MOST EXCLUSIVE GUIDED TOUR IN THE STATE TO PU’U KUKUI PRESERVE SCHEDULED DURING 2^ND ANNUAL EARTH MAUI NATURE SUMMIT

On Sunday, August 31, 1997, the Kapalua Nature Society will offer to 12 lucky people a "once-in-a-lifetime" nature walk in Pu’u Kukui Preserve, one of Hawaii’s most biologically rich regions and the site of some of the state’s last strands of pristine native rainforest.

Pu’u Kukui is home to 12 of Hawaii’s 150 distinct plant communities, some 300 species of native Hawaiian plants (including 10 only found in West Maui) and thousands of native insects and animals, many of which have yet to be identified by scientists.

The Pu’u Kukui Nature Walk will be offered to the general public only once in 1997, in conjunction with Maui’s premier island-wide environmental event, the 2^nd annual Earth Maui Nature Summit. Participants will be airlifted from Kapalua by Pacific Helicopters to a constructed boardwalk which traverses through the Pu’u Kukui bogs and cloud forests. Randy Bartlett, the company’s Watershed Supervisor and his staff will educate participants on the area’s natural history and how it is being preserved for future generations.

In 1988, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. protected the 8,661-acre Pu’u Kukui Preserve in perpetuity as the largest private natural reserve in the islands. Four years ago, the reserve became one of the first major additions to Hawaii’s landmark Natural Area Partnership Program, in which the state puts in $2 for every $1 the company spends to safeguard the site – the first program of its kind in this country.

A total of 12 people will participate in this exclusive activity. Eleven (11) lucky people will be selected via random drawing on July 27^th. Deadline for applications is July 25. Cost of the Pu’u Kukui Nature Walk is $500 per person, and includes helicopter transportation, lunch and beverages. One complimentary spot will be awarded to the winner of the 1997 Earth Maui Essay Contest; Maui County high school students are eligible to enter. All proceeds benefit the Pu’u Kukui Watershed Management Program.