Hawai‘i Island farmers and gardeners who recently completed the third cohort of our Ōhāhā Mahi ʻAi Agricultural Training and Education Program

We celebrate our Hawai‘i Island farmers and gardeners who recently completed the third cohort of our Ōhāhā Mahi ʻAi Agricultural Training and Education Program. From the very first session, we could feel the genuine connections and intentions of each participant who were eager to share and learn about cultivating deeper pilina with ʻāina and each other. Kilo, kalo and ʻawa varieties, lāʻau lapaʻau (traditional medicinal plants and uses), seed production, and soil science are just a few subjects we shared about in our program. We hope that the ʻike exchanged with each other will provide our participants with new growth as mahi ʻai and plant seeds of inspiration to cultivate a greater future for our communities, ʻohana, and honua. For more information about our Ōhāhā Mahi ‘Ai programs, please contact Ka‘iana Runnels, our mahi‘āina supervisor.

Our Mālama Niuliʻi team observed both showery and sunny conditions this kupulau (spring), with ʻiwa (great frigatebird) frequenting the area alone and in flocks. Flowers from our naupaka kahakai, hau, and ʻākulikuli are beginning to blossom and ʻōhelo kai are fruiting. Work to preserve the ulu hala continues as we find more ways to remove and reuse the built-up lauhala in the canopy. By shredding the older leaves into mulch, we help the pūhala retain more moisture and control overgrowth of invasive weeds and grasses that crowd and obstruct critical sunlight. Recently, we began inviting the local community to join us on our learning journey by attending our Hoaʻāina Stewardship Days at Niuli‘i. As we engage in practices of hana lauhala and mele, one lesson shared with us is to gather lauhala when the weather is mālie, or calm and clear. Otherwise, the lauhala will popopo, or rot when harvested in the rain. Guided by this important ʻike kūpuna, our kilo and hana activities focused on observing the health of the grove and clearing the canopies and roots of the pūhala. Through these efforts, we hope to see the quality of lauhala and pūhala improve and allow for the regeneration of hala and other hoa lāʻau (plant friends) that add to the native coastal forest of Niuliʻi. We are grateful to Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority for supporting our efforts at Niuliʻi through its Kūkulu Ola program. To learn more about our restoration efforts, please contact Mia Akau-LaClair, our community and resource relations manager, or join us at one of our upcoming Hoa‘āina Stewardship Days.

At Keawewai, the Ahupuaʻa ʻo Kawaihae team has been experimenting with ʻohana planting: pairing Kohala’s native dryland and mesic forest species close together to support one another. Inspired by the close planting of an ʻaʻaliʻi and koaiʻe tree a few years ago, we have found that ʻohana planting strategies may have potential to create healthier, happier growing conditions for our hoa lāʻau. More recently, our struggling māmane saplings appear to be benefiting from the planting of ʻaʻaliʻi, ʻilima, and ʻāweoweo around them. Our ʻohana planting strategies have expanded to include experimenting with planting koaiʻe and ʻaʻaliʻi seedlings together in our Kilohana Nursery. To learn more about our native plant propagation efforts in the Ahupua‘a ‘o Kawaihae, please contact Kaimana Chock, our ‘āina-based education specialist and Kilohana Nursery project manager.

At the Koaiʻa Corridor on Kohala Mountain, community members and our watershed stewardship crew have planted more than 60,000 native trees and shrubs over the years as part of our ongoing effort to help protect and restore Kohala’s native cloud forest, a vital source of wai (fresh water) for North Hawai‘i Island. In recent months, weʻve noticed lots of growth among our hoa lāʻau that include ʻaʻaliʻi, koaiʻa, ʻiliahi, and some of the first wiliwili trees that were propagated and cared for at our Kilohana Nursery. As we continue to expand our work in the Corridor, we invite you to join us at our upcoming Hoaʻāina Stewardship Days on September 24 and November 19 to engage with, learn from, and care for our hoa lāʻau. Learn more and sign up at koha.la/hoaaina!