Department of Land and Natural Resources

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

 

NEIL ABERCROMBIE GOVERNOR

WILLIAM J. AILA JR, CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate Release March 08, 2013

 

DLNR OUTPLANTS NATIVE SPECIES AT KAALA NATURAL AREA RESERVE

Plants that are critically endangered will be reintroduced
to their native habitat in a unique bog

HONOLULU — Today, volunteers, along with staff of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) conducted an outplanting of native plants at the Mt. Kaala Natural Area Reserve, the highest peak on Oahu.

Protection of Mt. Kaala Natural Area Reserve’s watershed forests by restoring native forest ecosystems is critical for maintaining the water supply of West and Central Oahu. Volunteers reintroduced the critically endangered kamakahala – with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild –to its native habitat in the ridges of Mt. Kaala.

A hundred and fifty plants were planted thanks to collaboration the Board of Water Supply, Oahu Army Natural Resource Program, Waianae Mountains Watershed Partnership and DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife and Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) program.

These new plantings will help strengthen the integrity of the forest watershed by maintaining the biodiversity of the Hawaiian forest.

Images of today’s outplanting work can be found on Google at https://plus.google.com/photos/101613020396360217549/albums/5853166878444343169?authkey=CP7o_dj9hY_FTg#

For more information on Mt. Kaala Natural Area Reserve go to
https://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/nars/reserves/oahu/mountkaala

For information on the DLNR Rare Plant Program check out:
https://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/rareplants/rareplantprogram

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For more information, news media may contact:

Deborah Ward,
Public Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320