‘i Forest Institute, Hawai'i Tourism Authority Kūkulu Ola: Living Hawaiian Culture Program, Kamehameha Schools-Community Engagement and Resources, and the Kohala Center.

Have questions about 2016 Nāhelehele Dryland Forest Symposium? Contact Kathy Frost at 808 325-6885 or kjfrost@hawaii.rr.com or at The Kohala Center at 887-6411.