Big Island Organizations & Programs Losing Funding

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Grow Hawaiian Festival at Amy Greenwell Garden 2/22.
If you’re on the west side tomorrow they could use your support due to funding cuts.
https://www.amygreenwell.garden/grow-hawaiian

[Punatang]

Grow Hawaiian Festival at Amy Greenwell Garden 2/22.
If you’re on the west side tomorrow they could use your support due to funding cuts.

Thanks for the heads up Edge!  That kipuka has been "operating" in some capacity since the 1400's.

[knieft]

Curious about the numbers involved in the group’s funding and sources, and how much was cut from which funding source…? 

Cheers,
Kirt

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

numbers involved in the group’s funding and sources

There was some info here:

https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/02/hawai%...ng-freeze/

[Punatang]

You can join their long list of private sponsors here: https://www.amygreenwell.garden/support

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Two workers lost jobs at HVNP, but the worst could be the possibility of losing our hurricane forecasters:

Elizabeth Fien, president and CEO of Friends of Hawai ‘i Volcanoes National Park, a nonprofit that helps preserve and interpret the park’s natural and cultural resources, recently said several new or incoming NPS employees, including a trail supervisor and an engineer, have had their employment rescinded since Trump began his initiative.

Politico recently reported the Trump administration aims to cut in half the number of employees nationally at NOAA, where operations include the National Weather Service, hurricane centers, fisheries management and climate research.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cuts-hawaii-f...00768.html

[Moderator 2]

Five staff members at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge were among the more than 400 employees with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who were fired earlier this month as part of the drastic downsizing of the federal government by the Trump Administration.

Before the forest became a federal refuge, most of the 32,733 acres were parcels of land with cattle and few trees. In the last 40 years, volunteers and greenhouse staff have planted more than 600,000 native trees in that pastureland, said Debbie Anderson, president of the Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

“Now there are acres and acres of koa, mamane, and ʻohia. It is a remarkable success story for reforestation,” Anderson said. “Native birds are now nesting in those trees and we want to continue reviving higher elevation forests, especially if avian malaria continues to grow with the rising temperatures.”

“The greenhouse which is full of seedlings will lie fallow; all outplanting will diminish and ultimately cease. The huge progress in reforesting former pasturelands will slow to a halt. Pigs will run rampant throughout the refuge. Gorse will invade the forests. The future is grim.”

https://bigislandnow.com/2025/02/25/five...istration/

[Durian Fiend]

https://bigislandnow.com/2025/02/25/five...istration/

That does sound grim.  Gorse is incredibly invasive.  I noticed recently that it's spread alarmingly fast in some upcountry areas on Mauna Kea.

[Punatang]

“The greenhouse which is full of seedlings will lie fallow; all outplanting will diminish and ultimately cease. The huge progress in reforesting former pasturelands will slow to a halt. Pigs will run rampant throughout the refuge. Gorse will invade the forests. The future is grim.”


This sounds absolutely horrible. Are all of the volunteers quitting too? How many volunteers are there? Why does the future have to be grim?  Maybe the future will be better because our children of Puna won't be enslaved by our shortsighted accumulation of debt in their name.  I'm all for sending them out to tackle pigs and grouse today though. Builds character! How does one sign up for that?  Sorry for all of the questions.

[HiloJulie]

This sounds absolutely horrible. Are all of the volunteers quitting too? How many volunteers are there? Why does the future have to be grim?  Maybe the future will be better because our children of Puna won't be enslaved by our shortsighted accumulation of debt in their name.  I'm all for sending them out to tackle pigs and grouse today though. Builds character! How does one sign up for that?  Sorry for all of the questions.

Yes, it is terrible. But to you it's, OK? Saving money, right?

What if the volunteers quit? 

Maybe the future would be better for our children if YOU did something. Now. Today. 

Have YOU thought of volunteering? Fill in this ridiculous gap?

So, how about putting YOUR money (in the sense of literal cash, or physical labor) where YOUR mouth is?

I'm sure you are "...all for sending them out to tackle pigs and grouse today though." I'm sure it builds character. Not yours, however.

Just let somebody else do it, children nonetheless, so you can CONTINUE to reap the benefits.

"How does one sign up for that?"

By donating. Money. Maybe pledge your promised DOGE dividend check? Or get in the field and do something.

Donate to the Friends of Hakalau Forest | Hawaii Wildlife Refuge