Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 2, 1 February 2011 — Charter school helps launch lnternational Year of Forests in Hawaiʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Charter school helps launch lnternational Year of Forests in Hawaiʻi

By Lisa Asato

With the United Nations declaring 2011 the first ever International Year of Forests, Hālau Kū Māna charter school helped kiek off the state's participation with a celebration at its mountainside campus, where students performed oli, hula and offered items to be part of an exhibit that will travel to New York City and Washington, D.C. William Ailā, the Interim Director for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said to the group: "Today we ean only represent Hawai'i, but (there is a) unique set of challenges faced by all island states and territories in the Paeille. Although this Hawaiian launeh of the International

Year of Forests is a relatively small gathering on one island, we have a wonderful opportunity to make a large impact and raise awareness about these unique challenges to our nation and to the world." The International Year of Forests aims to "raise awareness of importance of forests in all of our daily lives whether it be elean water, a healthy climate or even the economy, forests products play a major role," Cindy McArthur, U.S. Forest Service National Partnership Coordinator, said before the event. The forest service has encouraged communities and states to participate in any way they ean, including holding events or through policymaking. This year's forest declaration follows previous U.N. declarations, including the International Year of the

Reef in 2008 and the International year of Biodiversity in 2010. As a group of students prepared for a hula on stage, kumu Kawika Mersberg described the forest as a plaee rich in items significant to ancient Hawaiians, such as medieine, food and wood for canoes. Hālau Kū Māna seventh grader Lennon Helekahi described the belief of the island being a eanoe and the eanoe being an island, whieh he learned about in class. "We discovered two meanings - the first meaning is the eanoe comes from the island and the forest; the second meaning is that, like a eanoe, an island has limited resources so we need to mālama and take care of them." To Hawai'i's forest box, whieh will be part of the traveling exhibit, Helekahi's class contributed a slide show of all the wa'a they learned about this quarter, including the double-hulled voyaging eanoe Hōkūle'a. Tenth grader Maluhia Moses thanked the state, federal and other partners "for giving us the opportunity to share what Hālau Kū Māna has taught us and to put it in a box and to share it around the world." Hawai'i's forest box was made

of koa and milo and donated by Kaua'i woodworker Robin Clark. It was filled with forest-related books, brochures on state forestry programs, information on The Nature Conservancy, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and others, the DVD Maoli No: Truly Native, note cards featuring native plants and mueh more. The U.N. launched the International Year of the Forest Jan. 24 at Lineoln Center in New York, with about 168 nations participating. Hawai'i's box was submitted for exhibit there and in Washington, D.C. For information on the writing contest or conference, visit http:// hawaiiconservation.org. ■

2011 events embrace forest theme

MY HAWAI'I ST0RY The 2011 My Hawai'i Story Project writing contest is asking Hawai'i sixth- to eighth-graders to share their thoughts about our forests through poems, essays or stories answering questions such as: why are the forests of Hawai'i special to you? And, why is it important to protect them? The winning entries will be published in an anthology. Deadline for online submissions is 5 p.m. March 11. Mailed submissions must be postmarked by March 11 to: My Hawai'i, Hawai'i Conservation Allianee Foundation, 677 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 320, Honolulu, HI 96813. HAWAI'I C0NSERVATI0N CONFERENCE The theme of the 2011 Hawai'i Conservation Conference is lsland Ecosystems: The Year of the Forest. Organizers are seeking proposals and abstracts on various themes (not limited to forest conservation) for the 19th annual conference, Aug. 2-4 at the Hawai'i Convention Center in Honolulu.

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ĀINA LAND AND WATER

Hālau Kū Māna charter school hosted the Hawai'i kiek off of the 201 1 lnternational Year of Forests on Jan. 1 2. Pictured kneeling is Lennon Helekahi, with, from far left, Cindy McArthur of the U.S. Forest Service, school Executive Director Patti Cronin, students Kaimalino Bobiles, Hiwa Sylva, Pineki Sylva (partially blocked), Kaleo Lindsey, holding Hawai'i's forest box, lnterim Director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources William Ailā, kumu Kawika Mersberg, Paul Conry of the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and Principal Mahina Duarte. - Photo: LisaAsato