It seems to me that in a group such as this, there will be a range of training and protocols that have been learned, not only the pule that go with gathering, but the edicts and guidance on gathering so as not to harm the plants being gathered from. I am sick of seeing maile vines stripped bare, 'awa plants taken entirely out without replanting, truckloads of iliili taken from one island to another, sometimes in the name of "Hawaiian rights" - it angers me that too many evoke rights without accepting the huge responsibiloity that come with those rights.
OK, off the soapbox. One that I will share just to get the ball rolling, is the practice of hiking up the ridge without gathering, assessing quality and quantity along the way, then gathering only on the way down, and few from any single plant, so the gathering is spread lightly across a long section of forest, instead of concentrated at the poor plants nearest the parked cars!
I'm sure we have many others! I hope to hear of some of them that will help educate more and more of us.
'Ohu