Kula Community Watershed Alliance marks two year milestone with long-term restoration commitments

The Kula Community Watershed Alliance (KCWA) invites all community members to a special “2-Year Anniversary Community Conversation” on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. HST via Zoom.

Within weeks of the August 2023 Kula Fire, several dozen fire-affected landowners gathered on the land, acknowledged the role that invasive species have played in Kula’s wildfire hazards, and declared that another way forward was possible. Out of that shared vision, the Kula Community Watershed Alliance was born — a community-led, shared-governance multi-generational movement to restore the watershed and protect the future of Kula.

Two years later, KCWA has become a trusted leader in ecological restoration and wildfire resilience, remaining accountable first and foremost to the families and landowners who willed the alliance into existence. Now, thanks to Federal, State, County, and private foundation partners, KCWA has secured long-term commitments to carry out restoration at scale, both in the Kula Fire burn scar and in priority Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas beyond it.

The program will include:

• KCWA’s story of being co-created by the fire-affected community and continuing to lead with a community-driven, servant leadership model.
• A first look at never-before-seen maps showing KCWA’s progress in the burn scar and proposed restoration work ahead.
• News of large-scale projects launching now, as grant awards come online as usable funding to support 2–3 years of major restoration work and beyond.
• An update on KCWA’s expanded role in vegetation conversion and watershed restoration in high-risk areas beyond the burn scar.
• Stories from community members directly impacted by KCWA’s work.
  

“KCWA was born from this valley’s families and landowners, and we remain accountable to them first,” said Sara Tekula, Executive Director of KCWA. “As we mark two years since our founding, several major grant awards are finally coming online as usable funding — which means large-scale restoration projects are now beginning and will continue over the next two to three years and beyond. We are proud to share both the progress achieved in the burn scar and the long-term commitments secured to continue watershed restoration and wildfire resilience across Kula.”

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. HST
Location: Online via Zoom
Admission: Free | All community members welcome

Register and learn more here: https://bit.ly/KCWA2YearConversation

For additional information, contact info@kulacommunitywatershed.org