“Kauai is an island like no other,” said Katey Castle, an environmentalist on Kauai. With hundreds of waterfalls, high cliffs, deep valleys, and Mount Waialeale, Kauai truly is magnificent. It is also the most endemic place on the planet with many plants that only grow in certain places on Kauai.

Invasive species are one of the main threats to the native plants and animals of Kauai. These plants spread rapidly into our forests and take over, quickly killing off most native plants. Kahili ginger is one of these invasive species and it is one of the worst. Kahili ginger is a very dangerous invasive species because it can grow another plant from the root and it produces lots of seeds.

One of the places that the ginger is taking over is Koke’e, Hawaii’s most famous state park and home to hundreds of native and endemic plants and animals. It is one of Hawaii’s last places where you can still see the native rain forests and unique birds flourishing. This is a place that many locals go hunting, hiking, fishing, or just to cruise and relax.

Castle said, “Koke’e is such a special and beautiful place with many endemic plants and animals.” If we let an invasive like Kahili ginger get out of hand we won’t be able to enjoy Koke’e as much as we do now.

However, there are organizations that volunteer to go and remove invasive species in Koke’e. Many Kauai teens have been active with HYCC (Hawai’i Youth Conservation Corp). Last summer they worked in Koke’e for a week with another organization eradicating ginger and strawberry guava.

The method of eradication was to slice the plants’ base and spray herbicide in to the slit. By doing this the plant sucks in the herbicide to the roots and dies is 2-3 months. This is an environmentally friendly way of killing the plants because it does not damage the natives in the surrounding area.

Teens can be on the lookout for Kahili ginger in the areas where they live, hike or bike. Jesse Brown Clay, a junior, said he has seen Kahili ginger on the rise in Wailua. He said while hiking on Sleeping Giant and up Loop road he noticed Kahili ginger in the valleys and on high ridges where he had not seen it before.

Kahili ginger is not a problem that will just go away on its own. If you want to get involved in eradicating Kahili ginger, call Kokee State Park at 274-3444 for more information.