Anahola nonprofit leads fire mitigation efforts on Hawaiian Homelands

Dozens of high school students and volunteers removed more than 30 abandoned cars from a parcel of Hawaiian homelands in Anahola, Kauaʻi Thursday as part of a community effort to reduce the risk of wildfires in the area.

The workday marks the one-year anniversary of a wildfire that threatened nearby neighborhoods when fast-moving flames prompted the precautionary evacuations of area homes. Investigators classified the 12-acre blaze as arson. Sixty-eight abandoned vehicles were scorched that day.

The initiative, dubbed “Heavy Impact” by local nonprofit and event organizer ‘Āina Alliance, provided students with the opportunity to engage with heavy machinery and gain insight from skilled operators while participating in the removal of junked cars.

“The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands values its partnership with ‘Āina Alliance and its steadfast commitment to safeguarding our trust lands and the surrounding communities from wildfires,” said DHHL Director Kali Watson. “Organizations like ʻĀina Alliance are the backbone of our communities and the actions demonstrated today will have lasting impacts on the future of Anahola.”

Jeremie Makepa, an Anahola homesteader and Kauaʻi County fire captain, leads ʻĀina Alliance’s efforts as its board president.

“This is our first venture into getting kids involved with the heavy equipment work needed to do fire mitigation and flammable fuel removal,” Makepa said. “In essence, we’ve been left a gift to where this generation will start cleaning up the area, and that will develop their love and passion for community and wildfire prevention.”

In February 2022 the Hawaiian Homes Commission approved a right-of-entry permit to the nonprofit. The permit encourages the stewardship, maintenance and management of approximately 432 acres of Hawaiian homelands along the Anahola coastline on Kauaʻi’s eastern end.

Prior to the issuance of a permit, the area was prone to illegal dumping and other criminal activity. More than 300 abandoned vehicles are scattered throughout the land parcel and more than 100 fires have been reported in recent years.

“It’s about preservation and there’s nothing better than having our own children caring for the ‘āina,” Hawaiian Homes Kauaʻi Commissioner Dennis Neves said. “We’re here today because we understand how important it is to take care of our own ‘āina all while getting our ʻōpio to surround our community with their love and skills to help us move forward.”

The event was conducted in conjunction with North Shore Give Week, a series of charitable events hosted by North Shore Give, the dba for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Kauaʻi North Shore Community Foundation. The foundation works to improve the lives of residents from Anahola to Hāʻena through collaborative solutions for community challenges.