Larissa Treese
To dig deeper into our solution we were assigned to email a professional who has had some experience in the solution we chose. So, we decided to email Larissa Treese, a professional who works with the Coral Reef Alliance. We emailed her with some questions pertaining to our solution that she may have had some intel on.
The email chain went similarly this:
Aloha,
I’m Siena Schwartz, and my team members are: Rachel Holmberg and Katie Summers. We’re in Amanda Wilsons biology class and getting mentored by Lily Solano as freshman from Kihei Charter School.
Our group’s project is focusing on protecting our coral reefs and how we can do that by planting native plants, which is why we are contacting you.
We know that you must be extremely busy with Coral Reef Alliance. If you have time, we would love to be able to get your input on a few questions we have:
1.) What types of native plants do you plant and why?
We did research on what flourished in the same area historically, before the land was leveled and the plantation fields put into place. We also needed to find species that would thrive in hot, barren lands that don’t get a lot of rain.
Grasses: Pili, Kāwelu, ‘Uki ‘uki
Ground coverings: ‘Ilima, Pā‘ū o Hi‘iaka
Shrubs: A‘ali‘i, Ma‘o, Āweoweo, ‘Ūlei
Trees: Koai‘a, Wili wili, Milo, Kamani
2.) Where do the plants need to be planted? Why?
The reason why we’re working in the mid slope region is:
1) no one else is working there
2) it has shown that it is an important area that causes some of the most amount of erosion, therefore sedimentation
3) there is a great need due to the negative impact that the abandoned fields have caused. When the lands were cleared, they used bulldozers to dump the excess dirt into stream gulches. During high rainy seasons, that sediment, called ‘legacy sediment’, gets taken down the stream where it ends up into the ocean. Along with that, clearing of the land left it easy for invasive plants to settle and thrive. Invasives grow quicker than natives, and take away their water resources as well.
That is why we are planting the native plants, first a row of native grasses on the abandoned road perpendicular to it so that it acts as a berm call a Best Management Practice (BMP), slowing the water velocity, which gives the sediment a chance to settle and groundwater infiltration to happen. Then once the sediment is accumulated behind those rows, it is easier to plant native shrubs and trees, which in return is restoring the watershed back to its original form.
3.) What does the planting of the plants do to help our coral reefs?
The reason why we focus on native plants is due to the resilience they have in their natural habitat. They also provide habitat for native animals and are fire resistant (they need less water since they hold more in than invasives, making it harder for them to burn). We are experimenting with a variety of combinations. It’s important to trap different sizes of dirt, but the clay is the one that is easiest transported down to the ocean and does the most harm by being resuspended continuously. By keeping this sediment off the reefs, it hinders one of the largest stressors of coral reefs once it makes its way to the ocean. We’ve done the research and found out that each BMP traps up to one ton of sediment in one year!
4.) How does this tie into climate change resilience?
Corals are hardy, and with one or 2 stressors for a limited time they can rebound quickly. When there are multiple land stressors with increased temperatures, it decreases their chances for survival. Removing as many stressors we can on land, the better the chances are the corals can survive.
5.) How could the county help your organization?
While during our work, we are creating Standard Operating Procedures, Case Studies and descriptions of what we are doing, what is working and lessons learned. Once we finalize these papers, we plan on sharing these to the county, hoping that they can adopt these practices and share with others. During land development, it is our hope that it will become mandatory that before they clear out land, they install these BMPs, putting aside some money in their budget to do so. That way, if there is any rain lag time between building, these BMPs will collect the sediment before it makes it way down to the ocean. Making it so they pay for it themselves will help spread the responsibility and help keep them accountable. This will also help the effect that one organization with a small team can accomplish. Plants and their root systems trap dirt on land. Without them it quickly and easily goes straight into the ocean, many times with pesticides, land pollutants, plastics and chemicals as well.
6.) What would implementation on a government level look like?
To have the support of the government would make the largest impact. They can share these methods and install rules and regulations across the board. This will share the knowledge of the benefits with the public.]
7.) What could we do as a small high school group to help?
I think it is so important that more people know about these efforts. Learning what we can do on land to help save coral reefs (which is a lot easier to do than in the ocean) will make the biggest impact. Sharing this information would be so helpful! Knowing that you have voices and can speak up at community meetings in support of rules and regulations be instilled, especially where it comes to new development. Volunteering with Coral Reef Alliance or other organizations that are working to help save coral reefs also makes a huge impact by helping small organizations that have small budgets to continue their work. Continuing the work started or think of other efforts that would help to ensure that we never get complacent or take advantage of where we live and how we can help.
8.) Do you know about how much it would cost for implementation?
Each BMP row costs on the average $170 dollars. On average, we can install around 7 of them in a day with a minimum of 3 people. The cost of labor (average $25 per hour) would be around $600. So far we have installed around 77, which will be costing around $6,600 and covering a the span of a degraded road that is about 2,000 feet long by 100 feet wide.
77 BMPs x $170 = $13,090
11 days x cost of labor = $6,600
TOTAL = $19,690
There are other hidden costs too; marketing, employee insurance, vehicle rentals. This is why it is so imperative that volunteers are utilized. They help keep the costs significantly lower, which means more can be accomplished!
All of these questions were asked to improve our project and further our understanding of the solution at hand.
The email chain went similarly this:
Aloha,
I’m Siena Schwartz, and my team members are: Rachel Holmberg and Katie Summers. We’re in Amanda Wilsons biology class and getting mentored by Lily Solano as freshman from Kihei Charter School.
Our group’s project is focusing on protecting our coral reefs and how we can do that by planting native plants, which is why we are contacting you.
We know that you must be extremely busy with Coral Reef Alliance. If you have time, we would love to be able to get your input on a few questions we have:
1.) What types of native plants do you plant and why?
We did research on what flourished in the same area historically, before the land was leveled and the plantation fields put into place. We also needed to find species that would thrive in hot, barren lands that don’t get a lot of rain.
Grasses: Pili, Kāwelu, ‘Uki ‘uki
Ground coverings: ‘Ilima, Pā‘ū o Hi‘iaka
Shrubs: A‘ali‘i, Ma‘o, Āweoweo, ‘Ūlei
Trees: Koai‘a, Wili wili, Milo, Kamani
2.) Where do the plants need to be planted? Why?
The reason why we’re working in the mid slope region is:
1) no one else is working there
2) it has shown that it is an important area that causes some of the most amount of erosion, therefore sedimentation
3) there is a great need due to the negative impact that the abandoned fields have caused. When the lands were cleared, they used bulldozers to dump the excess dirt into stream gulches. During high rainy seasons, that sediment, called ‘legacy sediment’, gets taken down the stream where it ends up into the ocean. Along with that, clearing of the land left it easy for invasive plants to settle and thrive. Invasives grow quicker than natives, and take away their water resources as well.
That is why we are planting the native plants, first a row of native grasses on the abandoned road perpendicular to it so that it acts as a berm call a Best Management Practice (BMP), slowing the water velocity, which gives the sediment a chance to settle and groundwater infiltration to happen. Then once the sediment is accumulated behind those rows, it is easier to plant native shrubs and trees, which in return is restoring the watershed back to its original form.
3.) What does the planting of the plants do to help our coral reefs?
The reason why we focus on native plants is due to the resilience they have in their natural habitat. They also provide habitat for native animals and are fire resistant (they need less water since they hold more in than invasives, making it harder for them to burn). We are experimenting with a variety of combinations. It’s important to trap different sizes of dirt, but the clay is the one that is easiest transported down to the ocean and does the most harm by being resuspended continuously. By keeping this sediment off the reefs, it hinders one of the largest stressors of coral reefs once it makes its way to the ocean. We’ve done the research and found out that each BMP traps up to one ton of sediment in one year!
4.) How does this tie into climate change resilience?
Corals are hardy, and with one or 2 stressors for a limited time they can rebound quickly. When there are multiple land stressors with increased temperatures, it decreases their chances for survival. Removing as many stressors we can on land, the better the chances are the corals can survive.
5.) How could the county help your organization?
While during our work, we are creating Standard Operating Procedures, Case Studies and descriptions of what we are doing, what is working and lessons learned. Once we finalize these papers, we plan on sharing these to the county, hoping that they can adopt these practices and share with others. During land development, it is our hope that it will become mandatory that before they clear out land, they install these BMPs, putting aside some money in their budget to do so. That way, if there is any rain lag time between building, these BMPs will collect the sediment before it makes it way down to the ocean. Making it so they pay for it themselves will help spread the responsibility and help keep them accountable. This will also help the effect that one organization with a small team can accomplish. Plants and their root systems trap dirt on land. Without them it quickly and easily goes straight into the ocean, many times with pesticides, land pollutants, plastics and chemicals as well.
6.) What would implementation on a government level look like?
To have the support of the government would make the largest impact. They can share these methods and install rules and regulations across the board. This will share the knowledge of the benefits with the public.]
7.) What could we do as a small high school group to help?
I think it is so important that more people know about these efforts. Learning what we can do on land to help save coral reefs (which is a lot easier to do than in the ocean) will make the biggest impact. Sharing this information would be so helpful! Knowing that you have voices and can speak up at community meetings in support of rules and regulations be instilled, especially where it comes to new development. Volunteering with Coral Reef Alliance or other organizations that are working to help save coral reefs also makes a huge impact by helping small organizations that have small budgets to continue their work. Continuing the work started or think of other efforts that would help to ensure that we never get complacent or take advantage of where we live and how we can help.
8.) Do you know about how much it would cost for implementation?
Each BMP row costs on the average $170 dollars. On average, we can install around 7 of them in a day with a minimum of 3 people. The cost of labor (average $25 per hour) would be around $600. So far we have installed around 77, which will be costing around $6,600 and covering a the span of a degraded road that is about 2,000 feet long by 100 feet wide.
77 BMPs x $170 = $13,090
11 days x cost of labor = $6,600
TOTAL = $19,690
There are other hidden costs too; marketing, employee insurance, vehicle rentals. This is why it is so imperative that volunteers are utilized. They help keep the costs significantly lower, which means more can be accomplished!
All of these questions were asked to improve our project and further our understanding of the solution at hand.
Joe Imhoff
The second expert that we contacted was a native plant expert who dedicates his time to conserving Maui's native plants and forests. He works for various organizations with the main goal of enhancing Hawaii's forest ecosystems. We asked him some questions to help us better understand our project, and here was his response:
1.) What native plants are the best to replant?
Maui has many diverse microclimate zones like the alpine shrublands on the summit of Haleakala or the super wet rain forest in Hana . The best plants to replant are the plants that would have grown in each specific region prior to human contact. You would not plant a silver sword in Kihei, and you would never plant a koa tree on the very top of Haleakala. Native plants are very diverse depending on where in Maui you are.
2.) Where on Maui should they be replanted?
Maui has lost more than 80% of all native habitat. Native plants should be replanted as much as possible in areas where they will be cared for and safe from ungulate (pigs and deer) grazing pressure.
3.) What habitat(s) do they need?
Hawai’i has the highest rate of endemic plants on earth. Lobelia flowers for example were so diverse, there were subspecies of lobelia that were endemic to one valley that were slightly different than the valley next to it. Unfortunately 2/3 of all endemic species in Hawai’i have gone extinct. Habitats are severely degraded and the extremely rare species we have left will not survive in the current state of the ecosystem. I manage a restoration project area in Kula that had 0 native plants in 2003. Now we have more than 14,000 native trees, shrubs, and ferns growing at our site. We have to start with pioneer species that grow quicker and produce native leaf litter that creates a blanket of mulch on the forest floor. This decomposition of leaf material attracts native micro organisms in the top soil that feed plants. Now that we have re-established this regenerative forest system, we are going to start planting extremely rare and endangered plants at our site in a few months. Every landscape has its set of challenges and various methods of ecosystem CPR.
4.) How would we acquire the plants?
Natuve nursery in Kula is a great resource. I have access to forest areas where seed collection is possible when the time is right.
5.) How would we find land to plant them on?
Ask land owners, schools, parks, etc. The more people in the community ask for permission to plant native plants, we will be able to restore the true ecological identity of Maui.
6.) Are there certain native plants that plant best in coastal regions?
Yes, there are many coastal plants that are amazing. My expertise is more in the montane mesic forest but there are experts who know all about coastal restoration.
7.) Are there any coastal regions that need replanting on Maui?
Yes, Hawai’i Islands Land trust @ Waihee dunes is a ln amazing restoration project. Also Kealia pond that is south of the Humane society has been planting all kinds of native plants to also help mitigate wildfire.
1.) What native plants are the best to replant?
Maui has many diverse microclimate zones like the alpine shrublands on the summit of Haleakala or the super wet rain forest in Hana . The best plants to replant are the plants that would have grown in each specific region prior to human contact. You would not plant a silver sword in Kihei, and you would never plant a koa tree on the very top of Haleakala. Native plants are very diverse depending on where in Maui you are.
2.) Where on Maui should they be replanted?
Maui has lost more than 80% of all native habitat. Native plants should be replanted as much as possible in areas where they will be cared for and safe from ungulate (pigs and deer) grazing pressure.
3.) What habitat(s) do they need?
Hawai’i has the highest rate of endemic plants on earth. Lobelia flowers for example were so diverse, there were subspecies of lobelia that were endemic to one valley that were slightly different than the valley next to it. Unfortunately 2/3 of all endemic species in Hawai’i have gone extinct. Habitats are severely degraded and the extremely rare species we have left will not survive in the current state of the ecosystem. I manage a restoration project area in Kula that had 0 native plants in 2003. Now we have more than 14,000 native trees, shrubs, and ferns growing at our site. We have to start with pioneer species that grow quicker and produce native leaf litter that creates a blanket of mulch on the forest floor. This decomposition of leaf material attracts native micro organisms in the top soil that feed plants. Now that we have re-established this regenerative forest system, we are going to start planting extremely rare and endangered plants at our site in a few months. Every landscape has its set of challenges and various methods of ecosystem CPR.
4.) How would we acquire the plants?
Natuve nursery in Kula is a great resource. I have access to forest areas where seed collection is possible when the time is right.
5.) How would we find land to plant them on?
Ask land owners, schools, parks, etc. The more people in the community ask for permission to plant native plants, we will be able to restore the true ecological identity of Maui.
6.) Are there certain native plants that plant best in coastal regions?
Yes, there are many coastal plants that are amazing. My expertise is more in the montane mesic forest but there are experts who know all about coastal restoration.
7.) Are there any coastal regions that need replanting on Maui?
Yes, Hawai’i Islands Land trust @ Waihee dunes is a ln amazing restoration project. Also Kealia pond that is south of the Humane society has been planting all kinds of native plants to also help mitigate wildfire.