Blog - Hawaii Environmental Restoration

June 30, 2025

June 28 – Wai’ele Beach Clean-up and Tree Planting

Sixteen people from the Hawaiʻi Environmental Restoration and the

Koaʻe Community Association joined together on Saturday, June 28, for a full day of mālama i ka ʻaina along the Government Beach Road at Waiʻele. Waiʻele is a 156 acre cultural forest and ancient village site with some of the most majestic remaining canoe plant canopies in Puna, including extensive kukui, niu, ʻohiʻa ʻai, ulu, and noni representation. These are intermingled with significant hala groves, and exotic stands of mango, avocado, monkeypod, and ocean almond.

One team collected roadside debris from Papaya Farms Road to Kalaemanu, then embarked on a difficult remote 1/2 mile coastal stretch, gathering marine debris as they went. The second team entered the forest to transplant 20 ohiʻa ʻai keiki and 18 native trees of 5 different species. Everyone met at Waiʻele to comb the beach, enjoy refreshments, and load out 300 pounds of debris into the truck.

Mahalo to Diga Kern for organizing and to the Hawaiʻi County PONC Stewardship Fund for support. For more information, visit the HER websiteʻs Waiʻele page under the Other Projects menu. Also take a look at HER blog for a great summary of the event and its beautifully produced video produced by Diga Kern, who did an awesome job facilitating the event!

Check it out!

June 23, 2025

Sweet Summer Solstice on Saturday the 21st

Jaya Dupuis Blog

A dozen of us shared a sweet Summer Solstice planting of a healthy 120 seedlings in Keau’ohana on the 21^st of June! Along with a usual abundance of ‘ohe seedlings we included neleau, a robust native canopy tree to help along transition areas on the east boundary. We focused in the morning on the planting of these canopy trees; and in the afternoon spread an abundance of kupukupu and ukiuki in clusters around and below the ahu site so that they may receive careful attention.

Thank you dedicated members and kind volunteers of Keau’ohana who always come through in support of this enduring forest! Always a special thanks to Ann Kobsa, for providing a healthy abundance of keiki!!!

June 18, 2025

Hilo High Student Volunteers, and more – June 16

Jaya Dupuis Blog

HER was rather ambitious this past week as it hosted 3 separate groups in a volunteer forest volunteer restoration day for Keau’ohana. Our team worked together to facilitate 10 Hilo High school students; their kumu; two Big Island Invasive Species (BIISC) community educators; two Stantec (SITC) representatives; and three traveling tourists.

Hilo High students were central to the experience in their interest to learn about current natural resource management challenges and the skills required to enter and to succeed in the field of conservation management. They were outstanding young men who showed diligence in their work, and respect for others and the ‘aina!

The SITC volunteers were participants of a their company-wide volunteering initiative where Stantec staff across the globe volunteer at organizations like ours to as they state, “bring our hearts and hands together to make a difference in the communities we live and work in”. Since 2013, SITC Week has grown steadily. In 2024, they celebrated 11 years of SITC with over 7,000 employees volunteering alongside 440+ local organizations on five continents.

We were graced with the presence and support of several tourists as well, channeled from our alliance with the Kanu Hawaii Volunteer Program helping to recruit volunteers in Keau’oahana over the past several years, inviting tourists seeking to give back and enjoy a meaningful experience while in Hawai’i.

Needless to say we accomplished a great deal together despite the complexity at hand, which was achieved in thanks to the Keau’ohana crew who each graciously supported a handful of volunteers, while project Director Jaya Dupuis meandered between them all to help guide challenging efforts and encourage striving students of the land.

BIISC Community Educators

Hilo High Kumu

Hilo High Assistant

Lunch time

A Hui Ho

Crew hard at work

Crew support

May 7, 2025

Hale Hālāwai O Puna Cultural Mākeke & Hub, on Saturday, May 3rd

Jaya Dupuis Blog

HER was privileged to participate in the grand opening of Hale Hālāwai O Puna Cultural Mākeke & Hub, on Saturday, May 3rd in the center of downtown Pāhoa.

This cultural event included Hawaiian protocol by the Royal Order, a traditional ‘Awa Ceremony led by Anake Keone Kala, an Oli and Pule by Leila Kealoha, followed by hula performances from hālau of HaKumu Ehulani Stephany; No‘eau Wo‘o-Obrien; and by Kumu Kini Kaawa and the PHIS ‘Ōpio.

Ours was among a good number of other local community non-profits such as Waiakahi‘ula, Pohaku Pelemaka, and Kupuna housing, offering information to the public about projects of Puna Lands so intimately tied to culture! The old Akebono space was enlivened by music performances and people of all ages.

This was a special event among many to come, in support of the return to sustainable indigenous ways of living on the islands!

April 28, 2025

April 17 — Earth Day at UHH

Jaya Dupuis Blog

Lā Honua / Earth Day Celebration on April 17th was teaming with school groups this year making it a dynamic event throughout the day. As usual we enjoyed engaging children and young adults in learning their plants with HER plant species deck, by having them pick a card and telling us whether the plant they chose is a native vs invasive species, learning its name, and sharing discussion about it.

Our mission is to help people young and old develop awareness about the plant dynamics we as people impose through unexamined every day choices. HER offers guidance on what to plant and what not to plant, as well as how to be more empowered in response to invasive species in our own back yards. If we each do our little part in developing more sustainable practices at home as well as in the forest, together we can improve upon Hawaii’s lowland vegetation patterns.

It is never too late to introduce more native, Polynesian-introduced , and edible plant species into our shared landscape. The beautiful thing is, once planted, these desirable plants will naturally disperse beyond our boundaries instead of invasive species. When pulling out the plant bullies let’s not forget to dispose of them properly by making efficient compost piles or bringing them to the transfer station. Putting our weeds on nearby vacant lots exacerbates our already overwhelming invasive species situation.

Mahalo for your kokua!!!

March 24, 2025

Spring Equinox Fun!

Jaya Dupuis Blog

A delightful day planting in the rainforest with friends is hard to beat when it comes to meaningful moments! With the coming of spring, we celebrate YOU dear volunteers of Keau’ohana, for coming through in support of your local rainforest! Over the past 11 years you have helped HER mission in the Puna Community be a successful one!

Since 2014 more than 1,222 volunteers have contributed over 7,600 people hours, and helped to plant over 3,000 seedlings in Keau’ohana. Along with HER weekly care by half a dozen awesome technologists, we can finally see beyond the ROD crisis into a more stable future for this forest. The natural ‘ōhi’a regeneration on nursing logs alone (due to light conditions) is exhilarating to witness, and as time passes, proclaims a promise for the future of Keau’ohana.

Along with the restoration on our ‘aina, comes our faith in the kindness of people; thank you for walking hand in hand with HER, for the earth!

February 11, 2025

February 7th TCBES Presentation at UHH

Jaya Dupuis Blog

Jaya Dupuis served as a guest speaker for the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) seminar series for the Spring Semester at UHH. Since she herself graduated with a Masters in this program over a dozen years ago, this special event offered Jaya the opportunity to reflect back on her journey in the restoration of Keau’ohana and in developing HER nonprofit over the past 11 years. She was well received by both faculty and students, and hopefully contributed some inspiration to the unfolding journeys of aspiring students.

January 30, 2025

January 26th ʻŌhiʻa Love Festival & Master Gardener Plant Sale

Jaya Dupuis Blog

This year the ʻŌhiʻa Love Festival & Master Gardener Plant Sale joined forces for a very successful event on January 26^th at the UHH research extension on Komohana. The day was dynamic, bringing in a steady stream of community members to learn more about the environment from numerous groups. View this brief movie with photos produced by event organizers: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGdx61O-5I/rONn1BaJvU5a3sA10RnITw/watch?utlId=ha0c514d770

HER tabled at the event, recruiting over 30 new subscribers and volunteers while informing people about the Keau’ohana project, and Hawaii’s plant world. HER was one of the ʻŌhiʻa Love Festival committed participants prior to the pandemic; we hope that the festival will resume its original annual rhythm! It is a special community event for all ages!

January 6, 2025

January 3rd — Kirpal Meditation and Ecological Center Volunteer Event

Jaya Dupuis Blog

The Kirpal Meditation and Ecological Center in the Puna District is a retreat center seeking to give its travelling costumers a way to give back to the land when visiting Hawai’i. On the 3^rd of January HER hosted an enthusiastic group wishing to learn more about the rainforest, the challenges we encounter, and the solutions we have discovered.

It was their desire to have a well-rounded restoration experience, so the first part of our journey addressed invasive species, and all 13 participants were eager to then do a planting of 50 hala trees in an area they prepared and cleared of weeds. Being able to put a plant directly into the earth brought deeper meaning to their experience in Hawai’i and stimulated mindful intentions for the New Year.

January 1, 2025

HER Winter Solstice Planting Event — Dec 21st

Jaya Dupuis Blog

We hope everyone enjoyed their Winter Solstice; what a gorgeous day it was! For some of us it started with sunrise ceremony at Kukumaki point, bringing in the new season and the return of the light with Keone Kalawe. This was followed by the lovely annual forest volunteer planting in Keau’ohana! There were 13 participants for the event, and this time crew member Cory, contributed 25 native seedlings from his Mala La’au Hawaii nursery in Wa’awa’a to add to Ann’s wonderful selection of 104 seedlings.

There was a very exciting array of 13 native plant species from ‘ohe, akia, kopiko, alahe’e, ama’u, phytolacca, ‘ohi’a, to naupaka kuahiwi, ukiuki, kolea, akiohala, ‘ahu’awa, and ‘ilie’e! Do you know any of these wonderful native plant species? Consider introducing some of them into your own backyard in support of more native plants in the lowland environment; each species is truly esthetic! You can contact Cory to acquire some of them at mala.laau.hawaii@gmail.com.

1 2 3 4 ›»