Kaleo the Pueo

July 4th Parker Ranch Rodeo & Horse Races 2015

HWMO featured on bottom right as Food Drive collection center for Kokua Christian Ministries.

There are two days in Hawaii that have the most wildfires per year on average: New Year's Eve and…July 4th. Safe firework use not only saves lives but prevents wildfires, as well. 

We brought our outreach booth down the road to the Parker Ranch Arena for this year's July 4th Parker Rodeo & Horse Races. Our team came out in full force with the help of volunteers Mark & John from Waikoloa CERT who passed out our Fireworks Safety Brochures and Ready, Set, Go! Hawaii Wildland Fire Action Guides to event attendees. We also were the Food Drive collection center for the event, reeling in canned goods from generous people who supported Waimea's own Kokua Christian Ministries' good work to feed those in need in Kohala.

Young firefighter watches in awe as Polaroid come to life.

A few kids stopped by our booth to learn about native Firewise plants that we displayed in front of our table. Some even dressed up in wildland firefighter gear and took home a Polaroid photo of them in the gear - quite entertaining to watch the shock and wonder of young ones as they watched their image slowly appear in front of their eyes like a specter. At the end of the event as everyone in attendance walked past our booth, we passed out a hundred or so Kaleo the Pueo stickers to promote our new wildfire prevention mascot!

Girl looks at front cover of Ready, Set, Go! Hawaii Guide.

,

Waimea Middle School - Student Leadership Day Wildfire Lessons

,

Tom Loomis reads off a plant card for the student judges - in the front of the picture are the plants we asked them to categorize as "good", "so-so", or "bad" Firewise plants.

HWMO's Tom Loomis and Pablo Beimler joined various other companies/organizations as classroom visitors for this year's Student Leadership Day at Waimea Middle School on June 2nd. Mr. Loomis and Mr. Beimler called one of the classrooms home for a couple of hours, meeting with students to talk about wildfire prevention and preparedness.

For each of four 25-minute classes, Mr. Beimler started with a presentation with plenty of colorful photos and Kaleo the Pueo drawings to illustrate the wildfire issue in Hawaii and what students could do around the home to reduce fire hazards. 

Mr. Loomis followed with a Firewise Plant Game Show, calling upon volunteers to act as judges who would have to come to a consensus and reveal their answers about whether a given plant was a "good", "so-so", or "bad" Firewise plant. 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. 

We showcased 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.

We were able to recruit a whole new class of "future landscape designers" from such a short period of time!

OWIE Oahu Media Event

National Weather Service rep talks about chance of active wildfire season with press.

We had the privilege of speaking to multiple media sources including KHON, KITV, Hawaii News Now, and Honolulu Star Advertiser at a media event on May 27th organized by our partners from Honolulu Fire Department. Representatives from HFD, Honolulu Police Department, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, National Weather Service, UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension, and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization worked together to stress the importance of wildfire prevention and taking necessary steps to protect the home and family from fire.

It has already been a busy wildfire season for Oahu, with 4 brush fires burning last Saturday alone (one of which threatened homes near Makakilo). 

Featuring Kaleo the Pueo at our media outreach booth.

Wildfire season is year round in Hawaii, but this is peak season and it looks like it will be a long, active one. 

Kaleo the Pueo is helping us get the word across, especially to our youth, about the importance of wildfire prevention and preparedness. We were able to showcase Kaleo to the media at an information booth at the event.

Check out the media's coverage of the event here:

http://khon2.com/2015/05/27/hfd-warns-of-brush-fire-risk-as-dry-conditions-approach/

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20150528_Extreme_dry_conditions_prompt_wildfire_warnings.html?id=305287701&id=305287701&c=n

,

BioBlitz Cultural Festival at Hawaii Volcanoes 2015

,

Every year, National Geographic helps put together a BioBlitz event, with the host park changing each time. This year, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was the host for the 2015 BioBlitz. The BioBlitz is "a 24-hour event in which teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as possible," as described by National Geographic.

Pablo Beimler lets each student from Pahoa make a friend with a native Firewise plant.

As a way to help bridge science and culture, the 2015 Cultural Festival was held in conjunction with the event. On May 15th, the first day of the event, scores of students, teachers, and volunteers visited the festival after going out in the field and identifying natural resources. Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization was there to host a number of the students by playing a Firewise Plant Game Show. Students were shown a few different plants that ranged from "good," "ok," or "bad" Firewise plants. The "future landscapers" had to help us determine the ranking score for each plant, many of which were native to Hawaiʻi.

Scratching heads while trying to decide if jade and ʻihi oʻahu are good Firewise plants.

The second day of the event, May 16th, brought in a different audience: the general public. Thousands swung by the festival, many of whom stopped by our booth to learn about wildfires in Hawaiʻi and how residents could use native Firewise plants to help protect their homes from wildfire. Visitors were intrigued by the plants, including ʻihi oʻahu (delicate succulent with beautiful purple flowers), ʻohelo papa (native edible strawberry), and ʻalaʻala wai nui (a peperomia with fuzzy leaves and branches that protect it from the sun). 

Kilauea Volcano gets active during Keiki Wildland Firefighter photo-shoot.

We also had a few keiki dress-up in wildland firefighter gear donated by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. Each young firefighter was able to take home a Polaroid photo (yes, they still exist!) with the active Kilauea Caldera in the distance. 

The unique event drew upwards of 5,000 people, making it one of our most visible events, yet.

,

Waikoloa Village Association Annual Meeting 2015

,
Through your help, we can help make communities like Waikoloa safer from wildfires.

Through your help, we can help make communities like Waikoloa safer from wildfires.

Our partnership with Waikoloa Village Association (WVA) has been running strong for the past decade, most recently highlighted by our support for fuels reduction throughout various empty lots in the Village. We are even funding a pilot grazing project within the Village, using the Big Island Goat Dozers as a sustainable way of reducing the fuels among empty lots.

We were able to talk about these recent efforts along with other wildfire preparedness information at an information booth at the entrance of the WVA Annual Meeting at Waikoloa Elementary School on May 9th. Hundreds of residents filtered through the doorway, many of them stopping by our outreach booth. We even pulled in $100 worth of donations from grateful residents. It's through community support that we are able to continue our successful projects, so if you'd like to join in and become a part of the HWMO team, please DONATE. 

Banner photo: Hundreds of residents participated in the meeting, many of whom stopped by our booth to learn about wildfire preparedness.

, , ,

Wildfire Prep Day 2015

, , ,

For the 2nd straight year, communities from across the nation gathered together to take action to reduce the wildfire hazards in their neighborhoods. We joined in on the national effort by organizing our second Wildfire Prep Day event at the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park next to the community pool in Waikoloa on May 2nd. Within three hours of the morning, we were able to accomplish quite a lot with our partners and community members, working towards the goals of having a heightened wildfire awareness and a well-developed preparedness skill set. 

The event started off with a few words from our Board president, Mike Tomich, highlighting the need for wildfire preparedness in the most fire-prone area in the State of Hawaiʻi. This was not new news to many of the event's visitors, who had experienced some of the largest fires in history first-hand. 

HWMO President (on left) Mike Tomich talks about importance of wildfire preparedness.

Nice, sunny day with moderate windy conditions - practicing situational awareness or "Set" of the Ready, Set, Go! Program

Following the opening speech, we held a Firefighter Meet-and-Greet where community members and keiki were able to explore the wonders of the fire engine and ambulance on hand. Hawaii Fire Department firefighters gave tours of the apparatuses and even let the kids get their hands on the steering wheel (though with ignition off, of course!) 

Keiki learn the ins and outs of firefighting equipment from local HFD firefighters.

Future fire engine operator?

Waikoloa CERT members soak in the sun.

After the tours, people were able to interact with members from Waikoloa CERT, National Fire Protection and Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, who all set-up booths for the event. We also had a Keiki Craft Corner where kids were able to color in new Kaleo the Pueo art and create wildfire prevention signs. 

The second half of the event focused attention on the Firewise demo garden. Tom Loomis, Garden Manager and Firewise teacher extraordinaire, led a group of keiki through a Firewise Plant Game Show. While Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative's Jess held a plant in hand, Tom described the plant to the keiki to help them determine whether a plant was a good Firewise plant, a neutral one, or a bad one. The keiki translated these into smiley faces on their score cards. We showed them a variety of plants including "happy face" plants like ʻaʻaliʻi, ʻilima oʻahu, and kuluʻī; "neutral face" plants like dill and ʻawa; and "sad face" plants like pepper tree and pili grass. The students were spot-on with their landscaping decisions, knowing that plants that were drought-tolerant, native, and wind-resistant were the best candidates for becoming part of our Firewise garden.

Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative's Jess holds a sandalwood (ʻiliahi) during the Firewise Plant Game Show.

Getting a feel for kuluʻī and its heat-resistant silvery leaves.

Local HFD firefighters help plant various native plants like kuluʻī in our Firewise garden.

This led us into the final segment of the preparedness day event: a native planting volunteer session. Firefighters, keiki, CERT members, and others took part in getting their hands dirty (and rocky) by planting 75+ native plants to demonstrate how easy and enjoyable planting natives in the garden could be.

Wildfire Prep Day was a huge success nationally and here at the local level. We thank all of our amazing partners for their support of the event: Hawaii Fire Department, Waikoloa CERT, Waikoloa Firewise Committee, Waikoloa Village Association, Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, National Fire Protection, and National Fire Protection Agency. 

Getting silly with our amazing partners and volunteers!

Poetry Slam (Featuring Kaleo the Pueo)

Kaleo the Pueo continued to break through the media circuit, this time through a unique blend of the arts and wildfire prevention. Our new wildfire prevention mascot could be spotted all across the island in a beautiful flyer put together by Poetic Connect's Cassandra Wagner and Josh Horan. Kaleo was front-and-center on the flyer, showcasing his colorful, fiery wings in front of a microphone, holding water in one wing and fire in the other. Poetic Connect is "a movement to promote the performance and creation of poetry while cultivating literary activities and spoken word events." If you want to get a better sense of what they're about, there are a number of videos from their island-wide poetry slams, some of which include HWMO's very own Education & Outreach Coordinator, Pablo Beimler. 

The flyer that helped make Kaleo the Pueo famous!

On April 25th, HWMO co-sponsored the latest poetry slam, which took place at the "Green Church" in Waimea. Dozens of poets and supporters took part in the performances. Many stopped by our outreach table to learn more about wildfire prevention and what Kaleo the Pueo was all about. The Fourth Place runner-up even received a free Kaleo the Pueo t-shirt and hat! 

Big mahalo to Poetic Connect for their amazing support for our efforts and for getting Kaleo the Pueo's name out to the public!

,

Kealakehe School Student Leadership Day

,

Teach for America organized a Student Leadership Day for Kealakehe School and neighboring school students, inviting various workshop and booth presenters from around the island to Kealakehe on April 25th. HWMO was invited to set-up an outreach booth for the event. We reached out to a few dozen kids of all ages, some of whom dressed up in wildland firefighter gear and took photos with our new wildfire mascot: Kaleo the Pueo. 

Mahalo to Teach for America for organizing and inviting us to the event!

,

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.

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.
,

HWMO Denny's Fundraiser and Outreach Night

,

For over a decade, HWMO has been tasked with the mission of protecting Hawaii's communities and natural resources from the growing threat of wildfire and its impacts throughout the state. We've made immense strides over the past few years towards reaching our goals even as a small non-profit organization with no more than 5 staff members at any given time. We've been fortunate enough to secure grant funds for our projects, however, our operations and outreach capabilities rely on your continual support. 

To help keep our engine running, we held a fundraiser and outreach event at Denny's Restaurant in Kona on Sunday, April 19th. We teamed with Rotary Club of Kona and Denny's to host Project Compassion, a program that holds monthly events that raise awareness for many Hawaii-based non-profits and thousands of dollars to support their programs.

Future Wildland Firefighters blend right in with the HFD engine.

Goat Dozer Petting Zoo helped us connect kids to the idea that goats can reduce wildfire hazards around communities.

Our event attracted local residents and visitors who were drawn-in by Hawaii Fire Department fire engine tours and a Goat Dozer Petting Zoo outside of the restaurant. Throughout the evening, people filtered through the doorways of Denny's to dine. Each person who dined contributed to our fundraiser. We collected 20% of the dinner profits and 100% of the tips that night, all going towards our wildfire safety efforts. The catch? We had to earn our money. HWMO staff and Board members donned aprons and put on a smile to help host and serve customers, talking wildfire prevention whenever possible. Customers were also treated to hours of live music entertainment put on by a local HFD firefighter and our very own, Tom Loomis (harmonica virtuoso.)

Before customers entered or left the restaurant, they had the opportunity to stop by our informational booth where we passed out Ready, Set, Go! programs and gave out Kaleo the Pueo hats and T-shirts to generous donors. We even held a silent auction that featured some great items: Red Water Café dinner certificate for two, KTA certificates, Leche de Tigre merchandise and concert tickets, Snorkel Bob's merchandise, and beautiful coral reef artwork from Waikoloa native Rick Turnbow. 

Our staff, Board, and volunteers (some of whom are pictured above) would like to say mahalo to all who helped contribute to our efforts!

In total, we made $2,500 in donations thanks to generous customers, silent auction bidders, and our incredible sponsors: Adventure X Boat Tours, Laughing Stock Farms, Red Water Café, and Snorkel Bob's. Thanks also to our silent auction contributors: Red Water Café, KTA, Snorkel Bob's, Leche De Tigre, and Rick Turnbow.

 A big mahalo also goes out to Hawaii Fire Department, Big Island Goat Dozers, Rotary Club of Kona, Project Compassion's Holly DeGeal, Denny's Restaurant and our hard-working staff and Board members who helped make the night a success!

If you missed out on the event, but would still like to contribute, please visit:
http://www.hawaiiwildfire.org/donate/


“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of protection.””
— Chief Eric Moller, USAG-P, FES