Keith Robinson is a member of the family that is lucky enough to own the entire island of Ni’ihau and big parts of Kaua’i. Mr. Robertson has joined forces with Preston Myers, the owner of Safari Helicopters, to create a new helicopter tour that will help fund conservation efforts on the island. Helicopter tours on Kauai have not been to land at many remote areas but the Kauai Planning Comission has given Safari permission to land at one of Mr. Robinson’s reserves to showcase his attempts to revive some very rare plants.
Mr. Robertson recently was able to procure some viable seeds of Kokia Cookei, which has been called the rarest plant in the world. He has planted a small grove of these plants on his Olokele reserve and soon people will be able to see their vibrant scarlet blossoms. This reserve has been fenced to keep out the feral goats and pigs and invasive fauna has been removed. This is one landowner who is interested in keeping the native plants of Hawaii growing on the island.