Mālama Maui Nui Seeks Volunteers for “River Mouth” Cleanup, May 30

Litter piles at the beach at ‘River Mouth’ in Paukūkalo. Photo credit: Mālama Maui Nui.

By Maui Now Staff

The nonprofit environmental group Mālama Maui Nui is seeking volunteers to help clean the shoreline at the popular surf spot often referred to as “River Mouth” in Paukūkalo on Saturday morning, May 30, 2015.

The cleanup will run from 8 a.m. to noon on the Waiehu side of ʻĪao Stream.

Event organizers say the site is particularly important to keep clean “due to its biological and cultural importance.”

The waterway empties directly east of the location, and as part of Nā Wai ʻEha, or The Four Waters, event organizers say the environmental health of the stream and its surrounding land area “can significantly influence the health of marine life and land upstream of this location.”

Litter piles at the beach at ‘River Mouth’ in Paukūkalo. Photo credit: Mālama Maui Nui.

Marine life like the ʻoʻopu (goby fish) and ʻopae (shrimp) “depend on river mouths like this one as the path from their temporary ocean habitat back to fresh water to procreate,” organizers said in an event announcement.

“The health of nearshore life like limu and crustaceans also require clean fresh water entering the ocean to survive,” according to representatives with Mālama Maui Nui.

“Honoring the cultural connection of clean waterflow mauka to makai for the remaining lo’i (taro patches) situated in the West Maui Mountains is another reason why it is so crucial to maintain the River Mouth beach area litter-free,” organizers said.

According to MMN, the organization’s Road Crew partnered with the County of Maui to remove larger debris from the site earlier this year, and recently a group of volunteers led by area resident Duke Sevilla collected 18 bags of trash.

Interested volunteers should contact Mālama Maui Nui directly for event details by emailing [email protected] or calling (808) 877-2524.