FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     April 23, 2007

TWO SATURDAY EVENTS MARK EARTH  MONTH IN WAIPAHU

The Storm Water Quality Branch of the City and County of Honolulu Environmental Services Department is co-sponsoring two Earth Month events in Waipahu on Saturday, April 28, 2007: The Keiki Water Fest at Hawaii’s Plantation Village and a cleanup of Pouhala Marsh and Kapakahi Stream.

The Keiki Water Fest will be held at Hawaii's Plantation Village from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is welcome. Admission is free. The Water Fest will offer displays, demonstrations and hands-on activities that include interactive stations on stream sampling, water conservation, porosity and permeability, wetlands, “Apoha” picture taking, drinking water, invasive species, limu, aquatic species, Effective Microorganisms, HAZMAT and modern firefighting.

Plantation Village docents will be on hand to answer questions. Storytelling by Jeff Gere of the City Department of Parks and Recreation starts at 11 am.

The Keiki Water Fest aims to help students – specifically fourth- and fifth-graders –  and their teachers and families to recognize the importance of clean water in their daily lives. They’ll also learn water’s role as an animal habitat, common water pollutants and how to protect and conserve water. The Keiki Water Fest will also allow students to interact with – and perhaps pursue careers as – biologists, engineers, soil scientists, hydrologists, education and outreach coordinators and teachers.

              Five volunteers are still needed to help with parking.  Contact Iwalani Sato, Storm Water Quality Public Outreach and Education Coordinator.

Participating organizations are:

Storm Water Quality Branch, Environmental Quality Division,

          Environmental Services Department

                        Waipahu High School

                        Honolulu Fire Department

                        Honolulu Board of Water Supply

                        City Department of Parks and Recreation

                        U.S. Geological Survey

State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of

          Forestry and Wildlife and Division of Aquatic

          Resources

                        State Department of Health Clean Water Branch

                        Waipahu Community Association

                        Oahu Invasive Species Committee

                        The Limu Project

                        Oahu Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. (Oahu

                                  RC&D)

                        EM Hawaii, LLC

                        Moanalua High School

                        Lions Club

                        Hawaii's Plantation Village

                        KGMB TV

                        7-Eleven Stores

                        Ben and Jerry’s Ward Centre

For the cleanup at Kapakahi Stream and Pouhala Marsh, the City and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources will provide tents, supplies, equipment, field support, t-shirts and portable lavatories.

Twenty volunteers, age 16 and up, are needed to plant native trees and to remove trash, sorting combustible and recyclable material. Volunteers will receive trash bags, gloves, t-shirts, refreshments, educational material and give-aways.  Volunteers should have a hat and sunscreen and dress to get dirty.

Sign up with Pauline Kawamata at the Hawaii Nature Center, 955-0100 ext. 18 or paulinekawamata@aditl.com.

Cooperating agencies are:

                        Hawaii Nature Center

                        Natural Resources Conservation Service and Oahu RC&D

                        State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Highways

                                  Division

Discharging pollutants to the storm drain system is against the law.  Residents are asked to call the City’s Environmental Concern Line at 692-5656 to report illegal discharge into the storm drain system.

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Contact:

            Iwalani Sato, 780-8872