Please support our efforts to plant 1,000 native trees at the 84-acre Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Community-Based Forest Subsistence Area!

Mahalo for your interest in Run for the Dry Forest! The regular annual run is canceled due to COVID-19, but we are offering up this unique opportunity to get exercise, learn about this place, contribute to restoration efforts, and win cool prizes! Please be safe by physically distancing, and avoid large groups. See below for more info.

Event: Run for the Dry Forest 2020: Dash to the top: a 6.4 mile (round-trip) dash to the top of Puʻuwaʻawaʻa cone and back!

Who: The whole community is invited! This is a keiki and family friendly event emphasizing small group sizes and physical distancing.

What: This social media-based event is to raise awareness of the dry forest and to raise funds to plant 1000 native trees on the Puʻu in the Puʻu Community Forest area! You can walk, hike, climb, dash to the top of Puʻuwaʻawaʻa.

When? Saturday, Oct. 17th to Saturday, Oct. 31st

Where: Puʻuwaʻawaʻa State Forest Reserve, North Kona, Hawaii Island, Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Cone Trail. Once inside the automatic gate off Highway 190, turn left and drive to the end of the road (Hunter Check Station). To learn more, and for directions go here: https://www.thehetf.us/sites/pww/

Why? It is also a contest, so in addition to exercise, PRIZES are available! Prizes will be gift cards from local businesses. Read below to learn how to win a prize by posting on Instagram. Dry forests are also critically threatened so planting 1000 native trees on the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa cone will help the dry forest and the community as well!

The Vision: The focus and challenge of this year’s Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Run for the Dry Forest 2020: Dash to the Top! will be to raise funds to plant 1,000 native trees on the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa cone, within an 84-acre community-led stewardship area called the Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Community-Based Subsistence Forest Area (PCBSFA).

The PCBSFA is a three-year-old partnership of multi-generational community leaders, non-profit organizations, and state/federal agencies who are working to transform this 84 acre pasture area into a biocultural landscape to benefit the community. Please support this effort by purchasing this year’s run shirts, mugs, and tote bags! Your contributions will be visible through the years along the Run for the Dry Forest path as we work to reforest Puʻuwaʻawaʻa for current and future generations.

Directions for entering for a prize: Take a picture/selfie on the summit by the event sign and post it to your Instagram (IG) feed: follow and tag @napuuconservationproject, and use the #dashtothetopPWW2020 hashtag to enter for prizes. Judges must be able to see you and the sign on the top to be entered for prizes which will include gift cards to local businesses in Kona and Hilo.

Prize Categories: Prize categories for both adults and keiki for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place include highest # of likes on IG, the best Halloween costume (based on highest # of likes), and top committee choice (determined by race committee votes).

Special Prizes: Special prizes available from Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund: be sure to name any native wildlife species observed during your dash to the top of Puʻuwaʻawaʻa, and also tag #keephawaiiwild to receive the new Keep Hawai‘i WILD bumper sticker! Include a picture of a native wildlife species (e.g., pueo, nēnē, ʻamakihi) to your post to be entered to win a special @wildhawaii prize pack.

One thing that has remained the same this year, is our amazing one-of-a-kind collector Run for the Dry Forest t-shirts. Our design features the Puʻu and this year's highlighted plant species, the maʻo hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei brackenridgei). It was designed by local artist Joan Yoshioka in 2020 for this event. This highlighted species will be printed on a commemorative “Dash to the Top” shirt. The t-shirts are for sale on Bonfire.com, see below for links. Proceeds from this collaborative fundraiser will benefit the 84-acre Puʻuwaʻawaʻa Community-Based Forest Subsistence Area project that seeks to plant 1,000 native trees on the puʻu! Show your support: Join us for the dash and/or purchase an event mug or t-shirt at the links below.

Shirts you can order include Unisex Tee, Slim-Fit Tee, Long Sleeve Tee, Women’s Raceback, and a Pullover Hoodie. Colors are black, purple rush, midnight navy, maroon, and espresso. Apparel runs from $25.00 to $38.00. Run for the dry forest t-shirt (and other apparel) purchases will contribute ~$10, and mugs and tote bags will contribute ~$6 to the tree planting efforts. In addition, at checkout, you have the ability to donate extra via Bonfire’s tip feature!

If you order a shirt or other product by October 4th at 6:00 pm, your purchase may reach you before the event ends, so you can wear your apparel in your victory picture at the top of the Puʻu!

TO ORDER, click on the links below:

T-shirts (and other apparel): bonfire.com/rdf2020

Mugs: bonfire.com/rdf2020-mug

Tote bags: bonfire.com/rdf2020-tote