The Hawai‘i Service Trip Program (also called HSTP) was started in the early 1970s and is an...
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Transcript of The Hawai‘i Service Trip Program (also called HSTP) was started in the early 1970s and is an...
The Hawai‘i Service Trip Program (also called HSTP) was started in the early 1970s and is an activity section of the Sierra Club’s Hawai‘i Chapter.
HSTP is the action arm of theSierra Club and as such hasrun nearly 100 one- to two-week service trips to Kaua‘i,Moloka‘i, Maui, Lana‘i, andHawai‘i.
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We have also coordinated the construction of trails on O‘ahu,including ‘Aihualama, Nahuina-Moleka, and Maunawili.These trails were built mostly on weekends and involvedhundreds of individual volunteers.
Off- O‘ahu service trips into Hawai‘i’s backcountry, however, are the backbone of HSTP, what we are most proud of, andwhat we are inviting you to participate in.
A service trip offers theexperience of a lifetime,helps the environment,teaches cooperation,gets you to places fewpeople ever get to see,teaches outdoor skills,and lets you learn a lotabout yourself.
HSTP service trips fall into three main categories:
1) trail-building and repair,
2) fence-building, and
3) exotic plant control.
The first step in building a new trail is to flag the route, takinginto account the topography, rare plants along the way, andthe stability of the slope.
Next, a brushing crew comes along to clear a swath thatextends both above and below the trail route. A narrowservice trail is usually cut at this time as well.
The real trail building begins next, with workers spaced apartfor safety, cutting their own little niches of full-width trail.
…and the final result is a new finished section of trail!It is hard to describe the feeling of satisfaction you get fromwalking on a new trail that YOU helped to construct.
It is fun to think about all the people who will use the trail inthe future, how they will enjoy the scenery, and how theywill appreciate the folks (you folks) who did all this hard work.
The second main type of HSTP service trip involves buildingfences to protect areas of native plants from goats, pigs,deer, and cows.
As seen in this photo, feral animal infestations can denudeeven the steepest slopes, increasing the potential of rapiderosion. Feral animals are also effective at introducing plantand insect pests, so keeping them out of natural areas isessential.
Fence building requires fence poles, fence wire, wire clips,and if you’re working in a rocky area, drilling equipment.
The first wire, usually a bottomstrand of barbed wire todiscourage pigs from diggingunder, is clipped to the polesand tightened.
Hogwire is then stretched along the line and the crew goes towork attaching it to the poles with wire clips.
This fence line across Kaupo gap was built by HSTP and theNational Park Service. It keeps goats and pigs out of Haleakala, delineates the park boundary, and serves as afire-break.
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Most HSTP fence-building trips have been in the drier areas ofHawai‘i, where you can see the sun, the moon, and the sky.
The third type of HSTP tripinvolves eradicating noxiousplant pests. We have spentmany weeks removing, andcounting for scientificpurposes, clidemia, flax, blackberry, thistle, gorse, lantana, christmas berry, andother plant horrors.
We try to make sure that as much time is spent on enjoyingand learning about Hawai‘i’s unique environment as is spenton helping it.
…and take trips to cultural, geological, and biological sitesin the area. These all help to make a service trip much more than just hard work.
Getting the trip organized and on its way is a group effort.All the pre-trip logistics give the crew a chance to get to know each other.
Setting up the campsite provides more opportunitiesto get to know your work-mates and the area that you’llbe working in.
Many times, trips are based out of backcountry researchbarracks or cabins so that after a long day of work you can sleep on a bed!
To sum up, the environment will gain from your efforts, but you will gain a lot more. You will marvel at Nature’s power.
We invite you to inquire about all upcoming HSTP trips: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/1310/hstp/
And what are this year’s trips, you ask? First we’ll head offto the green slopes of East Maui (Waikamoi, to be exact) tocontinue a long-running HSTP/Na Ala Hele project to restorethe Waikamoi trail, install interpretive signs, and controlinvasive species. The dates will be July 25-August 1 (2004).
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