A roadside, khaki-burr Hotbed--laying between Waikiki Elementary School and Kapiolani Childrens' Playground--(just down wind.)
Photo Corbin Morse--May 19 2011
Honolulu Fights Back
"With the information given to us from you, the staff at Kapiolani Regional Park and Ala Moana Regional Park will be informed on how to identify and eliminate the Khaki Weed (Alternanthera Pungens) in and around the park." * --Gary B. Cabato--Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, City and County of Honolulu. *
This (12/2010) memo from Mr. Cabato (to me, with cc to Mayor Peter Carlisle) is in response to my complaints about spreading infestations of khaki weed in those two parks--both of which I frequent.
His memo also marks the Starting Point in the City's battle against this foot-stabbing alien. The task of eliminating khaki from hundreds of acres of park-lands, however, turns out to be not so easy. Infestations, large and small, are scattered across those many large acres. To search and destroy them requires a manpower simply not available to parks managers. Just with their usual responsibilities, they have their hands full already. The fact that the weed tends to keep coming back, does not make it any easier.
Nonetheless, the staff at Ala Moana Regional Park, under the direction of Tim Malama, have gone a long way twoards eliminating the weed. Several intimidating khaki patches loomed on Magic Island one week...and were gone the next. However, there are still persistent Khaki stragglers threatening to re-claim that area. A call is out to the public to help locate and/or dispatch these renegade weeds. "Continued Vigilance!" (as the Aussies advise) is the battle-cry here, if this War on khaki weed is to be won. Magic Island, at Ala Moana Regional Park could become a model victory of man over khaki burr, in Hawaii. As it stands, it could go either way.
Kapiolani Regional Park is a different story. Here the weed is more wide spread; and managers of the park will not broadcast herbicides, with concerns for public safety and the environment. Instead, they have launched an aggressive mowing campaign of known infestations; which has held the weed at bay in those areas. Again, volunteers from the community are invited to help root out weeds that persist beyond mowing.
If your club or organization would like to take on a weeding project, or take charge of some area of either Kapiolani or Ala Moana Regional Parks...to keep it khaki-burr free, you may e-mail khakiweed@gmail.com for further information. (Please allow a few days for a reply.)
According to sources at the UH--College of Tropical Agriculture, there are hopes,of finding a chemical treatment that will target khaki weed without harming the environment, humans, pets, or desirable turf--which helps to suppress the weed.. Until such a solution is developed, hand weeding looks like the best option of control.
Summarizing:: The significant news is that the City and County of Honolulu has taken the first important steps towards countering the spread of khaki weed in the State of Hawaii.. Though, the solution, for the most part, lies in the hands of the People of Hawaii.
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* This e-mailed memo from Mr. Cabato is reprinted here by permission.
