Kauai CWPP Update Signing

From left to right: Chief Robert Westerman, KFD, Pat Porter, DOFAW, Elton Ushio, KEMA, Elizabeth Pickett, HWMO

HWMO, Kauai Fire Department, Kauai Emergency Management Agency, and Division of Forestry and Wildlife gathered on December 23 to sign the Kauai Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) update. Now only DOFAW signatures are left before five new CWPPs in Hawaii are official! Big mahalo to all who have shared input for these plans that will open the floodgates for wildfire protection federal funding opportunities.

 

Method to the Madness Podcast - HWMO Interview

HWMO Community Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler (left) and Method to the Madness host, Niklas Lollo

On December 23, just before the holiday season was in full swing, HWMO's Community Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler visited his alma mater, University of California, Berkeley, and was interviewed by Niklas Lollo, a current graduate student and co-host of the Method to the Madness podcast. The show, which airs regularly on KALX 90.7FM (staffed by students and community volunteers), celebrates "the innovative spirit of the Bay Area." Each episode, they "explore the people behind the ideas, what makes them tick, and why so many of them have come out of" the beautiful Bay Area.

Pablo Beimler was interviewed about various topics including the work HWMO does in the Pacific and his past experiences in the fire world.

During the interview, Pablo talked story about how HWMO came to existence and the innovative work our organization is doing to safeguard communities and natural areas in Hawaii. Topics ranged from the differences between wildfire behavior on the islands and on the mainland, Firewise Communities, the Pacific Fire Exchange, and what to expect in the coming years for wildfire management in Hawaii. Tune in and you'll also hear about some of Pablo's past experiences working in the Stephens Fire Science Lab at UC Berkeley and Lake Tahoe for CAL FIRE.


Big mahalo to Niklas Lollo and the folks over at KALX for dedicating a half hour of their air time and inviting us to be on the show!


 

Waikoloa Firewise Forum

Elizabeth Pickett, HWMO, gives background on community-wide wildfire hazards in Waikoloa.

Getting a community engaged in Firewise actions in December, especially on rainy days, can certainly be a challenge. Yet, Waikoloa Village Fire Management Action Committee was up for the challenge and took it head on by holding a Firewise Forum on December 8 at the Waikoloa Village conference room. As a joint forum with HWMO, together they kept participants up-to-date about the Firewise Communities efforts that had been accomplished in 2016. HWMO’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Pickett, gave a presentation on the community-wide wildfire hazards that Waikoloa Village has and continues to face. Community Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler, presented on the common wildfire hazards within close proximity of homes and solutions for addressing those hazards (i.e. defensible space practices and hardening of the home). HWMO handed out Ready, Set, Go! Wildland Fire Action Guides to each of the participants to follow along with the presentation. 

Upon completion of the forum (Firewise Day), Waikoloa Village had officially checked off each of the requirements for Firewise Community certification. As of 2016, the village will be the largest Firewise Community in the state (and one of seven new communities this year)! What a year!

Puako Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

HWMO, HFD, and Puako Firewise Committee teamed up to conduct a hazard assessment on December 2.

On December 2, Puako Firewise Committee checked another major box off the list to become a Firewise Community as of 2016 (neighboring Waialea is also on pace for certification this year). Committee members, along with HWMO and Hawaii Fire Department, caravanned through the subdivision to note common wildfire hazards and good Firewise practices already being implemented.

Although the community has taken major steps towards wildfire protection by creating a large fuelbreak on the mauka side of the subdivision, homes are still at-risk of wildfires, especially from lofted embers. There is still much work that should be done directly behind homes on the mauka side — the Puako Firewise Committee is ready to take on this challenge as one of their next steps for the coming year. For now, the committee is bracing for a Firewise Community certification that has been a long time coming for them. 

Puako Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 12/2/16

Launiupoko Firewise Day 2016

Launiupoko Firewise Committee members gathered together to put together wildfire preparedness mailers for over 350 residents.

Launiupoko in Western Maui is well on their way to Firewise Community certification as of 2016, making them one of the first to be certified on the island (Waiohuli and Kahikinui are also in the mix). To fulfill their “Firewise Day” requirement for the year, the Launiupoko Firewise Committee gathered at a home to put together mailer packets with wildfire preparedness information, including Hawaii Ready, Set, Go! Wildfire Action Guides, for over 350 residents. The committee members than handed off the packets to the local association management, who then mailed them off to all residents in Launiupoko. 

The handoff: giving the mailer packets to the association staff to send out to residents.

We are so proud of the work Launiupoko has done to truly take matters into their own hands and already address wildfire concerns that were identified during a community hazard assessment earlier in the year. Keep up the good work, Launiupoko! Mahalo to West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership for their invaluable help this year with the certification process, as well. 

Launiupoko Firewise Day Outreach Mail-Out 11/30/16

Kahikinui Ready, Set, Go! Workshop and Firewise Hazard Assessment

Assessment team poses in front of a local example of xeriscaping using Firewise principles and native/adapted plants.

Kahikinui continued its incredible year of wildfire protection efforts on November 6, 2016. The homestead on the southern slopes of Haleakala on Maui is a small, but very active community that is on pace to become one of the first Firewise Communities on the island (and one of the first Hawaiian homesteads in the state). As one of the requirements, HWMO, Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership, and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands conducted a wildfire hazard assessment with Kahikinui Firewise Committee members. Together, they drove around the bumpy 4-WD roads of the community to take note of common wildfire hazards and good Firewise practices already being implemented. The greatest concerns were the high fuel loads on the highway, between homes, and in the surrounding wildland areas. Lack of water resources and firefighting access and ingress/egress were also noticeable concerns.

Assessment team walks the perimeter of a Firewise home within the community.

The Kahikinui Firewise Committee is already planning and working on multiple projects to address these concerns. With a contribution from Sempra Auwahi Wind, they will replace their front gate and remove flammable vegetation at the entrance of the community in December. The proactive committee is a great model for other communities at-risk of wildfires — even with the numerous challenges they face, they have persisted to take small, but important, steps to reduce wildfire hazards to protect their beloved home.

Kahikinui Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 11/6/16

Kailapa Firewise Community Hazard Assessment

Kailapa is a Hawaiian homestead in Kawaihae on over 10,000 acres from the shoreline to the base of Kohala Mountain. Homes there, first built in the late 1980s, are surrounded by very flammable grasslands that have experienced numerous fires over the years. Winds are a major factor in the extreme wildfire behavior that can occur in the area. The most recent threat occurred starting on August 8, 2015. The most recent threat occurred starting on August 8, 2015. A 4,5000-acre wildfire burned across Kawaihae, directly impacting local communities, businesses, and cultural sites in the area. Roads were closed and evacuations were ordered by Civil Defense for Kawaihae. Nearly 90% of the native plants at Puu Kohola were destroyed and large piles of timber from a eucalyptus harvest project in Hamakua were ablaze. The fire burned towards Kailapa, but firefighters were able to stop it a few gulches away. A week later, a large rainfall event washed unprecedented amounts of sediment and debris down the watersheds and out into the ocean, smothering neighboring coral reefs. Local residents recount that the floods were the worst in recent memory. HWMO produced a video documenting the events.

Assessment team looks out at the neighboring wildland areas that have burned numerous times.

The wildfire concerns in Kailapa have spurred the community to action. Since the beginning of 2016, a group of Kailapa residents have been working with HWMO to protect their community from wildfire by becoming a nationally-recognized Firewise Community. As one of the requirements, HWMO and Hawaii Fire Department conducted a community wildfire hazard assessment with Kailapa residents on November 3. Together, the assessment team caravanned throughout the community to note and photograph common wildfire hazards, as well as good Firewise practices already being implemented. The greatest concerns were the lack of water resources, ingress/egress, and fuels management between homes and in the surrounding wildland areas.

Living fuelbreak that was created in the spring of 2016 using U.S. Forest Service WUI grant funding through HWMO.

In the spring of 2016, Kailapa, with the facilitation of U.S. Forest Service WUI funds from HWMO, created a living fuelbreak on a slope on Kona side of the subdivision. The community would like to continue and expand project such as these throughout the subdivision to better protect homes from the dangers of wildfire in Kawaihae.

Kailapa is on pace to become the first Hawaiian homestead on Hawaii Island to be a certified Firewise Community. Great work Kailapa!

Kailapa Firewise Community Hazard Assessment 11/3/16

Society for Range Management Fall Meeting and Field Tour

The paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy/girl) culture has thrived in Hawaii for more than a century. With each passing year, greater knowledge of best management practices are used and shared to ensure ranching is done in a sustainable manner. Since HWMO’s inception, our organization has worked closely with various large and small ranches in Hawaii to assist them with fuels management expertise and funding for pre-suppression tools (helicopter dip tanks, lines to draw water closer to communities/sensitive natural areas). Our very own board president, Mark Thorne, Ph.D., is the grazing extension specialist for University of Hawaii College of Tropical and Human Resources (UH CTAHR). 

Dr. Clay Trauernicht talks wildfire and its relationship to climate change in the Pacific.

Pablo Beimler shares about HWMO's efforts to alleviate the socioeconomic issues of wildfire in Hawaii.

Morning rainbow to kick off the field tour of Kapapala Ranch.

On October 27-28, Mr. Thorne and other Hawaii rangeland specialists hosted a Fall Meeting and Technical Tour in Volcano for the Society for Range Management, a “professional scientific society and conservation organization whose members are concerned with studying, conserving, managing and sustaining the varied resources of the rangelands which comprise nearly half the land in the world.” Several presentations covered topics ranging from livestock as a fuels management tool, invasive species effects on island plant communities, and climate/socioeconomic relationships with fire. Dr. Clay Trauernicht spoke on behalf of the Pacific Fire Exchange and UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension to showcase his new research on climate change’s effects on fires in the Pacific. HWMO’s very own Community Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler, shed light on the socioeconomic issues of wildfire in Hawaii and what HWMO is doing to alleviate them. 

On the second day, Kapapala Ranch, a large ranch in Volcano, hosted a field tour through their beautiful pastures and native forests. Aside from morning rainbows, views of Kilauea crater, and clear skies, there was much to ponder and discuss in regards to proper range management in the unique climatic/topographical region that Kapapala Ranch is located in. Water storage and fire were just some of the many topics where lessons learned were shared across the regions. On the way out, a flat tire from old fencing on a dirt road made for a comical situation in which several participants, including Mr. Thorne, labored to remove the fencing remnants with all of their might as others cheered on. Just another day out in the field. 

Future rangeland managers?

The general theme that kept emerging during the event: conservation and rangeland management can and must coexist if we are to solve our growing environmental issues across the islands (and around the world). 

The event was dedicated to the life of Matt Stevenson, a beloved range professional we lost in 2016. His contributions to the field were tremendous. He will be missed.

Society for Range Management Presentations and Field Tour of Kapapala Ranch 10/27-10/28/16

Aina-Based Education Systems Mapping Workshop

Posting and discussing input on challenges and opportunities of ʻaina-based education in Hawaii.

Across Hawaii, more and more emphasis is moving towards ʻāina-based education (environmental education, learning systems rooted in the land, etc.). However, there are many challenges that ʻāina-based educators face (as well as opportunities for these alternative education systems to blossom).

On October 26 in Waimea, Hauʻoli Mau Loa Foundation invited several groups working in the ʻāina-based education world on the Big Island to provide a workshop space to better understand those challenges and opportunities. Pablo Beimler represented HWMO at the meeting and gave his input coming from the wildfire education perspective. The participants shared their experiences with one another through a novel input collection process that will be presented as a “systems map” in 2017. 

Aina-Based Education Systems Mapping Workshop

PIFC Field Tour in Waikoloa

Native wiliwili tree at the Waikoloa Dry Forest Preserve.

Hawaii’s forests are some of the most novel ecosystems in the world. A blend of native, many endemic or restricted to a certain area, and non-native plants from around the world make for complex systems and thus complex challenges. Over 97% of Hawaii’s dryland native forests have disappeared over the years, much in part due to wildfires. Scientists, foresters, non-profit organizations, community members, and others across Hawaii have made it their careers and live’s work to protect and restore the native forests that are so dear to our islands’ residents and visitors. 

The Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WLFC) “is a partnership between Western state and USDA Forest Service leaders working toward the sustainable management of Western forests.” The Pacific Islands Forestry Committee (PIFC), a group that is part of the larger WFLC network, held a field tour on Hawaii Island on October 25 to visit various forest restoration sites and community projects. HWMO’s Pablo Beimler joined the field tour in the afternoon when the group visited the Waikoloa Dry Forest Preserve. The beautiful native forest preserve is a project of the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, a long-time partner of HWMO. Ms. Bev Brand, a founder of the project and member of the Waikoloa Fire Management Action Committee, led the group of foresters from Hawaii, Guam, California, and other parts of the Western U.S. and Pacific through the growing forest. The topic of wildfire was brought up many times — fire is one of the greatest concerns to the preserve. In the last few years, HWMO has partnered with WDFI to create and maintain fuelbreaks to protect the rare and endangered plants of Waikoloa. 

Mark Gordon talks to field tour participants on behalf of Waikoloa Fire Management Action Committee.

Following the dry forest preserve site visit, the group caravanned to the northeastern edge of Waikoloa Village. With a view of the vast fire fuels of South Kohala that run to the edge of homes and the community fuelbreak installed with HWMO’s assistance over a decade ago, Pablo told the history of fire management in the area. The winds blew at high speeds that day, which added not only drama, but a good teaching moment: winds are the driving factor of large wildfires in South Kohala. Pablo then passed the reigns over to Mr. Mark Gordon, HWMO Fundraising Committee member and chair of the Waikoloa Village Fire Management Action Team. Mark shared about Waikoloa’s recent efforts toward Firewise Community Recognition — as of 2016, Waikoloa Village could very well become the largest Firewise Community in the state!

Mahalo to Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife and Pacific Islands Forestry for inviting us to share on the field tour!

Pacific Islands Forestry Committee Field Tour of Waikoloa 10/25/16