Wildfire Preparedness Month ʻOhana Day at Kipuka Oweowe

Preparing plants and field equipment for a day of planting and wildfire discussion at Kipuka Oweowe in Puʻuwaʻawaʻa.

To wrap up a busy May of wildfire readiness events, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife’s Nāpuʻu Conservation Project held an official Wildfire Preparedness Month event at Kīpuka Oweowe in Puʻuwaʻawaʻa. Each month, Nāpuʻu holds an ʻOhana Day, inviting volunteers to come plant a variety of native species, common and rare/endangered, in the lama-dominated forest restoration project.

This month’s ʻOhana Day was wrapped into Wildfire Preparedness Month. HWMO’s Pablo Beimler joined volunteers in the morning by helping plant natives in the beautiful, peaceful forest setting. As part of a potluck lunch, Pablo then shared background on the history of wildfires and fire management in the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa region. Others talked story about their experiences with fire in the area. It was great to spend time in the forest with good people who were all forest stewards and truly embodied Mālama ʻĀina. They also walked away with more knowledge on wildfires and fire preparedness, as well as Wildfire Lookout! and Ready Set Go! materials.

We thank everyone who participated in a fun and successful Wildfire Preparedness Month this May!

Wildfire Lookout! Statewide School Distribution

In what may be one of HWMO’s most ambitious efforts, we set out to distribute as many Wildfire Lookout! flyers to as many schools as we could on the leeward sides of each of the major islands in Hawaiʻi. With boxes upon boxes of Wildfire Lookout! flyers stuffed into suitcases, HWMO’s Elizabeth Pickett and Pablo Beimler visited over 50 schools on Kauaʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi Island from May 22-24 and distributed a total of nearly 25,000 flyers. Those flyers were included in students’ final take-home packets before the summer (and peak fire season) begun.

The outreach push was made possible thanks to Grant-In-Aid from the State and was another highlight of Wildfire Preparedness Month this year. Thank you to all of the schools’ staff for helping distribute flyers to students (some schools posted the flyers in the office, library, cafeteria, or other common spaces). 

Banner photo: Waimea Canyon school with recent wildfire-scarred area in background.

Ready Set Go! Workshop at Waiʻanae Library

HWMO is in discussions with the Waiʻanae Library about creating a Firewise garden much like the one in Waikoloa Village.

As part of May’s Wildfire Preparedness Month, HWMO held a workshop for Waiʻanae residents at the Waiʻanae Public Library on May 24. HWMO’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler, gave an in-depth tour of the Ready, Set, Go! program as several community members jotted down notes on how they might improve their wildfire safety around their own homes. An exciting opportunity is on the horizon for community members to get involved with — HWMO and the library are teaming up to establish a Firewise native and adapted garden around the perimeter of the library, similar to the Firewise garden in Waikoloa Village that HWMO helped create and maintain. If you would like to get involved in planting and helping with other garden tasks, sign up for our e-newsletter.

Special thanks to Sheryl Lynch who was instrumental in helping organize the event.

Banner photo: View of Waiʻanae Mountains from Kaneaki Street.

Wildfire Readiness Presentation with Rotary Club of West Kauaʻi

HWMO continued its tour to meet various Rotary Clubs across the state this year on Kauaʻi. At the Saddle Room Restaurant in Waimea Canyon, we presented to a group of twelve Rotarians from the Rotary Club of West Kauaʻi on May 23. As a matter of happenstance, there had been a large wildfire in Waimea Canyon a week or so before the presentation, so residents in the area were already on high alert.

May 2017 Waimea Canyon fire aftermath.

We started by hearing stories from various residents who had witnessed the fire (and one who was even a responder from a contracting company that works in the area). We then shared information on how residents could get more involved with HWMO and prepare for peak fire season — information we have been working hard to spread throughout the month of May as part of Wildfire Preparedness Month. Each Rotarian at the meeting took home a Ready Set Go! Guide and Wildfire Lookout! flyer. We thank Rotary Club of West Kauaʻi for the opportunity to speak at their meeting!

Kauaʻi Annual Brush Fire Mitigation Meeting 2017

Each year, KFD invited first response partners and other stakeholders for a brush fire mitigation meeting. This from the 2016 meeting.

Every year, Kauai Fire Department hosts first response partners and other stakeholders on Kauaʻi for a Kauaʻi Brush Fire Mitigation Meeting. This year’s took place on May 22nd at the KFD headquarters in Lihue. HWMO’s Elizabeth Pickett gave updates on HWMO’s work in the area as our first response partners and large landowners and contractors listened in. In total, forty people were in attendance, each taking home a Ready Set Go! Wildland Fire Action Guide and Wildfire Lookout! flyer. We hope for a quiet fire season for Kauai Fire Department and our other friends on Kauaʻi. Another day, another great outreach opportunity for HWMO’s Wildfire Preparedness Month— this time thanks to KFD!

Wildfire Presentation with Aloha Arborist Association

Aloha Arborist Association meeting took place at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Honolulu.

Landscapers and arborists can play a unique role in a Fire Adapted Community — they are the ones that can put fuels reduction practices to action at a large scale. That is why HWMO connected with the Aloha Arborist Association to discuss future partnership opportunities. At the Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Honolulu, HWMO’s Pablo Beimler presented to a small group of AAA members on May 17th. It was especially timely since May was Wildfire Preparedness Month. Pablo shared background on wildfires and their impacts in Hawaii and introduced members to programs such as Ready, Set, Go!, Firewise, and Wildfire Lookout! that highlight defensible space practices and standards. We thank AAA for the opportunity to speak to the group and look forward to collaborating in the near future.

Hawaii Drought Committee Meeting 2017

It has been another year of intense drought for leeward areas on Hawaiʻi Island. Twenty-five people representing various agencies met in Waimea on May 16 to hear updates on the current drought conditions from NOAA National Weather Service and share updates relating to drought with each other. HWMO was in attendance and we shared about some of the wildfire activity and hazards this year, but also projects we are working on in order to reduce the fire threat, including Wildfire Lookout! We also let people know that it was Wildfire Preparedness Month, encouraging agency representatives to share wildfire readiness information with their networks.

Wildfire Readiness Presentation with Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset

Ukumehame Fire on June 22, 2016. Photo Credit: Timothy Lara / Maui Now contributor

After a long day of visiting schools across the leeward side of Maui to promote the Wildfire Lookout! campaign, HWMO’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler, joined Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset members for a dinner at Royal Lahaina Resort on May 16. Fifteen Rotarians listened in as Pablo gave background on the wildfire situation in Hawaii. He then let the group know that there were concrete ways to get involved through the Firewise Communities and ReadySetGo! program. Pablo was able to speak afterwards with several real estate agents about possibilities for promoting good Firewise practices with potential buyers. Mahalo to Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset for being such great hosts (and for the hearty meal!)

Launiupoko Firewise Certification Celebration

Launiupoko, just south of Lahaina on Maui, had a busy fire season last year (even a couple fires burned within the subdivision for the first time). A group of residents responded by forming a Firewise Committee and taking the necessary steps towards Firewise certification. As of 2016, the community is now an official Firewise Community, the first in Western Maui. 

Launiuopoko became a Firewise Community as of 2016 and is sporting their certification proudly on their main road.

This accomplishment was celebrated on May 15th at the home of one of the Firewise Committee members. HWMO’s Pablo Beimler was invited to join and to hold the floor for a speech. Committee members and their neighbors made up a group of 16 or so at the celebration. Pablo thanked the community for its hard work and reminded them that this was only the beginning of a long journey towards becoming a Fire Adapted Community, one in which ALL local stakeholders share responsibility in the wildfire solution. The community is off to a great start and although they are presented with some monumental challenges, they continue to be persistent and enthusiastic in their efforts. Truly inspiring.

Wildfire Readiness Presentation with Rotary Club of Kauai

Presenting at Duke's with a reminder that vegetation in the forefront can be flammable especially during drier days in Lihue.

Yes, even the Garden Isle has its fair share of wildfire issues — under the right conditions, anywhere, regardless of how “wet” they are can burn. This was one of the points Pablo Beimler, HWMO Community Outreach Coordinator, worked to get across on May 12 at Duke’s Canoe Club in Lihue. Twenty Rotarians from Rotary Club of Kauai tuned in as Pablo shared maps of Kauai’s wildfire history and stories from the Kokee Fire of 2012. He plugged the ReadySetGo!, Firewise Communities programs and encouraged attendees to participate in Wildfire Preparedness Month this May. We thank Rotary Club of Kauai for the hospitality and the complimentary meal provided by Duke’s. Also, it didn’t hurt to have a beautiful background and cool winds to the presentation (pictured in banner above).