KOKE’E – Donating $300 as a challenge to the business community, Kaua’i Power Partners is spearheading the Second Annual “Bounty-on-a -Weed” Event. The event brings volunteers together to help eradicate invader weeds from native forests in Koke’e State Park. A
KOKE’E – Donating $300 as a challenge to the business community, Kaua’i Power
Partners is spearheading the Second Annual “Bounty-on-a -Weed” Event.
The
event brings volunteers together to help eradicate invader weeds from native
forests in Koke’e State Park.
A 10-cent bounty is placed on each weed
pulled. Local businesses can support their employee volunteers and help the
Koke’e Resource Conservation Program at the same time.
On Saturday, Dec. 4,
concerned citizens and businesses will unite to pull weeds in Koke’e forests.
Volunteer weedbusters will be combing areas of native Koa forest, searching for
and removing privet, a new invasive threat to these heritage ecosystems.
Privet, an introduced shrub, is starting to displace culturally important
Hawaiian plants such as maile and mokihana, but with volunteer help it could be
eradicated.
Businesses are encouraged to be part of this unique
conservation event by offering to meet the 10-cents-a-weed challenge provided
by Kaua’i Power Partners and by encouraging their employees to join in the fun!
For every Privet or other alien species pulled by one of your employees,
he or she will earn 10 cents’ donation from your business for the Koke’e
Resouce Conservation Program, up to a cap of $300 (or any cap you set.)
All
funds generated by this challenge will go to support alien plant control
projects coordinated and supervised by the Koke’e Resource Conservation Program
(KRCP).
The KRCP is a program of Hui o Laka/Koke’e Natural History Museum,
a 501 (c)3 corporation and all donations are fully tax deductible. This is one
of the last chances of this millenium to take advantage of charitable tax
deductions.
Koke’e is an ecologically rich area containing several native
plant communities unique to Hawai’i, and 50 percent of Kaua’i’s rare plants.
The major threat to the survival of these valuable forest ecosystems is
biological displacement by non-native noxious weed species.
Donations will
help preserve the native biodiversity of this region. Volunteers working to
meet this challenge may remove several thousand weeds in one day.
The KRCP
is sponsored by Hui o Laka/Koke’e Natural History Museum and works in
cooperation with Kaua’i State Parks. Major funding is provided by the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service, but financial and volunteer assistance from the
community is needed if we are to be effective in maintaining the pristine
forests around us.
Persons or businesses interested in participating as
donors or volunteers should contact Katie Cassel, Project Coordinator, at
335-0924.
