Youth Prevent Wildfire Bookmark Contest 2018

Participants of the Hawaii Wildfire Summit voted on their favorite bookmarks based on three categories.

As part of a way to celebrate the upcoming Hawaii Wildfire Summit and Wildfire Preparedness Day, HWMO met with middle school students from several schools and youth programs and had them participate in a youth "Prevent Wildfire" bookmark contest. Students represented Kamaile Academy, Kohala Middle and High School, Waikoloa Middle School, and the Malama Kai Foundation Ocean Warriors program. The artwork they produced conveyed several messages that they could choose from:

"Prevent wildfires to protect our ocean"
"Prevent wildfires to protect our forests"
"Prevent wildfires to protect our communities"

Students from Kamaile Academy in Waianae created their bookmarks during an HWMO school visit earlier in 2018.

Ocean Warriors hard at work designing their creative prevent wildfire bookmarks.

23 of the bookmark entries were selected by the HWMO staff to be voted on at the Hawaii Wildfire Summit on May 2 and 3. 

We are excited to announce the winners of the contest as determined by the many participants who took the time and thought to cast their ballots at the summit. 

 

Congratulations to our winners and mahalo to all of the youth participants in this year's art contest. Special thanks to Jameil Saez, STEM teacher at Kamaile Academy, and Elizabeth Pickett of the Malama Kai Foundation Ocean Warriors program.

Wiliwili Festival 2018

HWMO having a blast with Ocean Warriors students while teaching wildfire preparedness lessons through the ReadySetGo! program.

A brushfire quickly grew into a large one during the Wiliwili Festival, most likely started by a lightning strike from several days ago.

This year's Wiliwili Festival was an eventful one (as it always is!) The festival, put on by our friends from Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, hosted hundreds of residents and visitors who wanted to learn more about how to conserve the precious dry forests of Hawaii. HWMO set up an informational and activities booth. A group of Malama Kai Ocean Warriors students stopped by to join us for outreach help, while learning the ins and outs of the ReadySetGo! program. They also spent time creating beautiful works of art as part of a statewide wildfire prevention bookmark contest. Our booth was set-up in the workshop tent, so we also witnessed a number of great presenters from different organizations. Waikoloa Fire Management Action Committee's Wayne Awai presented on the village's Firewise efforts and successes. 

Ironically, during all of this wildfire outreach, a wildfire broke out only a few miles mauka of the event. The fire grew quickly, unfortunately burning through ohia forest. We must do everything we can to protect our precious native dry forests from the growing wildfire threat. Help do your part by learning how you can prevent fire: http://www.hawaiiwildfire.org/lookout

Ocean Warriors Wildfire Lessons and Activities at Spencer Beach

Ocean Warriors learning about Rapid ʻOhia Death and how they can prevent the spread.

Learning the fire cycle is key to understanding the bigger picture of how wildfire changes our landscapes. When a wildfire burns a native forest in Hawaiʻi, the forest does not fully recover. Instead, invasive grasses, shrubs, and trees take over and crowd out native species. These invasive plants tend to be wildfire hazards and actually encourage fire to help them reproduce. The next human-caused fire will burn these plants and burn further into the forest. And thus, the cycle continues.

Ocean Warrior scanning area for clues to previous fires, including charred tree stumps.

HWMO demonstrated this concept through a fun, interactive game with the Malama Kai Ocean Warriors program run by HWMO’s very own Elizabeth Pickett. The youth stewardship program linked with us on June 13 as a group of middle schoolers from Kohala met with us at Spencer Beach in Kawaihae. By playing a game of “fire tag,” similar to “red rover,” the students acted out how the fire cycle impacts our natural resources. After playing the game, we took the students on a short walk along the Ala Kahakai Trail towards Mauʻumae Beach. This stretch of trail had burned numerous times in recent years, with less and less native plants to burn each time. We encouraged the students to look for clues that indicate that fires had burned the coastline. In the end, the students were able to look at a familiar area with a different set of lenses, or what we like to call “fire goggles.”

Hawaiʻi Environmental Education Symposium 2017

Elizabeth Pickett shares lessons learned from the youth stewardship program she runs called Ocean Warriors.

Much of what HWMO does falls under the category of “environmental education.” Talking about wildfire prevention requires making the connection that our built environment is intertwined with the natural world. From June 8 through 10, the Hawaiʻi Environmental Education Alliance hosted a symposium for it’s sixth year to gather environmental educators from across the state. HWMO attended the symposium, which was held at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Kilauea Military Camp, on June 9. The theme this year was climate change, a topic that has numerous intersections with wildfires in Hawaiʻi. 

The day began with a sobering, yet very informative talk from Dr. Chip Fletcher, a scientist from UH Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. His talk gave insight on a multitude of factual examples of how climate change has already taken Hawaiʻi by storm, no pun intended. Of those many examples, increased drought and shifts in vegetative cover were highlighted, conditions that will continue to increase wildfire risk statewide. Throughout the rest of the day, various educators shared examples of how they had used climate change as a framework to teach valuable lessons about the environment. Elizabeth Pickett, HWMO’s Executive Director, is not only a wildfire educator, but she is also youth environmental stewardship educator through the Malama Kai Foundation Ocean Warrior’s program. Elizabeth gave a presentation about the program and shared lessons learned on how to best encourage youth to become environmental leaders in their community.

HWMO’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler, also gave a presentation on behalf of Hawaii Wildfire. His presentation highlighted various youth products that HWMO has produced for educators including our very own K-8th grade curriculum, kNOw Fire. Several educators from across the state were on hand for the presentation, some of whom enthusiastically expressed that they were willing to integrate the curriculum into their own work. 

Waikoloa Back-to-School Bash 2015

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Dressing up in wildland fire gear and posing in front of Kaleo the Pueo (and cotton candy enthusiasts!)

This summer went by fast! It was only yesterday when we were participating in end-of-the-school-year events. On Saturday, July 25, we traveled down to Waikoloa School for this year's Back-To-School Bash. Hundreds of keiki and their ʻohana joined the festivities, gathering free books from Friends of the Library, climbing a 30-foot rock wall, indulging in cotton candy, and more. The fun didn't stop there, many visitors stopped by our booth to learn about Firewise native plants and to dress up like wildland firefighters. Each kid that dressed-up in the gear took home a Polaroid photo of them, complements of HWMO (along with Kaleo the Pueo stickers and Smokey the Bear giveaways). We even got to catch-up with our Ocean Warriors students who helped us put on the Kaleo the Pueo play back in April.

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Looks like the Polaroid camera is on us now!

Waikoloa Middle School Earth Day - Classroom Wildfire Lessons

Everyday is Earth Day for HWMO - the work we do everyday has a positive impact on the ʻaina. We had the special privilege on Earth Day (and the day after) to give hour-long lessons to a series of 5 sixth- and seventh-grade classes at Waikoloa Middle School. "Lesson" is a bit of a dry way to put it, however. Pablo Beimler, Education & Outreach Coordinator, started with a presentation with plenty of photos and Kaleo the Pueo pictures to help build an understanding of the wildfire issue in Hawaii. Within each class, we had a few Ocean Warriors students who were experts on the subject already (especially those who put on the Kaleo the Pueo Finds His Voice play at the OW Showcase on April 4th) and could help explain to the other students some of the wildfire impacts and solutions.

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Tom Loomis (left) asks judges to make their final decision.

The second half of each lesson was led by Tom Loomis, our Garden Manager and an incredible teacher. Mr. Loomis first had students (and teachers) rise for "fire stretches", demonstrating how a "ladder fuel" works. Then, he called on volunteers to come join him "on stage" for a Firewise Plant Game Show. For each class, one student was chosen to be the "Vanna White" of the show, carrying around a potted plant to each classmate to let them get a good feel for the plant before deciding whether the plant would go into a Firewise garden. They would then shout out whether they believed the plant was a "happy face," "neutral face," or "sad face." The judges "on stage" would then have to come to a consensus and reveal their answers. If they couldnʻt, it was back to the drawing board for them. 

We showed them a variety of plants including "happy face" plants like ʻaʻaliʻi, koa, and ʻilima oʻahu; "neutral face" plants like dill and ʻawa; and "sad face" plants like eucalyptus, pepper trees, and pili grass.

After an hour lesson, the students became expert Firewise landscapers!

Created with flickr slideshow.

Ocean Warriors Showcase and Kaleo the Pueo Skit

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Kaleo the Pueo (right) finds out about Humuhumunukunukuapuaa's struggles with coral reef pollution due to wildfire runoff.

On April 4th, Hawaii Wildfire linked up with Malama Kai Foundation's Ocean Warriors (http://www.malama-kai.org/ocean-warriors.html) for a unique event at Parker School Theater in Waimea. The Ocean Warriors program, an experiential youth program for local middle school students that engages them in "coastal stewardship and protection," put on a showcase to demonstrate all they had learned about climate change and its causes, impacts, and solutions.

The showcase, with the theme of "It's All Connected; We're All Connected," featured performances by the Waikoloa and Kohala Middle School students. The event began with the dozens of performers getting up on stage and singing a heartfelt song written by Elizabeth Pickett about the Big Island's beautiful landmarks, concluding with the words: "Malama Ka ʻAina I Ke Ka." Students than gave presentations and sang additional songs to paint the picture of the climate change issues we all face as a local and global community. In between these performances, local poets Josh Horan and Pablo Beimler shared their slam poetry about a Poetry Tree and Hokupaʻa, respectively. They handed off the mic to some of the students who performed their own haiku poems that they wrote during a service project day in Oʻahu (with their beautiful artwork featured on the screen behind them.)

During the last part of the showcase, representatives from local community organizations gave background to the audience about their programs and upcoming volunteer opportunities. The organizations that presented were: South Kohala Coastal Partnership, Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, Mālaʻai Garden, and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization.

HWMO's Pablo Beimler helped write and direct a skit for the Ocean Warriors students that they performed to round out the showcase. The skit featured Kaleo the Pueo and his friends as a way to release Kaleo to the public in a creative fashion. The kids dressed up in great costumes and did an amazing job performing "Kaleo the Pueo Finds His Voice." 

We had such an amazing time rehearsing with the students and teaching them about wildfire impacts and solutions this past year. In the end, the students were the ones who taught their parents and communities about the lessons they had learned. We take comfort in knowing these students will be leading the charge in the very near future!

Ocean Warriors Kohala - Fire Lesson at the Firewise Garden

On January 24th, we partnered once again with the Ocean Warriors after-school program, part of the Malama Kai Foundation, to further familiarize students with wildfire issues in Hawaii and what the community can do about them. The Ocean Warriors program is an experiential youth program for local middle school students that engages them in "coastal stewardship and protection." Saturday's group of students, who traveled from North Kohala, joined us at the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park for a morning of fun and learning. We introduced the students, who we had already taught about wildfire issues in Hawaii, to the concepts of creating defensible space and hardening the home by walking them through the Ready, Set, Go! Action Guides we helped developed for Hawaii. However, leafing through a booklet was only a small portion of the learning experience. We wanted to fully ingrain the students in the concepts of Ready, Set, Go!, so we took the students on a scavenger hunt of the native plant garden. The students had to interview native plants, check out the demo home structure to learn how to fire-proof a home, and find a strange coconut hanging on one of the non-native pepper trees. Following the scavenger hunt, we engaged the students in some community action by taking them to the highest risk area of Waikoloa Village and handing out flyers to the residents about the upcoming CWPP community meeting in Waikoloa and the Wildfire Preparedness Team meeting on February 4th at 6 P.M. at the Waikoloa Community Room. The students had a blast running door-to-door - we hit about 100+ houses in an hour! We were so lucky to be working with such outstanding young citizens.

In April, we will be collaborating with the program for their end-of-the-year showcase where the students will present, in a creative fashion, what they have learned this year (including about wildfire) to the community. Stay tuned for information on the exact date and time of the event!

Banner photo: Ocean Warriors students in the forefront read about how to fire-proof a home while students in the back read about native plants.

Ocean Warriors Waikoloa Group A - Fire Lesson and Flyering

Our flurry of Ocean Warriors meet-ups and volunteer efforts continued on Saturday, January 17th with a group of students who we hadn't met, yet, and were new to the wildfire world. The Ocean Warriors after-school program, part of the Malama Kai Foundation, is an experiential youth program for local middle school students that engages them in "coastal stewardship and protection." The Saturday event began with a wildfire lesson through a storyboard presentation at the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park. Once the students got a sense of the wildfire issues in Hawaii, we led the students through a scavenger hunt to familiarize the students with the Firewise demonstration garden. Students quickly grasped the basic concepts of the Ready, Set, Go! program and how they could help the community become more aware of the wildfire situation and what homeowners could do about it. To take that to the next level, the HWMO team took the students to the highest risk area of Waikoloa Village and handed out flyers to the residents about the upcoming CWPP community meeting on January 28th at 6 P.M. at the Waikoloa Community Room and the Wildfire Preparedness Team meeting on February 4th at 6 P.M. also at the Waikoloa Community Room. We had a blast with the students, who are becoming outstanding, knowledgeable citizens. 

In April, we will be collaborating with the program for their end-of-the-year showcase where the students will present, in a creative fashion, what they have learned this year (including about wildfire) to the community. Stay tuned for information on the exact date and time of the event! 

Banner photo: Scavenger hunt keeps students engaged in the garden.

Ocean Warriors (Group B) Waikoloa Garden Cleanup Afternoon

In an ongoing effort to teach middle school students the importance of being prepared far in advance of wildfire season, we took the first of three groups of Ocean Warriors students to the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park for a garden cleanup afternoon. The Ocean Warriors after-school program, part of the Malama Kai Foundation, is an experiential youth program for local middle school students that engages them in "coastal stewardship and protection." We consider the students "stewards of the garden" - the afternoon event was these students' first volunteer action at the garden.

Last month, we introduced the students to the wildfire issue in Hawaii and about the Ready, Set, Go! Program that touts creating defensible space as one of many important ways to be prepared for a wildfire. The students put the core concept into action by helping tend to the demo garden that has taken off with the recent rain events. A great number of the plants that have "taken off" are native, drought-tolerant plants that can help protect one's home from wildfire. A number of non-native weeds such as the never-dying bougainvillea did grow, as well. Students grabbed gloves and hand trowels and set out to take these pesky weeds out of the garden. In addition, they also collected leaves blown-over from a neighboring non-native invasive tree and placed them in trash bags.

Our garden manager, Tom Loomis also chipped in by sawing off the lower branches of the pepper trees on the property to 10 feet off the ground in accordance to Firewise principles. In just a couple of hours, the students managed to beautify the garden while also protecting it from the threat of wildfire. We hope their actions will inspire you to take action on your own home. Find out more of what you can do here: http://hawaiiwildfire.org/ready-set-go2.html.

In April, we will be collaborating with the program for their end-of-the-year showcase where the students will present, in a creative fashion, what they have learned this year (including about wildfire) to the community. Stay tuned for information on the exact date and time of the event!

Banner photo: Ocean Warrior students dig deep for weeds at the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park.