Mālama Mokuʻula Project Helps to Preserve Sacred Site

Photo courtesy Friends of Mokuʻula.

By Wendy Osher

A group of volunteers on Maui spent National Public Lands Day caring for the historic Mokuʻula site in West Maui.

The Mālama Mokuʻula and Loko o Mokuhinia celan-up effort was two-fold: to remove invasive species, and replace them with native plants.

Volunteers also installed irrigation, removed old playground equipment, and fixed broken fences during the event.

“The service was a great help in beautifying the area and preserving the history of the sacred site,” said officials with the Friends of Mokuʻula.

Mokuʻula is situated in the area of Malu Ulu Olele Park.  For nearly a century, it served as a political and spiritual center of Hawai’i, and was an ancient home of Maui’s Chiefly lines.

Photo courtesy Friends of Mokuʻula.

National Public Lands Day was observed on September 29th, and included projects across the nation with participation from some 170,000 volunteers.

The project on Maui aimed to inspire community service from students, residents, and businesses.

Businesses and organizations that assisted in this year’s project included: The Boeing Corporation, Red Tail Acquisitions, County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation, County Solid Waste Division, Lahainaluna High School, Goodfellow Brothers, Aloha Waste, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, Maui Community Work Day, EKO Compost, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Office Max, Spanky’s Riptide and Lisa Schattenberg-Raymond.

Photo courtesy Friends of Mokuʻula.

Photo courtesy Friends of Mokuʻula.