Ko'olau mountains.

For our last week of work, we went hiking/camping in the Ko'olau mountains with Jason Hanley and J.C. Watson. The hike was about 4 miles up. About half way in the trail, we stopped and started cutting down Uluhe because it grew over the hiking trail. We cut Uluhe for a couple hours then started hiking to our "pod". It felt so good to finally reach the pod and just relax.

If you love dirt, you'd love this trip! My pants and boots got soaked in mud multiple times :( And the worst part is, we didn't shower for the 2 days that we were up there! I was the only girl that went so yeah I was suffering haha. It was fun being with the boys though, they really work hard!

The last night that we were there, Chad and I prepared dinner for the boys!(: They went hiking up to the summit and I stayed back with Chad and Hanlan. Neither of us have cooked before so we tried different ways of cooking shrimp and salmon. First, I made rice on the stove and whipped up a fast salad that had onions, cheese, and tomatoes. Chad tried cooking shrimp and salmon on the grill but it wasn't working so I just cooked it in butter and garlic on the stove (: The boys came back hungry and tired so good thing we made dinner!

- Bree Kalima.

doin' work!

This week, we removed fences! The whole reason why we remove fences is so the USFWS can cut down all the trees and turn the area into a wetland. We had to cut barbed wire, remove barbed wire, remove posts, and cut down trees.

Oh, we don't play around when it comes to removing posts. It takes so much energy and mana to remove an area that has fencing. It took a lot

of time, but its gonna be worth it when we come back and that area will be a wetland (:

- Bree Kalima.

This breaks my heart.

After coming home from Kaho'olawe, we had to work on the coastal line that U.S. Fish and Wildlife own. It hurt so much seeing the shores of a beach, full of trash.. As I walked along the beach picking up trash, I realized that one trash bag isn't going to work. Geeze, one beach clean up wasn't going to work! There was any and every kind of trash you can think of; soap bottles, fishing line, broken toys, and even toothbrushes! It was sickening looking at all the trash on the beach and knowing that no matter how hard I worked or how many hours I spent cleaning the beach, there will still be more trash..

I love doing beach clean ups because I love the beach. Anytime there's an opportunity to do a beach clean up, i'm all in. We're surrounded by the ocean so I don't understand why people would litter at the beach! You're not only hurting the people that go to the beach, but the ocean and everything living inside it. I think that whenever you go to the beach, pick up the trash you see laying on the sand. It isn't hard work, and it won't kill you.

- Bree Kalima.

Better Late Than Never Reflections of Kaho'olawe: Week 3 (by Rob Lau)

Being chosen to go to Kaho'olawe was a real blessing. It's the type of humbling experience that sticks with you for awhile. Not only is Kaho'olawe a historically, culturally, and spiritually powerful place, it also is a place to reconnect with the simpler pleasures in life, like body surfing, snorkeling, and star gazing. Working on the remote, undeveloped island of Kaho'olawe was a stark contrast to Oahu and reminded me of the importance of keeping the country country. One of the unique things about Kaho'olawe is that, because no commercial activity is allowed on the island, it draws certain types of people there: thoughtful, passionate, and spiritual people.

Pictured to the left is a short hike to Moa'ulaiki "little red chicken" that we did on our first day. Near the summit of Moa'ulaiki is a natural looking seat called the navigator's chair. From there you can observe the islands of Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i, and Hawai'i, as well as the channels and potential current patterns. With a nearly panoramic view and an elevation of over 1400 feet, Moa'ulaiki made for the perfect place to learn about ocean and celestial navigation.

My favorite work was carrying and relocating rocks and small boulders to make hoaka rock-walls. In the shape of a C, we dug about a foot into the dirt and then like a puzzle we fit our collection of rocks into a solid retaining wall. This will help with soil erosion and possibly provide wind protection for the sweet potato that will be planted within the walls.

In the foreground of this picture is the rock-wall that we completed. Behind that are rock-walls that were completed by other groups in years past. It's a good feeling to know that these sturdy rock formations will probably still be there for decades to come. Perhaps someday I or someone I know will revisit this site. In this small way I feel proud to have left my mark on the island.

Some of the bumps in the road nearly had us tipping over, but it

made for a fun ride. We did our best to patch up the big bumps in some of the roads by filling up bags of dirt and fitting them into the ruts. Collaborating with another HYCC team from Maui and working with the K.I.R.C. staff was amazing. If you ever have the opportunity to work at Kaho'olawe, don't pass it up :)

Beach Clean Up

Some of the many items found on the beach at USFWS, Kahuku site out by the sand dunes. Had a beach clean up, so sad how the coastline is ruined with rubbish.

Kahoolawe

I must say Kahoolawe was beautiful :)

The island was like a retreat from all the chaos here and gave me a chance to focus on the team, the task that needed to be done and time to take in the history and sites throughout the island. The KIRC staff is AWESOME! and the FOOD was AWESOME thanks to GERALD he truly is the man :) We had a chance to go to the navigation seat, repair roads and swim at the beautiful beach. I must say this is the greatest experience I could have ever had or asked for, I hope to get a chance to go back again. Mahalo Nui Loa to all that made that possible!

E Komo Mai Kaho'olawe!

Landing on Honokanai'a, Kaho'olawe. The water was beautiful, clear and blue. The sand felt like we were walking on clouds. We had to chant Mele Komo in order for us to step on the island. Even though Kaho'olawe is empty, I love it. O'ahu has so much going on so it feels good to be away from the city life and just help out

Kaho'olawe.

No matter where you go on the island, you'll see mice running around. You literally go to sleep with an empty sticky pad, and wake up with at least 5 mice on a pad. The first day we got there, we went on a tour of Kaho'olawe. My favorite place was when we went to the summit. You can see Lana'i, Moloka'i, and Maui at one time.

I will NEVER forget how amazing the food was! Uncle Gerald can cook! I looked forward to eating every day. He made fried chicken, chicken katsu, fish, kalbi, steak, BBQ chicken, banana/blueberry pancakes, french toast, milk/white chocolate cookies, ginger snap cookies, triple chocolate brownies, and my favorite, lilikoi cheesecake! This man made Kaho'olawe even better than it is.

Day 2, we looked like Mexicans in the back of the Duce. Everyone partnered up and we had to fill a bunch of bags full of dirt. Later, those bags of dirt were placed on the roads where erosion took place. Going to Kaho'olawe really made our team stronger. On the boat ride to Maui I felt very accomplished because we left a lasting impression on Kaho'olawe.

I'm so proud of Maui as well as my team. I will never forget Kaho'olawe and how blessed I am to be the first person in my family to go on that island. Mahalo nui loa K.I.R.C. staff.

- Bree Kalima, O'ahu F !