Special Mālama Nā Ko‘olau Community Day
Join us for a day in our Ala Mahamoe Dryland Forest Restoration Site
Saturday, February 21st
**The deadline to turn in volunteer applications and complete your RSVPs is, Tuesday, February 10th**
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*-*-*-*-*- We have two volunteer sessions to choose from. -*-*-*-*-*
You can join us for either the morning, or the afternoon, or for the full-day experience, do both!
Who: Anyone who is interested in learning about our native dryland forests and caring for this incredible site is invited to be part of the restoration project. Participants of all ages and ability levels are welcome, but only registered KMWP volunteers can join the event. You must send in an RSVP and turn in your completed 2026 volunteer application forms by February 10th to be eligible.
The KMWP Events Calendar can be found here.
The 2026 volunteer forms and instructions can be found here.
We have 25 spots open for each session and they are filled on a first come first serve basis, any additional volunteers who sign up will be placed on a waiting list.
What: This service-learning day will be focused on invasive species removal to protect and support a thriving native forest and reduce fire risks for the community. There may be some seedball dispersal as well as planting, seed collection and brush clearing.
When:
Session 1: 9am - 12pm -- Check in at 8:45am at the Ala Mahamoe St. gate.
Session 2: 12:30pm - 3:30pm -- Check in at 12:15pm at the Ala Mahamoe St. gate.
Both: 9am - 3:30pm -- Check in at 8:45am at the Ala Mahamoe St. gate. ; Volunteer's Lunch break will be around 12:00pm to 12:45pm
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 opportunity to try their hand at dryland forest restoration and to connect with and learn about many beautiful native species and a few Polynesian introductions too. Our efforts in the area show how huge of an impact we can have on our land. With volunteers and the community on board, an invasive-dominated, fire-prone forest can be shifted to become a healthier, native habitat that would serve as a protective green break rather than a hazard. It is 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. This site is being built as a resource to sustain them and as a foundation for better things to come.
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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.
*If you have already turned in your completed 2025 volunteer forms and been accepted into the volunteer program, then all you need to do is RSVP. You can RSVP for events through the Outreach Calendar linked above or via email, but anyone who is not registered for 2026 will need to fill out the updated volunteer application forms. (See above for a link to the waiver forms and instructions)
Incomplete or incorrectly filled volunteer paperwork will be rejected, so be sure to check the instructions before you begin. We've included directions for filling forms via computer and smartphone.
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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 one of 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 tokoolaupartnership@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 dedicated volunteers.
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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
