Hui Nalu Canoe Club is commemorating its centennial with a paddle around O‘ahu on Memorial Day weekend. The 19-leg paddle will include service projects with Paepae O He‘eia, Nani O Wai‘ane and Mālama Maunalua. If you are a member of Hui Nalu, you can contact Bruce Blankenfeld at 561-5172 ot participate. If you are interested in signing up for one of the three service projects, you can contact Catherine Toth at ctoth@tnc.org.

The 2st annual Race for the Reef Paddling Fundraiser will take place at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 25. The race starts at Maunalua Bay and ends at Kaimana Beach. Race divisions are OC1, OC2, surfski, paddleboard and stand-up paddle surfboard. Entry fee is $30, which includes. Cost T-shirt entry deadline is May 15. Proceeds support the Community Conservation Network. For more information or to get a registration form, contact Shirley Amundson at 630-7537 or shirley@conservationpractice.org. To learn more about CCN, visit www.conservationpractice.org.

Hualalai Academy welcomes all families and individuals in West Hawai‘i to pitch in on May 10 to help the school clean, clear and prepare its garden area to further develop the students’ love of the land and nature. A school garden can become an integral part of the classroom, your home and the community. Research shows that gardening can improve student learning. Free and open to the public. Bring your own tools. Call Dan Sabo at (808) 326-9866 or (808) 990-1889.

Tour the beautiful Ginger Hill Farm in South Kona on May 4. The farm is a retreat center providing workshops in permaculture, art, cooking, Hawaiian culture, yoga, meditation and self-healing. All workshops are conducted by artists and activist Mayumi Oda, author of “I Opened the Gate Laughing.” Cost is $25 and includes a tour and light organic lunch sourced from the farm. E-mail angela@sustainablebliss.org or call (808) 345-6587 to make reservations.

Join PATH and Friends of NELHA as walkers, runners and riders tour the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) on May 10 at the Gateway Center at NELHA in Kailua-Kona. This educational event promotes cycling and walking as a viable, no-emission transportation alternative. Proceeds will benefit co-sponsors and the Kona Earth Festival. Refreshments will be available. Cost ranges from $25 to $50 for adults, $15 to $40 for keiki. For more information or to register, e-mail Laura at lmd@hawaii.rr.com. Visit www.nelha.org.

Join Tropical Reforestation and Ecosystems Education (TREE) Center Hawai‘i in a tree-planting event on May 3 to celebrate Earth Day. Come plant native trees in O‘oma State Forest on the Hualalai Mountain. Free and open to the public. Bring lunch. Water will be provided. Space is limited, so call for reservations at (808) 333-0330.

It’s a part of Mainland fishing tradition to selectively take larger individual fishes from a population, leaving the smaller ones to grow. However, the larger individuals species often have a different role in the coral reef ecosystem than do the smaller ones, and this role can be important for the reef community. Dr. Charles Birkeland of the University of Hawaii-Manoa will discuss how leaving the big fish can help maintain the coral reef ecosytem and the stability of fish populations. His lecture, “Leaving the Big Fish: The Importance to Coral Reefs,” will  start at 6 p.m. May 8 at the Atherton Halau. Free and open to the public. Call 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.

 Kai Makana has committed to helping Mokauea Fishing Village Association and those families directly involved with this island from 2005 until 2010.  The goal of the residents and the association is to create and educational center where students, teachers, community members and the public can come to learn the traditional methods used to be self sustaining.  Mokauea Island (near Sand Island, Oahu) is considered to be the last fishing village (island) in the State of Hawaii.  Kai Makana has committed to volunteering to restore the island at least once a month. 

If interested in participating, please email kaimakana@gmail.com to confirm date and receive waiver and directions to the project.
In addition please wear old tennis shoes or running shoes, hat, sunscreen, water bottle, shorts and t-shirt.  Please do not bring anything that cannot get wet or large backpacks.  We get to the island via Outrigger 6-man canoes.  Please inform us if you cannot swim or have other requirements pertaining to transportation.

Come celebrate the International Year of the Reef through Hawaiian cultural traditions.  On this evening, the sun will set, not into the sea, but into the crater of Pu’u o Kapolei!  This event marks the beginning of the season of warmth, or Kau.  Halau mele will lead this event through chant, hula, and mo’olelo (stories).  There will also be traditional fishing artifacts on display and activities.

Event is free.  Bring mats or low beach chairs and sunglasses. No alcohol allowed.  For more information, call:  Waikiki Aquarium Education at 220-9011.

Sponsored by the Waikiki Aquarium/University of Hawai’i, Hawai’i Tourism Authority, and Malama Hawai’i.