Activity Report Explorer

Alaska Soles • Entered by Kathy O’Reilly-Doyle on January 18, 2024

Stewardship Project – Mokoi Preserve, Molokai Land Trust

December 6, 2023 – December 14, 2023

Key Issue: Multiple apply
Activity Type: Stewardship (monitoring, sampling, planting, etc.)
Key Partners: Molokai Land Trust

Short Description of Activity

Volunteer with Molokai Trust on Stewardship Projects. Site preparation and planting of native plants on Mokoi Preserve. Also volunteered in their greenhouse with propagation and tending to seedlings.

Reflection/Evaluation

My objective was to dedicate time during my stay on the island of Molokai contributing to the habitat restoration efforts on the Island and meeting others that were committed to conservation efforts. I reached out to the Molokai Land Trust and Ali Lucus, Volunteer Coordination for the Molokai Land Trust, responded quickly with a “Yes, she had projects and could use volunteer assistance.” Ali provided a rich volunteer experience, putting me to work on the incredible Mokoi Preserve and in their greenhouse, and ending each day with a tour of the Mokoi Preserve and restoration project site. Ali also provided me with an explanation of the history of the island and the Mokoi Preserve, the richness of the endemic plants and the ecosystem of the island.

This was my first time incorporating volunteer time into a trip planned for other purposes. I contributed 25 hours. It was a great experience and I plan to return to Molokai again to volunteer and to look for similar opportunities on other trips. At the last minute a friend joined me on the island and was happy to contribute as well, donating an addition 9 hours of volunteer service on the Mokoi Preserve and greenhouse.

I would encourage others to seek out similar experiences on their travels. I spoke with Ali about the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, and just the name of our organization brought a smile to her face. She said she would love to have more Broads showing up to get involved in the restoration efforts with the Molokai Land Trust.

If anyone else is interested in exploring volunteer opportunities with the Molokai Land Trust, Ali Lucas can be reached at: 808-658-0971 or Ali@molokailandtrust.org. You will need to make your own arrangements for lodging and a rental vehicle. They have future plans to build a bunkhouse near their greenhouse to accommodate volunteers, but are not sure when that will become a reality.

After spending two weeks on the island and being addressed as “Auntie” everywhere I went I have decided to use that as my new personal pronoun, as it makes me smile.

Since many of us Broads are of the same vintage, I have to add this story. One of the native plants we worked with in the greenhouse and planted on the Mokoi site had the common name “Wiliwili” or Erythrina sandwicensis. My brain flashed back to earlier years and I started singing the song “Little Willy” by Sweet (find it on Youtube). Ali and my friend had never heard of it, so I had to treat them to an acapella version.

Photos/Uploads

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Photo Captions

View from Mokoi Preserve. Broads in Action. Ali Lucas, Volunteer Coordinator Molokai Land Trust, Ali Lucas, at Molokai Land Trust Native Plant Nursery.