This spring is a season of connection. Between people and place. Between planning and doing. And with the partnerships that make possible the work of nonprofit Mālama Hulēʻia.
Last weekend was a really good example.
Mālama Hulēʻia staff and a few board members gathered on the spring equinox, March 20, at Ahukini to welcome the first sunrise of the season and then at Alakoko for an ʻaha ʻawa ceremony.
This is one of the ways the nonprofit marks the shift in seasons and set intentions for what is ahead.
It is also a commitment. To the work, to each other and to continuing to show up.
Community volunteers turned out for the first time to support restoration efforts within Hulēʻia National Wildlife Refuge during the first workday of the new season.
The project focuses on a 5-acre riparian and pūnāwai area that feeds into the broader wetland system and ultimately into Alakoko loko iʻa.
It is a key freshwater source that helps maintain the balance needed for the fishpond to function.
Volunteers helped during the first workday clearing debris from the recent back-to-back kona lows that struck the island in March and removing invasive vegetation from a section of the pūnāwai, or spring-fed stream.
“It was so good to have all that positive fresh energy in that space … clearing space, getting eyes and hands into the area and beginning the process of restoring flow and function,” wrote Mālama Hulēʻia in a recent email.
The work is not just about planting. It is about restoring how water moves through this system.
Project work started by establishing native plants in the understory before removing invasive canopy. That sequencing is intentional, as it helps prevent invasive species from taking over again and supports a more stable transition back to native habitat.
Over time, the work will:
- Improve water quality entering the system.
- Reconnect freshwater flow with downstream wetlands and the fishpond.
- Restore habitat for native fish and waterbirds
Getting volunteers out there is a big step — it means the project moved out of the planning phase and into steady, on-the-ground restoration with community as part of the process.
Visit the Mālama Hulēʻia website for additional details about the nonprofit, its work and how you can help.
