MEDIA RELEASE

To celebrate Earth Day 2010, The Kohala Watershed Partnership (KWP) invites you to join us in planting native species to restore the forested watershed of Kohala Mountain. Join us for either the 8-11 a.m. session or the noon-3 p.m. session Thursday, April 22. We will be working in the 600-acre Koaia Corridor.

This unique corridor has a wide range of native plants, due to the extreme range of rainfall: from 30 inches in the makai sections to over 150 inches in the most mauka lands. As a result, more than 50 species of native plants inhabit this watershed, coexisting with an even larger diversity of native insects and birds.

KWP is a voluntary coalition of nine landowners and State land managers who are dedicated to the conservation and management of the watershed of Kohala Mountain. For this restoration project, KWP partners with The Kohala Center, a community-based center for environmental research and education, Parker Ranch, Queen Emma Land Company, and the State Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW).

All ages and abilities are welcome. Tools, drinking water, and snacks are provided. Please bring a water bottle, wear sturdy shoes and long pants, and bring gloves if you have them. Rain gear is also recommended.

Meet us in the back parking lot of The Kohala Center (next to Parker Square and across the street from Hawaiian Style Cafe) on Kawaihae Road. We will carpool to the work site. Four-wheel drive vehicles are welcome.

For more information about our ongoing projects, visit our website at www.hawp.org/kohala.asp or view our blog, http://kohalacenter.org/pelekaneblog/