RARE MINT PLANT DISCOVERED IN SCHOFIELD BARRACKS WEST RANGE. On June 22, 2004 Army Natural Resource Staff (NRS) on Oahu made a significant discovery at Schofield Barracks. Stenogyne kanehoana, an endangered mint, was discovered below Mt. Kaala and above the Schofield Barracks live-fire range in the Waianae Mountains. This plant has only ever been found in one other gulch in the Waianae Mountains. The only other plant known currently is found in Kaluaa gulch in Nature Conservancy’s Honouliuli Preserve and is in poor health. This new population in Haleauau gulch is only the second site where S. kanehoana has ever been collected and the plant is very healthy and robust. The sprawling mat of S. kanehoana covers a 5X5 meter area. NRS are excited about the opportunity to work more with this taxon and further its conservation. NRS have collected cuttings from the plant and they are being propagated at the Army’s Plant Propagation facility. In addition NRS have fenced the plant to protect it from pig damage and controlled introduced plant species in the vicinity of the S. kanehoana.

ARMY PARTNERS WITH THE STATE OF HAWAII TO PROTECT MOUNT KAALA by Daniel Toibero. The flat summit forest portion of Mt. Kaala is characterized by drenched, mossy soils and is considered to be an immature bog. The sloped region contains both wet forests with very organic soils and windward-facing cliff habitat. Mt. Kaala is home to some of the most pristine forests in the Waianae Mountains. Also a number of endangered species can be found atop Mt. Kaala.

The Army’s NRS during the past year have teamed up with the State of Hawaii, the Board of Water Supply, and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii to protect the summit of Mt. Kaala from the impacts of feral pigs. Over the past year, strategic fencing has been erected designed to completely exclude pigs from Kaala’s sensitive ecosystem. All partners have contributed staff hours to complete this project, which included surveying and clearing the fenceline, and of course fence building. The fence will protect plants such as Labordia cyrtandrae, Alsinidendron trinerve, Cyanea acuminata, Cyanea calycina, and Melicope christophersenii. Although the fencing is complete, efforts are still underway to remove the remaining pigs from the fence enclosure. Soon the forest atop Mt. Kaala will be pig free and recovering.

SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM AT PTA. The Imi Pono no ka Aina Program recently concluded its 6th annual Summer Enrichment Program. Held during the month of July, this environmental education program offers hands-on, field-based activities for 6th through 12th grade students from various schools on the Big Island. Pohakuloa Training Area is one of several sites the group of 27 students visited this summer. Accompanied by Cultural Resources Staff (CRS) Bill Godby and James Head, the students were treated to a viewing of ancient Hawaiian artifacts in PTA’s curation facility and replicas of cultural features constructed in the garden area fronting the PTA Environmental Office. A trip to the west side of Pohakuloa Training Area afforded them an opportunity to see other cultural resources such as caves and workshop areas where stone tools were once fashioned by the ancient Hawaiians. The students also helped install site markers near cave entrances and created dead wood barriers with sticks to block ungulates from entering and potentially damaging the resources within.

In addition to its rich cultural heritage, Pohakuloa is home to many species of native plants. Biologist Travis Belt was on hand to educate the students about Pohakuloa’s unique dryland ecosystem, flora, and conservation issues. The group helped Travis collect Eragrostis atropioides seeds, a native grass that will be used for rehabilitating an area currently dominated by introduced weeds. They also cleared a variety of weed species to allow the endangered Silene lanceolata room to flourish. Lastly, they helped construct three fence exclosures to protect populations of another rare species, Tetramolopium arenarium.

The students had a wonderful time at PTA and came away with good feelings having done something positive for the environment. They also gained confidence in and respect for the U.S Army for managing the natural and cultural resources that many of them are directly connected to as Native Hawaiians.

Imi Pono no ka Aina is a partnership program which involves Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, US Army Garrison Hawaii, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Kuhea Paracuelles is the Environmental Educator for the program and can be reached at (808) 985-6196 or via e-mail at Kuhea_Paracuelles@contractor.nps.gov.

PIG HUNTERS VOLUNTEER AT PTA. Volunteers from the Hawai`i Pig Hunters Association came up to Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) on Sunday, April 27 to help out PTA’s Natural Resources Staff control a nasty introduced weed – fountain grass! Nineteen people came up to spend their Sunday with us at sunny PTA hand pulling and chopping away the tenacious plants. Fountain grass originally comes from north-west Africa and is one of the worst invasive plant pests in Hawaii. It was originally brought to our beautiful islands as an ornamental, which then escaped from people’s gardens and is now prevalent throughout most dryland ecosystems on the Big Island.

Thanks to the many skilled and strong hands that helped us out, a large area of habitat has been freed from fountain grass. Many thanks to the volunteers from the Hawaii Pig Hunters Association! Mahalo!

AND NOT TO BE OUTDONE...Giving Nature a helping hand - Pohakuloa Training Area biologist Sean Gleason (L) pats the earth around his newly-planted Lance-leaf Catchfly (Silene lanceolata) as PTA Commander, Lt. Col. Fred Clarke, looks on. Gleason, Clarke and other members of the Natural Resources Staff planted about two dozen of the endangered plants in a protected habitat deep in the training area. According to Kathy Kawakami, a horticulturalist with the PTA Environmental Office, only about 2,000 Lance-leaf Catchfly plants exist in the wild and an estimated 1,000 of those are at PTA.

THE YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS VOLUNTEERS ON OAHU by Kapua Kawelo. Where would we be without our volunteer groups? A big 'Mahalo' to the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) for assisting our program on numerous projects during the month of July. The Youth Conservation Corps is a program funded by the State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Kamehameha Schools to hire young students to work in the field of conservation for a summer. The YCC exposes them to the different career opportunities available in the conservation biology field. The YCC attracts both high school and college students who have an interest in conserving Hawaii’s natural resources.

The YCC worked with the Army’s Oahu Natural Resources Program for four consecutive days in July. They assisted in our annual rare plant reintroduction monitoring, which involved measuring the height and basal diameter of the plants and recording plant vigor and reproductive status. In addition, they controlled Koa Haole (Leucaena leucocephala) around the endangered `Akoko (Chamaesyce celastroides var. kaenana) plant in the Lower Ohikilolo Management Unit, Makua Valley. They helped control Koster’s Curse (Clidemia hirta) in the Kahanahaiki Management Unit. They spent their last day with our program pulling Australian Saltbush in the vicinity of the endangered `Akoko plant at Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve.

Working with the YCC and other students groups provides us the opportunity to showcase and share the beautiful natural resources on Army training lands. Also it gives us hope to work with wonderful young people who understand the importance of conserving Hawaii’s unique natural resources for future generations.

ARMY HIRES NEW NATURAL RESOURCES PROGRAM MANAGER. Welcome to Michelle Mansker, senior Biologist with oversight of Army natural resources programs on both Oahu and the Big Island. Michelle grew up in Buffalo New York and received her a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a concentration in Botany from Coastal Carolina University in 1995. She earned her Master's degree in Botany from the University of Hawaii in 2000. She began her career working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service from 1999 to 2004. She helped design and write the Critical Habitat designations for 255 Hawaiian plants, helped work with private landowners interested in conservation, and specialized in Army Issues on Oahu between 2002 and 2004. While working on the Army issues, Michelle "became very interested in the process of balancing the military mission with conservation in Hawaii." She is convinced that " 1) If the Army did not own Makua and other areas on Oahu and Big Island we would have less endangered species because they would be extinct, 2) It is possible to balance the military mission and conservation, 3) In my new job I am in a very unique position to get a lot accomplished on the ground, and 4) The Army has one of the most dedicated Natural Resources staff who does the greatest for the species of any agency in Hawaii. This is what led me to take the Natural Resource Program Manager position with the Army. In addition, I found dealing with Army personnel to be a very pleasant experience. I was always treated with respect, my judgment was trusted, and I saw the people I dealt with acted as if they were part of a larger family. We are all team players who are trusted to make the right decisions. I thoroughly enjoy working with everyone here."

Susan Ching. Susan began work with our program as the Oahu Implementation Plan Project Manager in June. Susan is from Mililani, Oahu. She brings a strong Botany background to our program. Susan received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Botany from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She previously worked with the Genetic Safety Net to help manage the most critically endangered plants on Oahu. Susan is passionate about conservation. We look forward to utilizing her knowledge of rare plants. Aloha Susan!

Krista Winger. Krista began work as an RCUH Database GIS Manager in September. She is in charge of compiling maps for our reports and creating new databases to facilitate data management. Krista received a B.A. in Geography with an emphasis in Geographic Information Systems from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, and has lived on Oahu for five years. Krista enjoys hiking, going to the beach and making jewelry. She is well versed in GIS and computers in general. We know that she will be an important asset to our team. Aloha Krista!

Leanne Obra. Leanne began work as a RCUH Natural Resource Technician in October. She received her B. S. in Horticulture at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Leanne was previously employed by the state of Hawaii, working as a horticulturalist at the greenhouse located at the old Nike missile site above Mokuleia. She currently lives in Ewa Beach with her dog Girlie, but was born and raised in Mililani, Oahu. Leanne is energetic and hard working. Her knowledge of native plant propagation will greatly benefit our team. Aloha Leanne!

Dan Foreman. Dan began work as a RCUH Natural Resource Technician in October. Dan received his Masters in Natural Resource Management from Washington State University. He completed his Bachelors in American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he also received a Marine Option Program certificate of completion. Dan previously taught Hawaiian Studies at Waianae High school, where he brought his students out into the field to work with us. He currently lives in Mililani, but was born and raised in Kaimuki, Oahu. Dan is dedicated and patient. We know that he will strengthen our team. Aloha Dan!

Robert Romualdo. Robert began work as a RCUH Natural Resource Technician in April. He was born and raised in Wahiawa, Oahu. Robert received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He was employed as a summer intern for our program during the summer of 2003. He has also worked with The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii. During his internship Robert was exposed to all areas of our work from ungulate control, weed control, and rat control to native plant identification, fence building, and snail monitoring. He enjoys hunting and surfing on the weekends. Robert’s good work ethic and frequent duets with fellow coworker Dominic have made him a valuable addition to our team. Aloha Rob!