Living Pono Project receives more than $650,000 for watershed preservation

The Living Pono Project has received more than $650,000 to support the nonprofit’s preservation efforts of the Puʻu Kukui Watershed, the largest private nature preserve in Hawaiʻi.

Set atop Mauna Kahālāwai (the West Maui Mountains), the Puʻu Kukui Watershed is one of the wettest spots on earth and serves as a vital source of fresh water.  

Led by a donation of $500,000 from Kapalua Golf, other donors to support the launching of this year’s fundraising campaign are Kapalua Resort Association, Jonathan Kindred and Sven and Kristin Lindblad. The contributions provide financial support for conservation efforts, including personnel, equipment and supplies. 

“Much of Maui’s population receives water from the West Maui Mountains,” said Jonathan Kindred, a Kapalua resident. “I am thrilled to support the efforts of the Living Pono Project in protecting the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed, which is a critical component of long-term water sustainability for our island.”

At over 9,000 acres of contiguous native rainforest, Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve was established to protect West Maui’s native rainforest and its native plants and animals. The intact ahupuaʻa and larger moku complex show the dynamic interactions of different ecosystems within an ahupua’a, as well as potential impacts that global warming may have on a community. The watershed typically averages nearly 400 inches of rain annually. However, with climate change impacts in the past three years, rainfall in the watershed has decreased to just over 200 inches a year, according to an announcement from the Living Pono Project.

Native vegetation and forest cover help anchor mountain soil, protecting the watershed from erosion while also acting like a sponge to absorb water from heavy rains. The water percolates underground to recharge a layer of fresh water that floats atop deeper brackish water in the ʻĪao aquifer.

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. established a perpetual conservation easement in 1988 protecting the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve. It contains a number of endangered species and native ecosystem resources.

“Protecting natural resources for future generations, the efforts of the PKW team focus on aquifer recharge, ungulate management, invasive species removal, soil retention, reef protection, native habitat for endemic flora and fauna and rare species protection,” the announcement says.

“Here at the Puʻu Kukui Watershed one can see the beauty that Ke Akua has created of a precious rainforest connecting from the top of the mountain to the sea,” said Pomaika’i Kaniaupio-Crozier, conservation director for Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve. “This reminds me of the wise saying that kupuna share ‘Hāhai no ka ua i ka ʻulu lāʻau’ (meaning the rain follows the forest).”

Living Pono Project is seeking additional donations for the Uhiwai Reforestation Project within the Puʻu Kukui Watershed. The project will assist with the native reforestation efforts of more than 100 acres burned by wildfire in the preserve. It will also assist in the protection and ecosystem connectivity of the entire watershed. Private donations and volunteers are needed to leverage grant funding and to execute the project.

“Everyone on Maui needs healthy watersheds to get the water we use every day,” said Spreckelsville residents Kristin and Sven Lindblad. “There is so much work to be done in removing invasives and restoring forests, we hope that all residents of Maui will consider working to protect our sacred source of water here on the island.”

For more information on the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve, visit www.puukukui.org. For more information on the Living Pono Project, or to make a donation, visit www.livingponoproject.org and select Puʻu Kukui Watershed.