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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 the Sierra Club and as such has run nearly 100 one- to two- week service trips to Kaua‘i,
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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 the Sierra Club and as such has run nearly 100 one- to two- week service trips to Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i, Maui, Lana‘i, and Hawai‘i. -
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 involved hundreds 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, and what we are inviting you to participate in.
A service trip offers the experience of a lifetime, helps the environment, teaches cooperation, gets you to places few people ever get to see, teaches outdoor skills, and lets you learn a lot about yourself.
It is a rare person who returns from a service trip NOT feeling like a better human being.
HSTP service trips fall into • three main categories: • 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, taking into account the topography, rare plants along the way, and the stability of the slope.
Next, a brushing crew comes along to clear a swath that extends both above and below the trail route. A narrow service trail is usually cut at this time as well.
The real trail building begins next, with workers spaced apart for 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 from walking on a new trail that YOU helped to construct.
It is fun to think about all the people who will use the trail in the future, how they will enjoy the scenery, and how they will appreciate the folks (you folks) who did all this hard work.
Most of the trail-building service trips have been in rain- forest areas…
…giving ample opportunities to enjoy the wetter parts of Hawai‘i’s natural environment.
The second main type of HSTP service trip involves building fences to protect areas of native plants from goats, pigs, deer, and cows.
As seen in this photo, feral animal infestations can denude even the steepest slopes, increasing the potential of rapid erosion. Feral animals are also effective at introducing plant and insect pests, so keeping them out of natural areas is essential.
Fence building requires fence poles, fence wire, wire clips, and if you’re working in a rocky area, drilling equipment.
…and many times becomes a multi-person task.
Poles are pounded in using a pole-pounder, a heavy piece of pipe with a cap welded to one end.
The first wire, usually a bottom strand of barbed wire to discourage pigs from digging under, is clipped to the poles and tightened.
Hogwire is then stretched along the line and the crew goes to work attaching it to the poles with wire clips.
Although a completed fence might be considered an eyesore to some folks…
…there really is no other way to protect large areas of threatened native ecosystem.
- This fence line across Kaupo gap was built by HSTP and the National Park Service. It keeps goats and pigs out of Haleakala, delineates the park boundary, and serves as a fire-break. -
Most HSTP fence-building trips have been in the drier areas of Hawai‘i, where you can see the sun, the moon, and the sky.
The third type of HSTP trip involves eradicating noxious plant pests. We have spent many weeks removing, and counting for scientific purposes, clidemia, flax, blackberry, thistle, gorse, lantana, christmas berry, and other plant horrors.
It is important to realize that a service trip is not all hard work, though.
We try to make sure that as much time is spent on enjoying and learning about Hawai‘i’s unique environment as is spent on helping it.
…and take trips to cultural, geological, and biological sites in 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 opportunities to get to know your work- mates and the area that you’ll be working in.
And you always have to be ready for random, weird, unpacking events…
Trip accommodations are occasionally true backcountry campsites...
…and some folks can’t resist the urge to make the place look just like home.
Many times, trips are based out of backcountry research barracks 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.
You will gain new knowledge that can be passed along to friends and family.
You will make great new friends who will hold special places in your heart for life.
And you’ll come back with a sense of renewal, inner peace, and lots of spectacular photos.
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 off to the green slopes of East Maui (Waikamoi, to be exact) to continue a long-running HSTP/Na Ala Hele project to restore the Waikamoi trail, install interpretive signs, and control invasive species. The dates will be July 25-August 1 (2004). -
- Then we’ll head over to the dry slopes of Hualalai (near Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a, to be exact) for some dryland forest restoration work. The dates of this trip are August 8-14.
