Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 2, 1 February 2012 — Kōkua in Kalaupapa [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kōkua in Kalaupapa

By Lisa Asato Agroup of hard-worldng Waimea Valley volunteers and staff spent four labor-intensive days in Kalaupapa, Moloka'i, for an annual service project. The 12 volunteers spent Jan. 9-12 cleaning up plastics and other man-made debris from Hoolehua Beach, working at the nursery repotting plants, making concrete stepping stones, and pruning, weeding and raking, said Kahokule'a Haiku, Volunteer Coordinator at Waimea Valley, whieh is managed by OHA's subsidiary Hi'ipaka LLC. Josephine Hoh, Waimea Valley Botanical Manager, arranged the trip through the National Park Service, whieh manages Kalaupapa as a nahonal historic park. While there, the group also helped to identify native plants and remove invasive plants in culturally sensitive areas around the peninsula, where remnants of Kalaupapa's history could be seen, ranging from ancient heiau to what's left of a circa 19th-century residents' home, whieh bumed down when the area was a settlement for those with leprosy. "Everyone had a really humbling experience," said Haiku, who is also a Waimea Valley hike guide and cultural field educator. The work was nonstop, he said, but very rewarding. "We did a lot of hard work and we definitely eame away with a great teambuilding project. We got even closer as an 'ohana. . . . "And the people from the National Park Service were looking forward to our group this year because last year's group did so well. We were able to keep up our good name there and eonhnue to receive some respect for what we do. With the sheer beauty of Kalaupapa and it's history, it's a very humbling experience to just give a little back and build partnerships between our entity and theirs." ■ To see a video oftheir sen>ice project visit http://bit. ly/xZ9S5C. To read a recent New York Times article on Waimea Valley that is generating a lot of interest, visit http://nyti.ms/rrBFlg.

Waimea Valley staff and volunteers arrive at Kalaupapa for a four-day service project. "Hiking down the 3.2-mile descent, along the edge of the tallest sea cliffs in the world, was a great way to start our trip," said Kahokulehu'a Haiku. Pictured standing, from left, are: David Orr, David Danzeiser, Mike Letzring, Kahokule'a Haiku, Jasmine Joy, Marvin Augustin, Cliff Fa and Lono Logan. Kneeling are Ryan Belcher, Ricky Candelario and Eddie Deuz. Courtesy photo by:Anna Logan, Waimea Valley volunteer