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Alum Wins $ for Kaʻū Trojans. Tyler Navarro-Villa, won $250 for Ka'u High Trojans and $20 for himself in a Volleyball Serve event during the Ka'u Trojan Girls Volleyball Game on Sept. 27 at the Robert E. Herkes Ka'u District Gym. The Volleyball Serve saw the public swarm the court to serve volleyballs into a basket on the other side of the net. It was sponsored by ʻO Kaʻū Kākou. Navarro-Villa, left, is an alumni of Ka'u High School. To his right are June Domondon of ʻO Kaʻū Kākou and Kaʻū High Athletic Director Tim Gould. Photo by Julia Neal |
FOREST RESTORATION COMPANY TERRAFORMATION, founded at Natural Energy Laboratory Hawai'i Administration by Yishan Wong, former Reddit CEO and veteran of facebook and other popular tech companies, has purchased some assets of Agro Resources. Agro Resources is an Hawaiʻi Island–based agroforestry company, with more than 20 years experience in managing fruit and nut farms, and conducting native forest restoration.
Wong said the acquisition "provides the pathway with equipment, contracts and an experienced crew,” to scale up its activities. A statement from Terraformation says it "combines world-leading forestry expertise with decades of experience in hyper-growth tech companies from Silicon Valley to scale forest restoration projects around the world. Terraformation partners with organizations to support them with
tools and training to initiate and sustain successful, large-scale reforestation. The company’s forest restoration model focuses on providing partners with durable and scalable solutions to the biggest challenges such projects face: seed supply, training and equipment, funding, and land and water availability."
Terraformation’s first project began on Hawaiʻi Island in one of the driest areas of the island that was once covered with ʻiliahi (sandalwood). The clear-cutting of the forest in that area over a hundred years ago created a desert-like environment. The company is now restoring the 45-acre site with a native Hawaiian dry forest ecosystem; the team has planted 7,000 trees. Terraformation has an additional 900 trees planted in a Hawaiian dry forest ecosystem and is in the process of planting 25,000 plants at a site called ʻŌhiʻa Lani between Waimea and Honoka'a.
The company statement says that "Terraformation operates one of the world’s largest fully off-grid, 100 percent solar-powered desalination facilities, located on Hawaiʻi Island, a replicable system that could solve freshwater shortages for restoration. It also manages several nurseries and solar-powered seed banks for in situ wild seed collection and storage, and the company is developing an open-source software suite to support restorationists worldwide.
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| Former Reddit CEO Yishan Wong is expanding his Terraformation company, based on this island, to restore forests. Photo from Terraformation |
Terraformation’s first project began on Hawaiʻi Island in one of the driest areas of the island that was once covered with ʻiliahi (sandalwood). The clear-cutting of the forest in that area over a hundred years ago created a desert-like environment. The company is now restoring the 45-acre site with a native Hawaiian dry forest ecosystem; the team has planted 7,000 trees. Terraformation has an additional 900 trees planted in a Hawaiian dry forest ecosystem and is in the process of planting 25,000 plants at a site called ʻŌhiʻa Lani between Waimea and Honoka'a.
The company statement says that "Terraformation operates one of the world’s largest fully off-grid, 100 percent solar-powered desalination facilities, located on Hawaiʻi Island, a replicable system that could solve freshwater shortages for restoration. It also manages several nurseries and solar-powered seed banks for in situ wild seed collection and storage, and the company is developing an open-source software suite to support restorationists worldwide.
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| Using high tech to grow seeds is a major effort of Terraformation. Photo from Terraformation |
Johannes Seidel, Director of Hawaiʻi Forestry Operations for Terraformation, said, “Agro Resources expands and deepens our expertise to tackle the next level in native ecosystem restoration and agroforestry. Contributing to Hawaiʻi’s well-established conservation and agriculture community and supporting our state in sequestering atmospheric carbon to reduce the negative impacts of climate change is at the heart of our global journey. Already our existing projects have benefited from the equipment and expertise the Agro Resources team has brought to our operations.”
In addition to its work in Hawaiʻi, Terraformation continues to develop partnerships with global organizations, including Environmental Defenders in Uganda, Action for Nature in Zambia, Eden Reforestation Projects in Kenya, Hope Ministries in Malawi, Humans for Abundance in the Amazon rainforest, and Kilimanjaro Project in Tanzania, as well as other groups spanning India and Ukraine.
Terraformation's announcement states that it "is dedicated to restoring the world’s forests to stabilize our climate, revive ecosystems, and build thriving communities. The company operates as a forest carbon accelerator, supporting early-stage forestry teams to launch, build, and scale biodiverse reforestation projects. In addition to producing high-quality, verified carbon credits, these projects generate complementary sustainable revenue streams to support local economies. Terraformation’s current partner network spans five continents and includes diverse landowners and organizations."
In addition to its work in Hawaiʻi, Terraformation continues to develop partnerships with global organizations, including Environmental Defenders in Uganda, Action for Nature in Zambia, Eden Reforestation Projects in Kenya, Hope Ministries in Malawi, Humans for Abundance in the Amazon rainforest, and Kilimanjaro Project in Tanzania, as well as other groups spanning India and Ukraine.
Terraformation's announcement states that it "is dedicated to restoring the world’s forests to stabilize our climate, revive ecosystems, and build thriving communities. The company operates as a forest carbon accelerator, supporting early-stage forestry teams to launch, build, and scale biodiverse reforestation projects. In addition to producing high-quality, verified carbon credits, these projects generate complementary sustainable revenue streams to support local economies. Terraformation’s current partner network spans five continents and includes diverse landowners and organizations."
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| Pāhala Library is one of the libraries statewide that closed due to a threat on Monday. Photo from www.librarieshawaii.org |
LIBRARIES IN KA'U AND ACROSS THE STATE REOPENED TUESDAY, following a statewide closure on Monday, connected to an unspecified threat.
Across the country, libraries have for several months faced bomb scares and other threats, including those targeting library workers. Libraries shut down because of threats included those in Nashville, Salt Lake City, Fort Worth and Denver. No motives have been identified, though some public figures have suggested opposition to books that include discussion on race, sexuality and other subjects, and efforts to ban certain books and take away funding from libraries.The American Library Association recently issued a statement: “The American Library Association condemns, in the strongest terms possible, violence, threats of violence and other acts of intimidation increasingly taking place in America’s libraries, particularly those acts that aim to erase the stories and identities of gay, queer, transgender, Black, Indigenous, persons of color, those with disabilities and religious minorities” it read in part." The statement says ALA supports “the core values of inclusion and free and equal access to ideas and information, which are essential to an informed democratic society....
ALA calls on community leaders and elected officials to stand with libraries and others who promote the free and democratic exchange of ideas and to stand up to those who would undermine it.”
According to ALA, challenges to specific books held in public library collections more than doubled from 2020 to 2021.
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| Na'alehu Public Library is one of the libraries statewide that shut down on Monday due to a threat. Photo from www.librarieshawaii.org |
Last week was Banned Books Week and ALA issued a statement saying, "Access to books that represent a variety of cultures and viewpoints may boost a student’s development and well-being, according to a white paper from Unite Against Book Bans, an initiative of the American Library Association and several dozen national partners. See the paper Empowered by Reading: The Benefits of Giving Youth Access to a Wide Variety of Reading Materials. The aim of Banned Books Week is inform the public and policymakers of the threat that book challenges and bans pose to America’s education system and its communities. The paper underscores benefits of providing children and youth with a wide variety of developmentally-appropriate reading materials, such as improvements in critical thinking skills and reading comprehension, as well as enhanced understanding and empathy.
Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada, President of the American Library Association, said, “The proof is in the data: children are more likely to have a more productive learning experience and thrive in the classroom, throughout the school and in their communities when they see themselves represented in curriculum and library materials,” said “Books that accurately depict different backgrounds serve as tools that help youth develop empathy for people from different walks of life.”
Among the research noted, a 2018 study from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found 1% of books depicted American Indian/First Nations characters, 5% portrayed Latino characters, 7% Asian Pacific Islander/Asian Pacific American, 10% African/African![]()
American, while 50% depicted White characters. Additionally, GLSEN’s 2019 National School Climate Survey shows that access to inclusive learning resources makes LGBTQ+ students feel safer and reduces bullying in schools.
Last week, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom released preliminary data on attempts to remove books in 2022. Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2022, the office tracked 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources, and 1,651 unique titles were targeted. Eight months into the year, censorship efforts are on track to far exceed the record number of challenges in 2021. "These challenges represent continued escalation in the coordinated efforts to silence some stories," says the ALA statement
In response to the surge in book challenges and other efforts to suppress access to information, the ALA launched Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative focused on empowering readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
“Communities must look at the whole picture and take our youth’s development and overall well-being into account before removing access to books and resources,” said Pelayo-Lozada. “The attacks on our schools and libraries are dividing our nation’s communities and severely harming our youth along the way.”
Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada, President of the American Library Association, said, “The proof is in the data: children are more likely to have a more productive learning experience and thrive in the classroom, throughout the school and in their communities when they see themselves represented in curriculum and library materials,” said “Books that accurately depict different backgrounds serve as tools that help youth develop empathy for people from different walks of life.”
Among the research noted, a 2018 study from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found 1% of books depicted American Indian/First Nations characters, 5% portrayed Latino characters, 7% Asian Pacific Islander/Asian Pacific American, 10% African/African
American, while 50% depicted White characters. Additionally, GLSEN’s 2019 National School Climate Survey shows that access to inclusive learning resources makes LGBTQ+ students feel safer and reduces bullying in schools.
Last week, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom released preliminary data on attempts to remove books in 2022. Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2022, the office tracked 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources, and 1,651 unique titles were targeted. Eight months into the year, censorship efforts are on track to far exceed the record number of challenges in 2021. "These challenges represent continued escalation in the coordinated efforts to silence some stories," says the ALA statement
In response to the surge in book challenges and other efforts to suppress access to information, the ALA launched Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative focused on empowering readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
“Communities must look at the whole picture and take our youth’s development and overall well-being into account before removing access to books and resources,” said Pelayo-Lozada. “The attacks on our schools and libraries are dividing our nation’s communities and severely harming our youth along the way.”