Day 4 - Going up mauka to Wai'anae Kai

Today was a day to get our hands real dirty and help to save our native forests. We also learned a lot about working hard together to get big jobs done -- teamwork!  Here we are looking nice and clean before we got started.

Scott Lynch of the Wai'anae Mountains Watershed Partnership took us on a fun adventure to Wai'anae Kai Forest Reserve. Our task was to help keep the fuel load down (e.g. clearing dry brush and pruning trees) and keep a firebreak clear. Fires, which are not generally a natural occurrence in Hawai`i, often start from the lowlands (by people) and move on up the mountain, taking out native species along the way. Maintaining a fire break helps to protect the upland forests.

With some light hand tools, we were off to work!  It was hot and sticky but that didn't stop  us from getting a lot of work done.

Another challenge they face here is having cattle break through fences and run into the forests. We saw a calf being urged back into the neighboring ranch by our new friend, Mr. Fuller. That was quite a surprise!

As it was pretty hot and we were working hard, we had to take breaks now and then. We really got to appreciate fresh water, which is what the forest watershed protects. It was nice to see folks sharing water.

How do we look in our "after" shots?  Pretty awesome!  Thanks, Scott, for the rewarding day.