Princeville Moʻolelo Series
We are pleased to partner with the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association Events Committee to present this engaging series. Together, we’ll be presenting informative free “talk story” events monthly in the Princeville Community Center to share the work and stories of conservation partners, Hawaiian cultural practitioners and more.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
January 14, 2025 - Jean Souza of NOAA and Kauaʻi Ocean Discovery will share information about the koholā (humpback whales)
These FREE talk story events are held at 5:00pm in the Princeville Community Center, 4334 Emmalani Drive, Princeville.
“The Importance of Wetlands, Current Threats & How We Help”
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by Helen Raine, members of the Detector Dog Team and representatives from USFWS.
The Princeville Moʻolelo series will continue on Tuesday, November 19th with another great collaborative free lecture! This month, we are honored to host an in-depth discussion of the importance of our wetlands and how the Refuge Complex collaborates with volunteers and partners in the community to help protect critically endangered waterbird populations.
Helen Raine of Pacific Birds Joint Habitat Venture will share information about the importance of wetlands to our wildlife, as well as the health and safety of our island communities. She will be joined by volunteers from the Conservation Dogs of Hawaiʻi Detector Dog Program, as they share how scent-trained dogs and their volunteer partners work together to help keep our wildlife safe. Join us to learn more and to find out how you can get involved and help!
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
“Finding Home, a Hawaiian Petrel’s Journey”
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by Caren Loebel-Fried with special guests André Raine & Robby Kohley.
The Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Join artist/author Caren Loebel-Fried for the launch of her new book, “Finding Home, A Hawaiian Petrel’s Journey,” published by University of Hawai‘i Press. Caren will share the behind-the-scenes of this inspiring story. Her adventures researching the endangered ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel) brought her to their colonies throughout the Hawaiian Islands and to Nihokū, within Kīlauea Point NWR, where Pacific Rim Conservation (PRC) and partners have undertaken an ambitious project to save these seabirds. Special guest speakers include André Raine (Archipelago Research & Conservation) and Robby Kohley (PRC) whose work with the ‘ua‘u inspired this story.
‘Ua‘u are endemic Hawaiian seabirds that soar huge distances day and night, powered by wind. They are guided by smell and an inner magnetic map, and only touch land once a year when they meet their life mate at their burrow and together raise one chick. For 60 million years, ‘ua‘u have made a living off the ocean, nesting in Hawai‘i far from predators. Hawaiian legends tell of seabirds darkening the sky as they returned from the sea, their guano washing down from the mountaintops, nourishing the land and offshore coral reefs. But, since the arrival of humans, ‘ua‘u numbers have plummeted to near extinction. “Finding Home, a Hawaiian Petrel’s Journey” is based on the true story of these amazing seabirds and the people working to save them.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
“Ka Pae ʻĀina O Hawaiʻi Nei”
Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by Kumu Hula Kehaulani Kekua of Hālau Palaihiwa O Kaʻipuwai and artist Kathleen Ho.
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, September 17th with a very special presentation by Kumu Hula Kehaulani Kekua of Halau Palaihiwa O Kaipuwai and artist Kathleen Ho.
“Ka Pae ʻĀina O Hawaiʻi Nei”, is a culturally centered educational program and a community created mosaic mural that is being offered by the Garden Island Arts Council. Join us in learning about the program and how to be further involved in future workshops, helping to create an 80-foot-long by 4-foot-high mosaic mural that depicts the entire Hawaiian Archipelago. A place-based inspired design for the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, the finished mosaic will be installed on the retaining wall that begins right outside the Visitor Center and Friends Nature Store.
“Ka Pae ʻĀina O Hawaiʻi Nei” Hawaiian Archipelago Mosaic Program blends Hawaiian culture, education, and art through integrated opportunities created for Kauaʻi’s community and visitors. Participants will learn about the Hawaiian Archipelago and have a tactile involvement in and ownership of a collaborative public art mural.
This mini workshop will be led by Kumu Hula Kehaulani Kekua of Hālau Palaihiwa O Kaʻipuwai and artist Kathleen Ho. Kumu Kehau brings her wealth of skills, passion, and commitment to sharing ancestral wisdom and perpetuating the traditions of her culture. She will introduce a cultural version of the birth of the Hawaiian Archipelago and a short oli (chant). Kathleen has done other community cultural-inspired mosaics throughout Kauaʻi. She will share the inspiration and intention of this large-scale project and facilitate the hands-on process of mosaic making.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The event will also be available by Zoom. At the day/time of the event, please click the link below to join us.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
“Help Save Our Shearwaters”
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by: Jacqueline Nelson
Senior Program Manager, Save Our Shearwaters
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 with Jacqueline Nelson, Senior Program Manager for Save Our Shearwaters (SOS).
Each year, from September to December, thousands of fledgling shearwaters and petrels make their first journey out to sea from the safety of their burrows. However, their first flight isn’t always so simple. They are instinctually guided by the light of the moon out to the ocean, but lights from urbanization can cause them to become disoriented and land in inappropriate locations. Once grounded they are usually unable to take flight again and become vulnerable to a wide variety of threats. This is referred to as "fallout", impacting hundreds of light-attracted shearwaters on Kaua‘i each year. With fallout season around the corner, Jacqueline will address ways to support native birds during this time and provide an overview of the Save Our Shearwaters program.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
The Propagation & Care of Hawaiian Plants
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by: Brendan Stogner & Ezikio Quintana of Limahuli Garden & Preserve
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 as horticulturalists Brendan Stogner and Ezikio Quintana of Limahuli Garden & Preserve will be presenting on the cultivation and care of native Hawaiian plants.
Topics covered will include Hawaiian botany, horticultural techniques, nursery management, and garden establishment / maintenance.
Live demonstrations will also be given, and attendees will be provided an extensive list of educational resources for further learning.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded and archived in two segments. Click below to view.
ʻAkikiki to Āholehole: Birds to fish and, even, us. The myriad of life that relies on a healthy ʻōhiʻa forest for life.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by: Kim Rogers & Haylin Chock, Outreach Specialists with
Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 with a special presentation by two members of the outreach team from our friends at the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee.
Kim Rogers will talk story about “ʻAkikiki to Āholehole: Birds to fish and even us,” as she shares information about the myriad of life that relies upon a healthy ʻōhiʻa forest for life.
Then, Haylin Chock will provide information about the threats we are facing due to invasive Little Fire Ants and Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles, and how we can each help.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
Kīlauea Town &
Plantation Days History
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by: Uncle Gary Smith
& Uncle Gary Pacheco
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 with a special presentation by two beloved local historians. Join us as Uncle Gary Smith and Uncle Gary Pacheco talk story about their Kīlauea Plantation Days experiences and share historical photos and stories about growing up in Kīlauea and helping to preserve its rich cultural history.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
“A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds”
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by: Scott Weidensaul
Even as scientists make astounding discoveries about the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch, humans have brought many migrants to the brink.
Based on his bestselling new book "A World on the Wing," author and researcher Scott Weidensaul takes you around the globe - with researchers in the lab probing the limits of what migrating birds can do, to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China and the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet - to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world's great bird migrations.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, April 16th at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
Inspirations of Hawaiʻi’s Wildlife Artist Patrick Ching
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by: Patrick Ching
Our Princeville Moʻolelo free lecture series will continue with a special presentation by Patrick Ching. Patrick discovered a passion for our native Hawaiian wildlife when he was young. He then channeled that passion into multiple careers – with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and as an award-winning artist and author.
Join us as Patrick shares delightful stories about his life and his work at Kīlauea Point NWR and the remote islands of Papahānaumokuākea, and how these have influenced his paintings, books, murals, children’s books and Painting in Paradise TV series. Selections of his work will also be available for sale, with proceeds benefiting Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges.
Free Lecture Series: Tuesday, February 27th at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
Celebrating and Supporting our Mōlī
Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 5:00pm
Presented by: Hob Osterlund
Hob Osterlund is a wildlife enthusiast who knows a lot about mōlī! She founded the Kauaʻi Albatross Network and dedicates her time to the preservation, protection and celebration of our beloved mōlī, or Laysan albatross, along with the other endangered wildlife of Kauaʻi. Hob is an award-winning author, photographer, birding guide, Safina Center Fellow, guest lecturer and more. In this presentation, you’ll enjoy her amazing photos and delightful stories and learn how you can help protect this important iconic species.
The North Shore of Kauaʻi is the only place in the world where this majestic species nests within a human community. This, and the challenges they face due to climate change, make it our kuleana to help protect these birds, which nested here long before human contact. Be a proud Kauaʻian and learn how you can help protect our mōlī and other endangered wildlife.
Free Lecture Series: Thursday, January 25th at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The presentation was recorded. Click below to view.
"Anini Watershed – Progress and Action Steps for 2024"
Sunday, December 17, 2023, 2:00pm
Presented by: Robin Knox, Reef Guardians
Chief Water Quality Scientist, Robin Knox, will provide an update on the Reef Guardians ‘Anini Watershed Characterization Report and share next steps on their work from mauka to makai impacting the lagoon from Kalihiwai to Hanalei.
Reef Guardians Hawaiʻi is a nonprofit environmental conservation organization based in Princeville with the mission to preserve Hawaiʻi's reefs through Research, Restoration and Education.
Reef Guardians was formed to address the decline of the coral reef ecosystems on Kaua’i and across Hawai’i and to work to restore their health for the benefit of the natural environment and the people who reside and visit.
Free event: Sunday, December 17, 2023 at 2pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The event was recorded. Click below to view.
"Seabird “discos” and other conservation projects on Kauaʻi"
Sunday, November 26, 2023, 3:00pm
Presented by: Dr. Andre Rainé, Science Director for Archipelago Research and Conservation
Join Dr. André Raine, Science Director for Archipelago Research and Conservation, for a talk on the latest seabird conservation projects on Kauaʻi. These include a project that creates a new disco for young shearwaters looking for a partner, another that takes us back to the days that seabirds were so numerous they darkened Kauaʻi's skies and the deployment of acoustic devices by helicopter on the spectacular Na Pali coast.
Free event: Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 3pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The recorded session is available below.
Is Roundup in our food make us fatter, sicker and sadder?
Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 5:00pm
Presented by: Dr. Lee A. Evslin
Are Roundup-type herbicides in our food and the environment making us sick? Research by scientists around the world is increasingly demonstrating that exposure to Roundup-type herbicides may be one of the most significant public health issues of our time. Dr. Evslin’s talk will present the evidence for harm and include steps individuals can take to decrease the risk.
Free event: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 5pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The recorded session is available below.
Passcode: B3k9*Sq%
(E kala mai! We experienced technical difficulties with the recording. The screen is black for the first 5:20 but shows properly once our speaker, Dr. Evslin, begins his presentation.)
Within the meeting, a possible alternative to Roundup was discussed. The company name is Contact Organics and the suggested glyphosate alternative is their two products used in tandem - “Weed Terminator 20" and "Boost”.
Help Save Our Shearwaters
Sunday, September 24, 2023, 3:00pm
Presented by: Jacqueline Nelson
Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager - Save Our Shearwaters
Each fall on Kauaʻi, community members and wildlife conservationists work together to support the fledging season for the critically endangered ʻaʻo, or Newell’s shearwaters. ʻAʻo live nowhere else in the world and they rear their young in burrows high up in the mountains of Kauaʻi. Because they use light to guide them, they can easily become distracted by man-made lights and crash to the ground, where they are also vulnerable to dogs, cats and cars. Thankfully, the team at Save Our Shearwaters is on hand to provide expert care that enables many of these downed birds to recover and successfully fledge out to sea. Learn more about the ʻaʻo, how you can help, and about other wildlife recovery work provided by this incredible partner in our community.
Free event: Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 3pm in the Princeville Community Center.
The recorded session is available below.
Passcode: 2nfJJG&R
Volunteer and Support our Local National Wildlife Refuges
Sunday, August 27, 2023, 3:00pm
Presented by: Kathleen Viernes
USFWS Park Ranger & Volunteer Coordinator
Join Kathleen Viernes, Volunteer Coordinator for the Kauaʻi National Wildlife Complex, as she shares the wonderful world of volunteerism at Kīlauea Point and Hanalei National Wildlife Refuges. Learn what it takes to become a volunteer, and what you can do to help Hawaiian wildlife and habitats by assisting with biological monitoring programs; conducting habitat management and native plant restoration; assisting with environmental education field trips and in classroom; sharing the natural history and cultural stories of our refuges as a roving interpreter; maintaining and building infrastructure through carpentry or maintenance. Meet some of our volunteers and hear their stories. Get ready to be inspired and motivated to join our volunteer ʻohana!
Free event: Sunday, August 27, 2023 at 3pm in the Princeville Community Center.
Click below to view the recorded session.
"How Wetlands Can Keep Us Dry...and Save Our Endangered Birds"
Sunday, July 30, 2023, 3:00pm
Presented by: Helen Raine
Hawai'i Conservation Coordinator
Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture
Helen Raine is a Conservation Specialist for Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture. In Hawai‘i, Pacific Birds focuses on wetlands across the Hawaiian Islands, working in partnership to increase the acreage and quality of wetland habitat for native and migratory birds. Helen has worked in conservation for over
19 years in England, Malta, Peru, Zambia and Hawaiʻi. She has an MSc in Conservation from University College London.
The recorded session is available below.
Passcode: Z=j#Nz7@
Detector Dog Program is Saving the Lives of Native Hawaiian Birds
Sunday, June 11, 2023, 3:00pm
Presented by: Debra Gochros & Karen Shrimpton
Conservation Dogs of Hawaiʻi Avian Botulism Detector Dog Program Volunteers
Debra and Karen will share information about an exciting collaboration between Conservation Dogs and Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Together, they are using trained scent detection dogs and human handlers to help identify sick and deceased birds afflicted with avian botulism. Their work has been proven to be much more effective than human-only survey efforts, greatly reduces the overall staffing needs to mitigate the impacts of avian botulism and is truly saving the lives of our native Hawaiian wetland birds, many of which are critically endangered.
In addition, they are also developing a new program to help locate downed seabirds, whose maiden flight out to sea has been disrupted due to the impacts of man-made lights, power lines or other factors.
Free event: Sunday, June 11, 2023 at 3pm in the Princeville Community Center.
We regret that this event will only be available in-person, and not via Zoom.
Resisting Extinction: Ensuring the Survival of Kauaʻi's Native Forest Birds
Sunday, May 21, 2023, 3:00pm
Presented by: Bryn Webber
Kaua‘i Mosquito Research Coordinator
Hawaiian honeycreepers continue to suffer from a wave of extinctions, driven by diseases carried by non-native mosquitoes. These diseases, such as avian malaria, are exacerbated by climate change because mosquitoes carrying avian malaria are moving further upslope into the upper elevation forests - the last refuge of Hawaiian forest birds. Without control or elimination of avian malaria’s vector, the southern house mosquito, several endangered honeycreepers will become extinct within the next one to ten years and the remaining species will continue to decline. The situation is particularly dire on our island of Kaua‘i, where the ‘akikiki has declined from 400 individuals in 2018 to 40 in 2023. The Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project and Birds Not Mosquitoes, a multi -agency collaboration, are working to mitigate the threat of avian malaria and protect our remaining ‘akikiki from extinction. In this presentation, we will uncover the strategies and innovative conservation tools that we are implementing over the next several years. Please join us as we share the many ways that the community can help advance our collective efforts to ensure the survival of our precious forest birds.
Bio: Bryn re-joined KFBRP in March of 2023 as the Kaua‘i Mosquito Research Coordinator in partnership with the American Bird Conservancy. She obtained her master’s in wildlife science from Oregon State University in 2022 aft er spending the majority of the pandemic studying reproductive success of the endangered ‘alae ‘ula across taro and managed wetlands at Hanalei NWR. Bryn has worked in conservation on Kaua‘i since 2016, where she began by monitoring sea and waterbirds at the Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex. From 2017-2018, she worked for KFBRP and then led a project studying Culex mosquitoes in the Alaka‘i Plateau for Dennis LaPointe at the USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center in 2018-2019.
Photo Credits: ‘akikiki - Justin Hite, apapane - Jack Jeffrey
Passcode for Recorded Presentation: D$QG5V.f (include the “.”)
We apologize for the technical difficulties we encountered in the first few minutes of the presentation. They are resolved by the time we introduce the speaker at 10:00 into the recording. Feel free to fast forward to that point and enjoy!
The Hawaiʻi Audubon Society celebrates native birds with citizen science.
Sunday, April 16, 2023, 3pm
Presented by: Susan Scott, president Hawaiʻi Audubon Society
The subject of Hawaiʻi’s birds nearly always contains bad news about extinction, disease, invasive species, and habitat loss. Several of our native birds, however, have adapted to the changes we’ve made to the birds’ natural environments. In spite of lights, traffic, lawn mowers, introduced predators and ever-present human company, Hawaiʻi’s kōlea (Pacific golden-plovers), manu o kū (white terns) and ‘ua’u kani (wedge-tailed shearwaters) thrive like never before. Even so, countless questions remain about the species. This year, the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society chose to highlight these ambassadors of adaptation through citizen science projects in which residents and visitors help collect facts about the birds. The more we learn, the better we can help these remarkable birds continue to live with us.
Bio:
Susan Scott wrote a weekly column called Ocean Watch for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser from 1987 to 2020, and is the author often books about nature in Hawaiʻi. Two recent books are about kōlea (Pacific golden-plovers), manu o kū (white terns.) In 2020, Susan helped revise the 7th edition of the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society’s book, Hawaiʻi’s Birds.
Susan’s interest in Hawaii’s native birds resulted in the HAS Board of Directors electing her president of the Society in January, 2022. Susan, a former registered nurse, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Hawaii and is a graduate of the university’s Marine Option Program, where she studied science journalism. As a volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Susan has counted albatrosses at Midway, tagged crabs on Palmyra, and rescued monk seals and sea turtles at French Frigate Shoals. Susan’s newspaper column was discontinued due to the pandemic, but through her website and work with Audubon, she continues sharing her enthusiasm for Hawaii’s remarkable native species.
Passcode for Recorded Presentation: nFA53WV. (include the “.”)
Celebrating the Mōlī
Sunday, March 19, 2023, 3pm
Presented by: Hob Osterlund
Hob Osterlund is a wildlife enthusiast who knows a lot about mōlī! She founded the Kauaʻi Albatross Network and dedicates her time to the preservation, protection and celebration of our beloved mōlī, or Laysan albatross, along with the other endangered wildlife of Kaua’i. Hob is an award-winning author, photographer, birding guide, Safina Center Fellow, guest lecturer and more.
In this presentation, you’ll enjoy her amazing photos and delightful stories and learn how you can help protect this important iconic species.
During our session, we experienced some technical difficulties. If you wish to view our recorded session, we will post it soon.
Alternately, we have posted below a link to a prior presentation given by Hob on the same topic, which we believe you may enjoy.
Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges
Sunday, February 26, 2023, 3pm
Presented by: Thomas Daubert, Executive Director
Thomas will share information about the work of Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges, which serves as the dedicated non-profit “Friends Group” established to support the work of our three national wildlife refuges on Kauaʻi including Hanalei NWR, Hulēʻia NWR and Kīlauea Point NWR. Learn how they help, how you can get involved and a bit more about the threated and endangered native Hawaiian wildlife our island supports.
Click below to view the archived Zoom recording of the presentation. You will need to enter the Passcode: 4^VJrMCd