Posts: 7,725
Threads: 683
Joined: Jun 2011
quote:
Originally posted by Midnight Rambler
It's not a matter of risk aversion, sniping, "imposing limits", or comparing the size of each other's genitals. I've been to all five Big Island summits, had to lower myself down the side of a 600-foot near vertical valley wall in Kohala, and spend most of my days working in the wao akua, and I couldn't care less if you're more accomplished at that sort of thing than I am, like the guy who recently did all five summits in one 12-day trek.
It's a matter of respect for the land, for all the living things that inhabit it, and the people who work tirelessly to protect it.
You've mentioned contacting Dave and acquiring paperwork. You will also need to contact Nick Agorastos at Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and Melora Purell at the Kohala Watershed Partnership.
Well you can count me out then. But for the record, Lance Armstrong=1, Terracore=2.
Posts: 1,179
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at least Lance Armstrong has climbed (by roadbike) the steepest road in the World w/o touching the ground (road down to Waipio)....
https://sites.google.com/site/waipiobike/
Good luck on your adventure, just cutting across 800+' of Uluhe ferns on my property is tough on the body and will draw blood, cant see cutting through miles and miles of the nasty stuff, and thats just a single indigenous species of fern thats everywhere up there (and needs to be cut to be passable), and not including alot of thick low growing wet (some endangered) endemic shrubs hiding slippery hidden ravines, pukas, and cracks... just the description of what it took the non-eco-friendly WWII Era rescuers to get to the survivors would make me reconsider and maybe go for a 'fly by' instead of 'hands on by foot' adventure.... and if the plane has already moved once (slipped from the creek area into the ravine), it is probably not real stable to go inside for pics, especially when its on its side...
other things that make me wonder ... water and food, an active person needs to drinks at least a gallon of water a day minimum, but when hiking and sweating it will be far more IMO, thats 8 lbs to a gallon you need to carry/day and thats just the water..PLUS dont drink the creek/pond/river water... Waipio and the other valleys there are well known areas of Lepto and most portable water filters are not set up for tropical environments (viruses etc.)... basic food and gear on top of that you may need a good Waikoloa nightingale to carry the stuff and they cant get through the Uluhe/shrubs easily either...
PS. please dont mess up the very rare bog areas of Kohola Mt., we only have a couple pristine high bogs in the state (Kauai and West Maui are the other ones besides Kohola)... they are full of endangered endemic plants and fauna and just walking on them damages them.
Good luck, please post pics if you make it!
aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
Posts: 12
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Joined: Jun 2014
I have water purification equipment. Pumps, UV pens, oxide tablets, etc. and again(again, again, again) I can only promise to leave the areas I enter in as good a state or better. I promise to do everything I can to not cause any damage, and to research the rare plants of the area to concern myself with. I understand all the concern about my environmental impact, as we should all be, but equally and independently. I will continue to promise I will be as environmentally aware as possible in my trip, and more importantly, continuing to so in every aspect of island living. I'm a forest dweller when all said and done. My power solar, my construction "green". My water from catch, my carbon foot print low, and my consumption minimal to non existent. And, id also like to add, ive cleared my land 100% by hand, rather hiring the traditional dozer. (saving countless ohia, hapu'u, and varied orchids.) So next time one of you reads all this and thinks, "Oh he's just gonna make a mess of some nice woods, hope he doesn't step on the wrong fern." Take that concern, and focus it at your own SUV driving, fast food eating, cable watching, power eating, McMansion building, land dozing, problems. I'm sure you could actually save some native ferns that way. -and possibly even the world.- if you can still think of a good reason to gripe at me, GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER. -it's filled with nasty elements almost always traceable back to substances that are mined by starving kids in Africa!
"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey."
"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey."
Posts: 1,099
Threads: 6
Joined: Nov 2010
quote:
Originally posted by Birchrus01
And, id also like to add, ive cleared my land 100% by hand, rather hiring the traditional dozer. (saving countless ohia, hapu'u, and varied orchids.) So next time one of you reads all this and thinks, "Oh he's just gonna make a mess of some nice woods, hope he doesn't step on the wrong fern." Take that concern, and focus it at your own SUV driving, fast food eating, cable watching, power eating, McMansion building, land dozing, problems.
This kind of FU, "ainokea" attitude is what leads those of us who actually work in conservation (yes, that's what I do) to keep our work somewhat under the radar, despite its importance.
How many of those orchids were native? Are you familiar with these two plants, one of which is a noxious weed and the other an endangered species with maybe 10 individuals left on the island (at least three of them in that area)?
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4121/4743...08d6_b.jpg
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8422/7740...9e37_b.jpg
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OK, for the "dummy" here (me), which is the endangered, to be perfectly clear. I noticed one is lighter shade, and broader leaf. Is this correct for this species throughout its life cycle? I am trying to re learn my plants so that I can be mindful when clearing land. Mahalo in advance!
Are you a human being, or a human doing?
Posts: 80
Threads: 9
Joined: Aug 2013
quote:
Originally posted by unknownjulie
This population appears to be quite risk averse. Just go for it and keep us posted on the progress. You could get killed crossing the street. You may as well follow your dreams!
And having said that, they live on and around a number of active Volcanoes. [  ][ ][ ][ ], jus funnin ya.
Don't be an sesquipedalian, Eschew Obfuscation.....
Sometimes, when I see the neighborhood children make small discoveries of their own, I wish I were a child.
With apologies to Dr. Seuss
Don't be an sesquipedalian, Eschew Obfuscation.....
Sometimes, when I see the neighborhood children make small discoveries of their own, I wish I were a child.
With apologies to Dr. Seuss
Posts: 80
Threads: 9
Joined: Aug 2013
quote:
Originally posted by HereOnThePrimalEdge
Good luck! I'm looking forward to seeing the photos.
I think some people find it hard to believe that anyone could plan a trip to a place without a Cinnabon or a Pizza Hut at their destination.
I would find it hard to believe there isn't a Starbucks and / or a Dunkin Doughnuts already there. [ ][ ][ ][ ]
Don't be an sesquipedalian, Eschew Obfuscation.....
Sometimes, when I see the neighborhood children make small discoveries of their own, I wish I were a child.
With apologies to Dr. Seuss
Don't be an sesquipedalian, Eschew Obfuscation.....
Sometimes, when I see the neighborhood children make small discoveries of their own, I wish I were a child.
With apologies to Dr. Seuss
Posts: 12
Threads: 3
Joined: Jun 2014
Just for everyones information, I am still looking for at least one more partner. (Maybe two.) let me know by Wednesday if possible. That is when my meeting is.
"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey."
"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey."
Posts: 1,099
Threads: 6
Joined: Nov 2010
quote:
Originally posted by Tink
OK, for the "dummy" here (me), which is the endangered, to be perfectly clear. I noticed one is lighter shade, and broader leaf. Is this correct for this species throughout its life cycle? I am trying to re learn my plants so that I can be mindful when clearing land. Mahalo in advance!
It's the first one. That's ohe, Joinvillea ascendens. It and a couple of related species form the sister group to grasses; as you can see it looks a lot like a grass (the other picture is palmgrass, of which there is a lot in Waimanu), and the Hawaiian name is the same as for the type of cultivated bamboo they brought, but it has fleshy berry-like fruit instead of dry seeds. You're not likely to see it in Puna though, as it only lives in older wet forests.
You do have a good chance of encountering oha wai ( Clermontia hawaiiensis) and ohe mauka ( Tetraplasandra hawaiensis). The former occurs from Fern Forest down to the upper part of Hawaiian Acres, while the latter can be found scattered around lower Puna in places like upper Kalapana, Halepiula, and especially Leilani. Here are some pics:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jupiterorca/4687874446
https://www.flickr.com/photos/xjcreations/6233055599
These are both not nearly as rare as the Joinvillea, so there's a decent chance a homeowner might actually encounter them. Unfortunately they've also both been declining severely over the past 20-30 years. I met one guy in Leilani who had just had his lot bulldozed, and he said the operator had told him those trees were weeds, which just made my heart sink. There were a couple left but they had been nicked at the base by the blade, and they're unusually sensitive to that kind of damage, so they might not survive. You can tell them from other things with similar compound leaves, like gunpowder tree and African tulip, by the leaflets being long and narrow but rounded at the tip and corners, and with brownish fuzz underneath.
BTW, there are only three native orchids, all only about three inches tall with tiny green flowers and found only in very intact high-elevation forest, so it's unlikely you would see them on your land unless it's in Volcano. Here's one (they're unrelated but look pretty similar):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53189052@N08/4904155840
Also, I apologize if I too came off as arrogant and condescending in my earlier posts. I would rather be educating people about all the amazing things that are out there in our remaining native forests, than sounding like a scold telling people not to go somewhere, and I've even gotten some heat from my colleagues in the past for being too open about things like trail locations. Unfortunately over the years I've seen a fair bit of damage to remote areas, both accidental and intentional. Uluhe grows back quickly but some other things (like moss) don't, even when it looks like they're so abundant that they must.
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Thank you so much for the information, and what I might encounter in the lower elevations such as the Puna area. I am guessing at this time I will learn as much as I can about native, and endangered native foliage more specific to the area. Once I feel comfortable I can then clear only what is necessary for house, septic and driveway, then carefully hand clear more out after identifying and tagging what I want to keep in native foliage, and work my gardens and paths accordingly to occupy my time after building my last home, a comfortable little 2 bedroom that can be kept clean easily, leaving more time for the yard to learn more about the ways, and exploring!
Are you a human being, or a human doing?
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