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Help fund the Kokee Resource Conservation Program

“The Rain Follows the Forest - Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau” Healthy forests = a healthy watershed

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Help fund the Kokee Resource Conservation Program

Help fund the Kokee Resource Conservation Program

Help fund the Kokee Resource Conservation Program

Help fund the Kokee Resource Conservation Program

Help fund the Kokee Resource Conservation Program

“The Rain Follows the Forest - Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau” Healthy forests = a healthy watershed

“The Rain Follows the Forest - Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau” Healthy forests = a healthy watershed

“The Rain Follows the Forest - Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau” Healthy forests = a healthy watershed

“The Rain Follows the Forest - Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau” Healthy forests = a healthy watershed

Katie Cassel
Katie Cassel
Katie Cassel
Katie Cassel
1 Campaign |
Kauai, United States
$380 USD 9 backers
1% of $20,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Overview
The Kokee Resource Conservation Program engages the public to protect Kauai’s biodiversity by invasive weed removal. Service learning projects connect all ages to nature by working in Kauai's magnificent but fragile native forest. Hawaii has 33% of all endangered species in the U.S. yet receives only 5% of federal funding allotted for protection. We leverage funding with volunteers from around the world. Since 1998 we've removed 12 million weeds from over 11,800 acres with 31,000 volunteers.

Short Summary

One’s typical image of Hawaii would probably consist of beautiful beaches, golf courses and hotel resorts. However, a hidden gem of native forests that evolved over millions of years in isolation rests just beyond our sights. Kokee, Kauai, is one of those great treasures that still flourishes on the island of Kauai; the forest is home to hundreds of native plant species, 90% of which are endemic and grow nowhere else on the planet, including over 140 rare and endangered plants. This degree of endemism is higher than anywhere else in the world.  

The Kokee forests nurture plants that are precious to Hawaiian culture. While being famous for being a biodiversity hotspot of global significance, Kokee also provides a wide range of ecosystem services, plays a role in the preservation of Hawaiian tradition and culture, and gives a unique platform for education and recreation.

Today, this dynamic diversity in Hawaiian ecosystems is increasingly threatened by invasive non-native weeds that have been rapidly displacing native vegetation.  Hawaii has become known as the "endangered species capital of the world" and the "extinction capital of the world" because of the many plants, and particularly beautiful birds, that have become extinct. Invasive weed control has been identified as a high priority by the US Fish & Wildlife Service in their recovery plans for nearly all the endangered species on Kauai.  Unless there is a strategic and sustained effort to control these weeds, the core native forests will be irreversible converted to non-native vegetation.

The survival of Kokee's native forests relies on passionate volunteers who tread lightly across the steep canyon range and fragile native forest to weed out invasives and plant native species.

The Kokee Resource Conservation Program engages and educates volunteers through hands-on work in one of the world's most endangered and biodiverse hot-spots. We propagate land stewardship and create helpful access to Kauai's mountain forests for locals and visitors.

Each donated dollar and volunteer hour is an investment in Kauai’s rich, rare, endangered native paradise.

$700 preserves one acre on average, and we average 600 acres annually. Costs include volunteers, interns, staff, facilities, and field equipment. Help preserve an acre this year!

$4500 supports one full-time on-site volunteer equivalent (2080 hours per year). We benefit from 8500 total volunteer hours annually.  Four 10-hour days of guided conservation work in the far reaches of the rain forest includes a 7-day stay in our historic state park-owned facility. Help sustain our volunteers this year!

$17,000 supports our intern program annually. To date, over a dozen of our interns now work for conservation agencies around the state. Help grow a  conservationist this year!

$20,000 covers our annual helicopter rental expense. We target remote locations to increase efficacy such as the line where the most pristine forest meets the invaded forest. We know why birds and butterflies don't wear hiking boots. Help push back time and keep Kauai Jurassic-like!

As environmental funding shrinks, so grows the non-native invasion on Kauai's terrain.  These forests stay healthy from volunteer energy. We know many more people care about preserving biodiversity than are able to make it to this special part of the world, to strap on boots and machetes, to nurture native species, to wade through thickets and walk through clouds. We hope this campaign creates opportunities for many more nature lovers to directly impact preservation work with donations that enable old and young from near and far to leave a good footprint here and going forward.
 

Volunteers, staff and funding are only part of the story. The natural world is the true treasure and Kauai is a jewel. You can also contribute by keeping your eyes open and keeping your hands dirty wherever you are. And please share our campaign with others in your social media circle and in your backyard. The Indiegogo share tools make it easy.

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Choose your Perk

KRCP Bumper Sticker

KRCP Bumper Sticker

$20 USD
Green bumper sticker with a red Ohia Lehua flower on it, and a statement in large print red: "I'd rather be in the forest in Kokee", plus KRCP contact info in black small print.
Included Items
  • KRCP Bumper Sticker
2 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Native Plant Magnet

Native Plant Magnet

$30 USD
A beautiful 5x7 native plant flower magnet and KRCP bumper sticker. Picture by Spencer Kashiwa.
Included Items
  • KRCP Bumper Sticker
  • Native Flower Magnet
2 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Native Plant 5x7 print

Native Plant 5x7 print

$40 USD
Beautiful glossy 5x7 print of a native Hawaiian plant. Pictures taken by Spencer Kashiwa. *Photo image is a collage of 4 different native plant prints available. Pictures will be chosen at random.
Included Items
  • Native plant Photo Print
2 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Native Bird Print 8x10

Native Bird Print 8x10

$50 USD
A beautiful 8x10 glossy print of a native Hawaiian forest bird. Pictures taken by Jim Denny. *Four different photo prints available. Print will be chosen at random.
Included Items
  • Native Bird Print
2 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Native Plant Note Cards

Native Plant Note Cards

$100 USD
Set of 6 note cards with envelope of native Hawaiian plants. Note card is blank on the inside. Name of the plant pictured in both scientific and Hawaiian when applicable. Pictures by Spencer Kashiwa.
Included Items
  • Native Plant Note Cards
1 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Na Pua Book

Na Pua Book

$250 USD
Na Pua o Kokee: Field Guide to the Native Flowering Plants of Northwestern Kauai. 56 illustrated pages, by Katie Cassel, Director of the Koke'e Resource Conservation Program. See the beauty and uniqueness of these native Hawaiian flowering plants. Includes landmarks, trails, and times of year to appreciate the blooming of these rare native flowers.
Included Items
  • Na Pua o Kokee Plant Book
0 claimed
Alakai Wilderness Book

Alakai Wilderness Book

$500 USD
The Alaka'i: Kauai's Unique Wilderness, by scholar Fernando Peñalosa. The Alaka'i is a tropical rain forest atop Kauai featuring plants and birds found nowhere else on Earth. This 453-page Book features the flora, fauna and human impact on this magical "swamp". It includes a bibliography, extensive notes, and over 500 illustrations.
Included Items
  • Alakai Wilderness Book
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.
All Perks

All Perks

$1,000 USD
Camellia sinensis tea picked from Kokee and processed by Cloudwater Farm in Kilauea as well as all other perks which include: bumper sticker, 5x7native plant and 8x10 native bird print, native plant card set, Na Pua and Alakai books.
Included Items
  • KRCP Bumper Sticker
  • Native plant Photo Print
  • Na Pua o Kokee Plant Book
  • Alakai Wilderness Book
  • Native Flower Magnet
  • Kokee Tea
  • Native Plant Note Cards
  • Native Bird Print
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.
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