Trust for Public Land Hawai'i

P Ō H Ā K E A

Through the work of the community of Māʻalaea, County of Maui, and the State Department of Land and Natural Resources and its Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Pōhākea (also referenced as Māʻalaea Mauka) has been protected in perpetuity. Nestled between the ahupuaʻa of Ukumehame and Wailuku, this 257-acre ʻāina rests at the base of Mauna Kahālāwai just mauka of Māʻalaea Bay. Under its new ownership with the State DLNR, the protection of this special ʻāina offers opportunity for restoration of native animal and plant species, home to the historic Lāhainā Pali Trail, reduce stormwater runoffer and erosion affecting Māʻalaea Bay, and help reduce recurrent wildfire risks.

Mahalo to our public funding partners, the County of Maui Open Space fund and the State of Hawaiʻiʻs Legacy Land Conservation Fund, as well as County of Maui and State representatives for all your support and making this protection of Pōhākea a reality.

PC:

What a joyful celebration of Ed Olson, who endowed our State Director position as the Edmund C. Olson Trust Fellow. Lea Hong is proud to be the first TPL Hawaii State Director to have the title and help carry forward Ed’s conservation legacy, protecting lands across Hawaii in partnership with community.

Mahalo American Savings Bank () and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Member Impact Fund for supporting the ongoing revitalization of ʻAʻala Park. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with our community partners to deepen connection between people and place at the park.

Pic from left to right: Ann Teranishi (ASB President/CEO), Leslie Uptain (Pacific Region Director of Philanthropy, TPL), Emily Perry (Parks for People Program Manager, TPL), John Biestman (FHLB Western Regional Banks, Senior Relationship Manager), and Michelle Bartell (ASB SVP, Director of Community Advancement)

Mahalo to for the support in our work at ʻAʻala Park! It is because of you along with the many other partners and communities that ʻAʻala will again be a place of gathering, life, and aloha!

From left to right: Rochelle Popaca - Asst Branch Manager, Judy Konishi - Branch Manager Main, Leslie Uptain - Director of Philanthropy Trust for Public Land , and Jeannie Yukitomo- Senior Business Development Officer

“While our state has many pressing needs - and the families of Maui need our support - we urge the Legislature to take the first steps in building consistent funding for projects and programs that CAN put our state on a positive path for the future and prevent future climate disasters, the heartbreaking effects on families, and the economic fallout from crisis response. Together, we CAN fulfill our kuleana to each other and our ʻāina.” ~ Lea Hong, Hawaiian Islands Stste Director, Trust for Public Land

Credit: Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Pilina Kanaloa 2024

Second annual Pilina Kanaloa is an opportunity to raise your voice for a healthy ocean! Join us for educational booths, activities, and ocean presentations

Friday, March 15, 2024 9am - 2pm
Hawaiʻi State Capitol

Wear blue to show your support and love for our ocean!

Pilina Kanaloa 2024

Second annual Pilina Kanaloa is an opportunity to raise your voice for a healthy ocean! Join us for educational booths, activities, and ocean presentations

Friday, March 15, 2024 9am - 2pm
Hawaiʻi State Capitol

Wear blue to show your support and love for our ocean!

Join us on 3.15.2024 to speak for our ocean in #hawaii 🌊

Hawaii leaders have been contemplating the enactment of a “green fee” for several years to enable better care of the state’s natural and cultural resources, many of them under duress from increased use by island visitors.

[..]

HB 2406, poised to cross over to the Senate, would bolster the state’s efforts by adding a $25 fee to the transient accommodations tax (TAT) that is required of businesses that rent rooms to visitors. This is in addition to the basic room tax and each county’s public-transit surcharge that’s assessed.

[…]

“Our tourism-dependent economy and our natural/cultural resources are inextricably linked - climate disasters like the Maui fires have devastating effects on our families and our economy […] For too long, needed and critical investments in our cultural/climate infrastructure have been deferred for lack of funding” - Lea Hong, Hawaiian Island State Director, trust for Public Land

Article: Star-Advertiser

COMMUNITY KĀHEA! Tell the State Legacy Land Conservation Commission you support funding to protect ‘Anaehoomalu Kapalaoa
1. Sign the petition linked in our bio.
2. Submit Written testimony by: Wednesday Feb 28 9:00 am, Email: [email protected]

Trust for Public Land and Nā ʻŌiwi o Puʻuanhulu are partnering with the Kona / Kohala community to purchase and protect ‘Anaeho‘omalu Kapalaoa in North Kona, Hawai’i. It is the last undeveloped coastal parcel in Waikoloa Beach Resort. It was once slated to be developed into condominiums, as an extension of the Resort, but descendants and community successfully advocated to protect it.

Protecting ʻAnaehoʻomalu Kapalaoa will preserve Hiʻiaka Heiau (connected to Hiʻiakaikaʻaleʻī); cave and habitation complexes; two petroglyph fields; mauka-makai and coastal trail networks; native coastal plants; pristine anchialine pools teeming with ʻōpae ʻula (native shrimp); traditional fishing grounds; and public access to the southern shoreline of ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay for fishing, gathering, and cultural practice.

We are seeking public conservation funding from the State Legacy Land Conservation Program. The Commission meets Feb 29-Mar 1 for decision making. Please kākoʻo (support)!

Our Hawaiʻi programs are bringing people closer to benefits of the outdoors. We work hand-in-hand with communities across three Hawaiʻi programs that allow us focus our work in areas where parks and public lands are needed most. Check out our featured projects made possible by supporters like you. 🔗 https://bit.ly/3I410i2

Meet the TPL Hawaiʿi office mascot Milo (pronounced Mee-low), state director Lea Hong’s mini-labradoodle. Milo is named after the Hawaiian Milo tree found in coastal areas on all islands (Milo also means “curly” in Hawaiian). What a dog’s life! She likes visiting the dog park at ʿAʿala Park where our Parks for People program is working with the 18,000 people who live within a 10-minute walk to plan for park improvements and events, activities, and classes so that the park is a safe and welcoming place for all (including pups!) Send her a pup shoutout in the comments below 🐶 😍 💚

Woohoo! Hawai`i is taking over our national social media for the next 7 days! Please like and share our work with amazing communities and partners throughout our Aloha State!

Spending time outdoors is not just great for our health, but it also brings us so much joy and helps us form a stronger bond with nature and each other! That's why we are on a mission to create and preserve these incredible spaces that encourage us to get outside.

ICYMI, we have been taking you all on a virtual road trip showcasing the amazing communities we serve and the passionate individuals who make up the heart and soul of TPL. For our next stop, we will explore the beautiful Aloha state! 🌴 At the end of this virtual road trip, we will be meeting at Capitol Hill to show our support for one important cause: ensuring everyone has access to the wonders and benefits of the great outdoors. Let's make a difference together!

We are hiring for a part-time intern as a Park Events and Activities Coordinator at ʻAʻala Park! This position will work closely with the TPL Parks for People Program Manager to create and implement park activation and dynamic programming at ʻAʻala Park in Downtown Honolulu.

Scan the QR Code or see link in bio for more information and to apply!

Trust for Public Land is part of the Care for ʿᾹina Now (CAN) coalition. If we work together we CAN address the $350 million annual shortfall in needed investments in our natural and cultural resources and climate resiliency to prevent wildfires, protect the forest watersheds that produce our drinking water, and protect and enhance the special places we enjoy and love. If can, CAN!

Hawaii's Governor Wants To Finally Get A Climate Fee Passed, But Will It Be Enough? The state is falling short by hundreds of millions of dollars each year to protect its environment, conservationists say. The new proposal would raise about $70 million annually.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with and for a Lunar New Year celebration this Saturday, February 3rd from 9AM-10PM at ʻAʻala Park. There will be cultural festivities, lion dances, keiki activities, food and craft vendors, and more!

For more information: visit chinatown808.com

“Positive activity tends to drive out the negative”
- Lea Hong, Hawaiian Islands State Director, TPL

Read more to learn about our work at ʻAʻala Park!

Catherine Toth Fox: Neglected Aala Park Is On Course For Revitalization Under New Initiative A draft design includes more tree cover, wider walkways, fitness equipment, an upgrade to its skate rink and a hula mound.

E KU’I KA LONO

Come celebrate Makahiki season at ʻAʻala Park this Saturday, January 13th from 9am-2pm!!! #

We will have a variety of activities, games, music and dance, connecting culture, community, and a place!

Kiolaka‘a is a remote, undeveloped 1,837-acre property makai of Waiʻōhinu Town, moku of Ka‘ū, Hawai‘i Island. The land is home to treasured natural and cultural resources including portions of the ancient Kamakalepo settlement, Lua Nunu cave system, and the eastern shoreline of Ka‘alu‘alu Bay. Trust for Public Land, the Ala Kahakai Trail Association, and the Ka‘ū community worked together to forever preserve this precious landscape.

PC: The Nature Conservancy

Pōhue Bay is the only white sand beach for many tens of miles in the rugged district of Kaʻū on Hawaiʻi Island. Its calm shores and anchialine ponds are a beloved community resource. Generations of local residents come here to surf, fish, dive, and re-connect with nature and culture. Trust for Public Land and the National Park Service (NPS) have partnered to preserve this cherished landscape by purchasing the property for addition to the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

PC: TPL Staff

South of Līhuʻe, Kaua‘i, lies Alakoko (aka Menehune) Fishpond – a 600 year old fishpond famous in Hawaiian legend and beloved by the Kaua‘i community. Hulē‘ia River winds through the 102-acre property and feeds into Nāwiliwili Bay. The wetlands and estuary provide refuge for endangered birds and a nursery for fish. The community, Mālama Hulē‘ia, and Trust for Public Land partnered to protect Alakoko Fishpond as a cultural kīpuka (oasis), working fishpond, and one of the most cherished pieces of Kaua‘i’s storied history.

PC: Tina Aiu

Located in Kaʻū on 1,363-acres of stunning shoreline and pasture, Kaunāmano includes four miles of the ancient Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail which once circled the island, and a web of traditional trails leading to the hundreds of ancient Hawaiian cultural sites throughout the property. Trust for Public Land, the Ka‘ū community, the Keanu Family, and the Ala Kahakai Trail Association partnered to purchase and protect the Kaunāmano property as a living legacy of the storied district of Ka‘ū.

PC: Ala Kahakai Trail Association

Family owned and operated by the Galimba family, Kuahiwi Ranch produces free-range grass-fed beef for local consumption, directly increasing Hawaiʻi’s sustainable food supply. The pledge of a privately funded conservation easement allowed The Ranch to purchase Honuʻapo Ranch Lands. These lands are part of the rural storied landscape of Kaʻū – rich both in cultural and agricultural history. The Ranch will now be able to operate upon more land it owns while also partnering with the Kaʻū community to protect treasured cultural sites.

PC: Ala Kahakai Trail Association