Hawaii Youth Conservation Cops

HYCC OAHU TEAM A
Kirjotin päiväkirjaa osana HYCC-ohjelmaa, joten tama postaus on englanniksi. 

Week One - Team Training

I signed into a HYCC conservation program before the summer which started with a Team Training at Camp Paumalu on Oahu's north shore. This week was definitely my favorite, because I had the chance to get to know and have fun with my new team.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2011

Week Two - Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi

Our team worked in both a dry forest restoration project at NaPohaku o Hauwahine and a wetland pond demonstration project at the Ulupo Heiau State Historic Site.The whole team worked together to build a log walk along the marsh( from MUD), while also expanding the marsh by clearing mud and alien plants. With the help of site manager Chuck (Doc) Burrows, members learned about conservation in these Hawaiian wetlands, along with the endemic and native species found there. Personally this week was very hard for me, because working in the mud is not the most exciting thing to do...

Week Three - Papahana Kuaola

This week Team Periwinkle-Blue-Awesome-Rockstars-Yeahhh-Boy! had an nice time camping with the Papahana crew. I helped plant Kalo in the Lo'i, plant native species along the Waipo river bank, collected stones for the soon-to-be He'ieau(an area for ancient practices and traditions), cleared invasive trees and weeds, and learned how to use a Hawaiian sling (well everybody except for our team leader Nate! hehe). I'm happy for the time spend camping and helping with the Waipo Stream Restoration Project. This week was definitely more versatile, and I enjoy that.

SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2011

Week Four - Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi, The Nature Conservancy

Although I may be sick and tired of tabis after this week, I had a barable time working with Kako'o 'Oiwi and at the rest of the Coastal Wetland sites. This week was all about the Lo'i(mud, mud, mud and mud some more). We weeded around the Kalo, replenished the mud mounds around the Kalo, and continued to expand a Lo'i with shovels and rakes. The other work-site employees taught us a great deal about the history of the site and He'iea, as well as the invasive species that pose threats to the task of re-creating the valley filled with Kalo.

Kalo plant growing in watery mud.

Week Five - Oahu Army Natural Resource Program

From Monday to Thursday we worked alongside the Orange Team from the Oahu Army Natural Resource Program (OANRP). We had a great time repairing fences to prevent pigs from destroying native plants, spraying herbicide on invasive species, clipping/sawing down invasive species, monitoring native plants, weeding invasive plants, and hiking constantly up and down Makaha Valley and 3 Points. Then on Friday we hiked up Palehua Trail, and proceeded to another nearby trail, where we worked on trail maintenance. This included raking, clipping, and sawing invasive plants that were on the pathway. This week was the first truely enjoyable week spend with conservation. I got to go to places where people generally do not have access to and learn about the environment. I think I can name more plants in Hawaii than in Finland.

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2011

It may be the last week but with all that was gained a new beginning awaits

Well the past week we all had the best time with the Oahu Army Natural Resource orange team. Knowledge about natives, non-natives, the Hawaiian culture, and every day life was passed down to the oahu team A. From my point of view this has been the most memorable experience in the HYCC program that Ive been through. Laughs and stories were shared and relationships grew. It was a great challenge remembering all the names of plants , mostly the latin but as a team we all worked together and wabam we all remembered most of what we learned! Its really crazy how we as a team became so close, we play pranks on each other - of course rated G ones- and it seems like our laughs are contagious because once someone starts its so hard to stop. Our camping trips WHOAA let me tell you are the funnest most awesomeness ones ever! at Papahana we decided to put the tables together and play card games after dinner , I bet everyone has a nice pair of not only 6 packs but 8 packs of abs after all the laughter we had. Truth is im very sad this is the last week but what I have gained, what I have learned, what I now see created memories that not even Alzheimer's can take away. I came here wanting to learn, wanting to see the true beauty of Hawaii but learned more about my patience and the true magic of Hawaii's culture and people. My team is filled with genuine people and even though we can all be GRUMPY (PAPA NATE!!!) we all know how to put a smile on each others faces. We seriously have the randomest conversations ever , but what can I say it makes time go by so quickly... Taking with me ffrom this experiance is to learn to fill my heart with joy and positive attitude in situations where everything is hard! This summer was filled with learning, experiences, and friendship along the hard field work with ...HYCC 2011 !!

Mahalo! Nate, Janine, Gered, Makean, Joshua, Tyler, Tabatha, Shanon, and Hayley <3