SLIM Reef-Friendly Shoreline Strategies Training

Olowalu shoreline courtesy of Munekiyo & Hiraga Inc., 2009

The Sustainable Living Institute of Maui is offering a unique training designed for shoreline property owners and managers on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 2 to 4:30 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Kā‘anapali.

This training offers research-based options for reef protection for landowners, resort and condominium staff, landscapers, landscape architects and anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of reef-friendly strategies for Maui’s coastline.

The newly-published Hawaii Hotel Reef Stewardship Guide and the low-impact design guidebook, Stormwater Management the Natural Way; Low Impact Design and Development, offer an overview for the accommodations industry in Hawaiʻi and provide the latest strategies for shoreline properties to protect the waters and coral reefs of Maui.

These guides are the framework for the training, which features instructors and coral reef stewards Liz Foote of Project S.E.A-Link and the West Maui Kumuwai Campaign, Wesley Crile of Coral Reef Alliance and Tova Callender of West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative.

“Shoreline properties are the ‘last line of defense’ to protect fragile reefs,” said Crile. “Even if the problems didn’t start on-site, what the resorts and oceanfront facilities can do is substantial. They can become the protectors and heroes of the coral reefs and beaches their guests come to visit. These guides show the way.”

Watershed stewardship, low-impact design, irrigation management and plant selection, and visitor and community engagement will be covered in the course.

CEUs are available for landscape technicians. Tuition assistance may be available for eligible participants who register early.

To register, visit edventuremaui.com, or call 984-3231. For further information, call 984-3502 or email [email protected].