Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 2010 — Friends help restore Kalalau Trail [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Friends help restore Kalalau Trail

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A dozen volunteers and workers picked up shovels, picks and hoes on Jan. 1 0 to help restore Kalalau Trail, whieh provides the only land access to Nii Pali Coast State Wilderness Park on Kaua'i. Six volunteers from the Friends of Kalalau Trail joined another crew of six led by Charlie Cobb-Adams of the Native Hawaiian Conservation and Hiking Expeditions. Working about 1 .5 miles in from the trail head at Ke'e Beach, the crew restored paths that had been degraded by erosion, cleared natural drainage sites and set drainage dips. By day's end the group had restored more than 1 ,000 square feet of trail, said Thomas Noyes, project manager with Kaua'i Planning and Action Allianee, or KPAA. The new grading will divert water off the pathway so it stays firm and helps to prevent slipping, he said. The state Parks Division's Kalalau Trail Restoration and Reconstruction Project is funded by the state under a program managed by KPAA and Pono Pacific Land Management LLC. From left are: Charlie Cobb-Adams, Nieolai Barca, April Ordaz, Avery Welkin, Mark Hubbard, Tanya Cobb-Adams flashing a shaka, Pohaku Kapua, Thomas Noyes, Chris Nightingale, Nalu Kapua, Kaimakani Arnold and David Spier. Upcoming volunteer days are: Feb. 20, March 6 and 20, April 3 and 1 7, May 8 and 22, and June 5 and 1 9. Work days start at 8 a.m. at the trail head at Ke'e Beach Park and end around 2 p.m. Tools and equipment are provided. Volunteers will need gloves, working boots, pants are encouraged, water and luneh for the day. For information or to register, email kalalautrail@ponopacific.com or visit ponopacific.com/kalalau/html. Before registering, volunteers must complete a questionnaire (a link is provided on the web site) and return it to Pono Pacific. - Courtesy photo by īhomas tJoyes, KPM