We depend on our native forests as a watershed for drinking water and to purify our air by sequestering the overload in carbon we cause.  Fire, invasive species, climate change, and other impacts on our forests are important to our livelihoods.  Dr. Christian Giardina of the U.S. Forest Service is at the forefront of research on the health of our forests.  Interestingly, his message was not what the scientists are doing, but what we can all do by engaging with nature.

To help us age gracefully, Leilani Soliven, a medicare consultant, explained how best to enroll in medicare.  Due to the complexity of the medicare program and numerous options, the services of a consultant such as provided by Premier Benefit Consultants help individuals find the best fit through home appointments or educational seminars.  Premier represents four of the six healthcare insurers in Hawaii:  United Healthcare, HMSA [exclusive contract], Ohana Health Plan, and Humana (does not represent Kaiser Permanente and AlohaCare).  Clients are never charged any fees. There are multilingual speaking agents.  Leilani provided an overview of Medicare and helpful tips.