In 1913, after conducting extensive surveys of the vegetation at Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Ranch, the famous Hawai‘i botanist Joseph Rock described Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a as “the richest floral section of any in the whole Territory.” Today, despite loss of native forest to wildfire, exotic species, and drought, remnants of this botanical treasure persist. According to the Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Biological Assessment completed by Jon Giffin in 2003, at least 182 native vascular plants in 69 families are known from this region. Of these, 15 endangered plant species occur in the area, some of which are found nowhere else in the Hawaiian Islands.
This evening Elliott Parsons, Natural Area Reserves Specialist for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, introduces some of the most interesting botanical treasures at Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a, what we have learned about their ecology and threats to their survival, and what is being done to protect and restore them.
Free to Lyman Museum members; $3 nonmembers.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for evening public programs.
Limited seating; first come, first seated.
Additional parking next door at Hilo Union School ON MONDAY EVENING ONLY!
