DoD is funding 41 National Public Lands Day (NPLD) sites on military installations in 2011. The event encourages volunteers to explore and enjoy America’s natural wonders through outdoor recreation. Find out more about one of these projects below.
Present: 3 OANRP staff, 1 State of Hawaii Natural Area Reserve staff, 13 volunteers
On Sept. 24, 2011, three O‘ahu Army Natural Resources Program (OANRP) staff, thirteen volunteers, and one State of Hawaii staff joined together to revitalize the boardwalk trail at Ka‘ala. The highest peak in the Waianae Mountains, Ka‘ala is home to an immature bog filled with rare and uniquely Hawaiian plants and animals. The boardwalk passes through the bog, providing a window into the forest for hikers and an important access trail for conservationists. The boardwalk, now 20 years old and severely decayed, is being replaced in a joint project by OANRP and the State of Hawaii. Along the boardwalk, there is an infestation of the invasive moss Sphagnum palustre, which forms dense, deep mats and replaces a diverse group of native mosses with a monoculture. Sphagnum also may alter the water and nutrient cycles in the bog, which in turn can affect the forest as a whole.
On National Public Lands Day, we built on previous work done at Ka‘ala. Wire mesh was nailed to the new boardwalk to create traction and improve the safety of the trail. Sphagnum was treated along the boardwalk corridor with an organic clove oil product, to ensure that hikers do not become unwitting vectors for the moss, which can grow from tiny fragments easily caught up and moved by boots. Three additional days are scheduled to continue this work.
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- Invasive sphagnum at Ka‘ala can reach knee deep, creating thick mats which exclude native mosses and alter hydrology and nutrient cycles in the bog. The sphagnum infestation is approximately 1.4 acres in size, and stretches off the boardwalk into dense rainforest.
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- Along the boardwalk trail, tiny happy-face spiders make their homes on broad kanawao leaves, ignoring the bustle of activity around them. These rare arthropods were first discovered at Ka‘ala, and are a symbol of the delicate, unique ecosystems the O‘ahu Army Natural Resource Program and its volunteers work to protect.
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- Volunteers cut wire to fit the width of the boardwalk before heading out on the trail.
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- Volunteers control invasive sphagnum moss along the Ka‘ala boardwalk. An organic product made from clove oil and vinegar is effective on sphagnum and safe to use around native trees. Controlling sphagnum along the boardwalk corridor is important, as well-intentioned hikers and workers are often responsible for unwittingly moving the smothering moss to new areas.
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- The vivid turquoise dye mixed with the clove oil product is a striking reminder of what moss has, and has not yet, been treated. Clove oil ‘burns’ the moss, and makes the entire forest smell like Thanksgiving. Here, volunteers thoroughly soak the sphagnum on the left side of the trail. The light green sphagnum on the right will be treated on another field day.
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- Steady feet and a strong back are needed to transport materials out along the 700 meter long boardwalk. Native forest hugs the trail, including the tall lapalapa, endemic to O‘ahu, visible behind this volunteer.
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- Proper preparation is key to an efficient field day. Gear is staged at the boardwalk trailhead at the summit of Ka‘ala, just outside an FAA tracking station.
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- The boardwalk provides access to an immature bog growing on the flat top of Ka‘ala, the highest point in the Waianae mountains. Replacing the 20 year-old rotted boardwalk creates a safe trail for staff, volunteers, and hikers alike to enjoy this unusal habitat.
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- A volunteer puts the finishing touches on the new boardwalk, nailing wire to the new boards to create traction in wet conditions. The blue patches of moss have been treated with fragrant clove oil.
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- Clear views of O‘ahu’s northwest coast reward a long day’s effort
Project Contact: Kimberly Welch (kmwelch@hawaii.edu).
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