Special Mālama Nā Ko‘olau Double Day

Join us to clear invasive species and care for the Ala Mahamoe Dryland Forest Restoration Site

-- Saturday, January 24th --

**The deadline to RSVP is, Saturday, December 10th**

Our first MNK at Ala Mahamoe for 2026 will be a special Double Day!

Rather than our typical single morning time event, we will be hosting two sessions. Participants may sign up for one or both sessions.

Session 1: 9am - 12pm

Session 2: 12:30pm - 3:30pm

ATTENTION!!: We are temporarily shifting to a new method of collecting RSVPs due to technical difficulties. For the time being, interested volunteers can RSVP for this volunteer day using the following Google Form.

As we are in the new year, all volunteers (including those previously registered with KMWP) will need to complete and submit the 2026 version of our waiver form to participate in all events for the year.The updated volunteer form and instructions can be found here.

Activities for the day: This service-learning day will involve invasive species removal to protect native plants in the area and restoring the space by planting beneficial native species. There may be some brush clearing, seed bomb throwing, trail work, and seed collection.

Who: All ages are invited to attend! This event is limited to 25 participants total. All who are interested and planning to attend must fill out the waiver form linked above.

When: Session 1: Meet at the gate at 8:45am for check-ins. Volunteer activities will go from 9am - 12pm. Those taking part in Session 2 can arrive to the site shortly before 12:30 for a brief check-in followed by the volunteer activities, which will take place from 12:30pm - 3:30pm.

Where: Park along the main road across from the Ala Mahamoe gate and walk to the site. Please be considerate of residents, do not block their driveways. Also, try to limit the number of cars taking up street parking, consider carpooling with a friend.

Why: This site gives participants a special chance to try their hand at dryland forest restoration. It shows how an invasive dominated, fire-prone forest can be shifted through volunteer efforts to become a healthier, native-dominated habitat that can serve as a protective green break. It is also used as a teaching tool by our organization as well as community partners like a kumu la’au lapa’au (Hawaiian medicine teacher). People from keiki to kupuna go there for visits and service-learning opportunities. The area gives them a chance to connect with all of these beautiful native species and a few Polynesian introductions too.

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Your RSVP is not complete until you turn in a volunteer registration form.

Once you have turned in your KMWP volunteer registration, it will be reviewed. If it is filled out correctly, you will become a registered volunteer with KMWP and your spot will be reserved for this event. We will send an information packet with more details about the site and what to expect/prepare for.

*** Those interested (including volunteers who have registered with us in 2025) must complete and submit a 2026 volunteer registration form. Here is a link to a folder with the Volunteer Registration Forms, samples of correctly filled forms, and instructions. Please read the instructions fully before filling out the application. If completed incorrectly, the form will be rejected and sent back to you for revisions. ***

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Here is a little breakdown of how these Mālama Nā Koʻolau (MNK) service-learning events work:

• We will host at least 1 volunteer day each month at our various restoration sites and rotate locations so that everyone in the program has a chance to visit each of the sites.
• • These events will generally be for a maximum of 25 people at any given site, although some sites have a larger capacity.
  • Reservations for the monthly events are open to the public and filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  • Check-ins will generally be around 8:30am and the restoration activities will go from about 9am-12pm, although we may add extra time or additional volunteer sessions if the site allows.
  • The regular restoration sites include: the Pali Lookout Garden, Ala Mahamoe in Moanalua Valley, Mānoa cliffs, Waiʻalae Nui at Wiliwilinui Trail, and Waihe‘e Valley.

• To join these events, you must be registered with KMWP as a Mālama Nā Koʻolau Volunteer and have your application turned in and approved before any event.

• • Here is a link to the folder with the Volunteer Application Forms, examples of correctly filled forms, and instructions. Please read the instructions before filling the application. Incorrectly and/or incompletely filled applications will be flagged and rejected.
  • Send completed forms to koolaupartnership@gmail.com. Be sure to include the event and date you are RSVP’ing for.
  • Once you have turned in your application and it is accepted, it will be good until December 31st of that year. You do not need to fill out another application for Mālama Nā Koʻolau events until January of the following year.
  • Registered volunteers who want to join an event can RSVP via email.
  • Some sites require extra waivers, those will be sent as needed to participants.

• If you visit all 5 of the regular sites, then you will be eligible for an invitation to special Mālama Nā Koʻolau events to be announced.

• • We schedule a special event day at one of our elite sites approximately once a year and offer other special opportunities to our participants

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We will be holding these Mālama Nā Koʻolau service-learning events at least once a month for the rest of the year, but if you miss one, and want to help in a particular site, or just want to do a service day, then we can set up exclusive volunteer days in any of our main restoration sites. If you have the volunteer group, then we can arrange the location.

We also have the option for people to set up group events through the Mālama Nā Koʻolau (MNK) program, this allows us to open up more group opportunities across our range of sites. The way that it works is a group gets their members registered as MNK volunteers. Then these groups can set up workdays at any of the 5 main restoration sites (Pali, Waihe’e, Ala Mahamoe, Mānoa Cliffs, and WiliwiliNui trail).

The limitations to this option are:

• the group size must follow the capacity limits for the given site
• all applications expire in December,
• and the events are not exclusive.

The upsides to this option are:

• It allows groups to go to multiple sites and have events without filling out new applications for each one, and
• The group members will be registered MNK volunteers so they can join the regular events too.

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Feel free to reach out for more details or to set up an event.