Rotary grant supports community replanting and resilience in Kahoma Village

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) will continue its restoration efforts at Kahoma Village in Lahaina with a $26,000 grant from the Hawai‘i Rotary District 5000 Foundation Maui Fires Relief Fund. The project builds on earlier community planting events and expands long-term recovery initiatives for one of West Maui’s most impacted neighborhoods.

With the Rotary grant, MNMRC and community partners plan to plant more than 300 additional native and Polynesian-introduced plants, install three interpretive educational signs and host hands-on workshops focused on soil health, composting and reef-friendly landscaping practices. The project aims to support both ecological restoration and community healing by expanding shade, restoring local vegetation, enhancing food security through fruit-bearing trees and improving access to a safe public green space for Kahoma’s 600 residents and the wider Lahaina community.

This project is part of MNMRC’s larger land-to-sea approach to protecting Maui’s nearshore waters. By restoring healthy vegetation and eliminating synthetic landscaping chemicals at Kahoma Village, the project helps reduce polluted stormwater runoff that would otherwise carry sediment and contaminants to the ocean and nearby coral reefs.

“MNMRC is grateful for Rotary’s partnership in advancing recovery, resilience and environmental stewardship rooted in community leadership,” said project manager Jill Wirt.

Rotary in Hawai‘i comprises approximately 1,500 members across 45 clubs on O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island. Rotary District 5000 is part of a global network of 1.4 million Rotarians working to create lasting, positive change in communities around the world. Maui is home to eight Rotary Clubs. For more information about these clubs, contact Maui Island Resource Chair Joanne Laird at mamalrdo1@gmail.com.