News and Events


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More Trees, Please

More Trees, Please 14 March 2018

More Trees, Please

Rich Criley (TPSS) participated in the Trees for Honolulu’s Future workshop on March 9 by showing the series of Extension publications he has written called Expanding Tree Diversity in Hawai‘i’s Landscapes that provide alternatives for landscapers and home growers to the most commonly used trees.

Prune Your Plants

Prune Your Plants 14 March 2018

Prune Your Plants

Cooperative Extension’s Andrea Kawabata (TPSS) and Stuart Nakamoto (HNFAS), along with Tracie Matsumoto from USDA ARS DKI PBARC, hosted two coffee-pruning field days at the Kona Cooperative Extension and Research Station.

New Faces: Roshan Manandhar

New Faces: Roshan Manandhar 14 March 2018

New Faces: Roshan Manandhar

Welcome to Roshan Manandhar, who is joining the Cooperative Extension team in Kaua‘i County as an assistant Extension agent! Roshan has both MS and PhD degrees in entomology from UHM, with post-doctoral experience at Lincoln University in Missouri. 

Tropical Showcase

Tropical Showcase 14 March 2018

Tropical Showcase

The Variety Showcase Goes Tropical event hosted by GoFarm Hawai‘i and the Culinary Breeding Network at Kapi‘olani Community College was an exciting celebration that brought an array of exciting crop varietals together with culture and cuisine, blended brilliantly in bite-size tastings by local chefs.

Up, Up, and Away!

Up, Up, and Away! 7 March 2018

Up, Up, and Away!

Hawai‘i 4-H is highlighted in the National Institute for Food and Agriculture’s Annual Report. The section on youth development notes the STEM-enrichment activities, such as rocketry, that 4-H brings to youth in the Islands. 

New Faces: Casey Bohan

New Faces: Casey Bohan 28 February 2018

New Faces: Casey Bohan

Welcome to Casey Bohan, who has just started at Waiakea Research Station as an agricultural research technician. 

Farming After GoFarm

Farming After GoFarm 28 February 2018

Farming After GoFarm

The beginning-farmer training program GoFarm Hawai‘i held its first Alumni Conference on February 17, where over 100 participants from O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i Island came together to network and learn.

P-20 GENE-IUSES

P-20 GENE-IUSES 21 February 2018

P-20 GENE-IUSES

Staff from the Gene-ius Day program attended the 2018 Hawaii P-20 Middle School Career Industry Fair held on February 15 at the Hawaii Convention Center, introducing students to exciting career pathways in agriculture.

AG WITH A CAPITOL “A”

AG WITH A CAPITOL “A” 21 February 2018

AG WITH A CAPITOL “A”

CTAHR was out in force at the recent Ag Day at the Capitol, which gave legislators a glimpse of the many important impacts agriculture has in the Islands.

Welcome Nolan Johnson

Welcome Nolan Johnson 21 February 2018

Welcome Nolan Johnson

Nolan Johnson, a new agricultural research technician at Mealani Research Station and master’s candidate in Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences with an emphasis on irrigation management, has a background in golf course mangement and civil engineering.

THEY’RE AWARE

THEY’RE AWARE 14 February 2018

THEY’RE AWARE

Over 500 students and teachers attended the Agriculture and Environmental Awareness Day event at the Urban Garden Center to learn about the importance of agriculture and the environment in the community and to find out more about career opportunities in agriculture and environmental studies in Hawai‘i.

AGVENTURE HAS BEEN AN ADVENTURE!

AGVENTURE HAS BEEN AN ADVENTURE! 14 February 2018

AGVENTURE HAS BEEN AN ADVENTURE!

The 4-H AGventure program has just concluded its fifth year. Over a thousand 4th-graders had an opportunity to learn about Hawai‘i’s agriculture from the best of the best. 4-H AGventure owes its success to the support, dedication, and time of the many volunteers who work to make it so great!

Bright Roots

Bright Roots 7 February 2018

Bright Roots

There will be an open house showcasing observations of a colorful carrot variety trial conducted at the Poamoho Research Station on Wednesday, February 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Malama ‘Ulu

Malama ‘Ulu 7 February 2018

Malama ‘Ulu

Natural Resources and Environmental Management grad student Blaire Langston is holding a workshop on Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon in St. John 106 on how to participate in the ‘Ulu Phenology Project.

A Family (and Community) Man

A Family (and Community) Man 5 February 2018

A Family (and Community) Man

County Administrator Russell Messing was guest speaker at the recent Kaua‘i Association of Family and Community Education Achievement Day luncheon.

Isle Welcomes Isele

Isle Welcomes Isele 5 February 2018

Isle Welcomes Isele

Eli Isele joins CTAHR as the assistant Extension agent in sustainable agriculture in Hilo.

Oh Savannah!

Oh Savannah! 2 February 2018

Oh Savannah!

Recent Kansas State University graduate Savannah Katulski has bid goodbye to her mainland friends and joined CTAHR as livestock and 4-H Extension faculty member for Kaua‘i county.

Hot Topic

Hot Topic 2 February 2018

Hot Topic

CTAHR faculty and partners briefed elected officials and legislative staffers on the issue of wildfires in Hawai‘i on a field trip to the Waianae Mountains. 

Beefing Up 4-H Skills

Beefing Up 4-H Skills 2 February 2018

Beefing Up 4-H Skills

CTAHR livestock expert Kyle Caires is conducting clinics for 4-H youth on Hawai‘i and Maui islands.

No Beating this Bushe

No Beating this Bushe 2 February 2018

No Beating this Bushe

The floriculture and nursery industry honors CTAHR veteran and alumnus Brian Bushe for dedicated service to the college and the agricultural community in Hawai‘i.

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22 February 2019

Man on Fire

Man on Fire

Wildfires are a serious concern, in the Islands as well as on the Mainland. Wildland fire expert Clay Trauernicht (NREM) recently gave a presentation on this timely subject on Maui, hosted by the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. He pointed out to them that wildfires in Hawai‘i create an extra layer of damage that isn’t an issue on the Mainland: their effects can also harm coral reef systems. 

But that’s not the only problem—besides damage to marine environments, human and animal life, and property, wildfires can profoundly alter the percentage of native species growing in a given location. That’s because many invasive species, particularly introduced grasses, can grow back quickly after a fire, whereas many native species take so long to regrow that they’re outcompeted. Choosing to plant other vegetation, like trees that can shade out non-native grasses, is one way of reducing the fuel load that contributes to wildfires, Clay explained.

Prevention is crucial—72 percent of wildfires with known causes are accidental, which Clay says means that they can be avoided. Since over the past century there has been a fourfold increase in the acreage burned annually in Hawai‘i, the time for prevention is now!  

Clay had gone into even more detail about how to prevent wildland fires just the week before his presentation, in a letter to the editor of the Maui News. The letter, a response to an article published a few days before about the West Maui fires this past summer during Hurricane Lane, quoted many of those interviewed who were asking “What do we do?” In his response, Clay pointed out that there are indeed things we can do, not only reducing fuel loads but also watching out for ignition sources, which spark fires. And, offering some hope, he listed the many organizations and groups that are in fact working on these problems. 

You can read Clay’s letter to the editor here and check out a Maui News article about his presentation here.