Watershed Fundraising Farm Dinner at Mākena Golf & Beach Club, Sept. 7

Mākena Golf & Beach Club will host Ulu Mai he Wai, a fundraising dinner event honoring local organizations, Kula Community Watershed Alliance, Uhiwai O Haleakalā, and Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership, for their work towards supporting Mauiʻs watersheds.  All proceeds from the event will benefit the honorees.  The event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, from 5:30–8:30 p.m. at Mākena Golf & Beach Club’s Nāulu Farm.

Ulu Mai he Wai is to encourage the growth and increase of our watersheds, native ecosystems, and thus our freshwater.

The dinner will be held at Nāulu Farm, overlooking the club’s organically minded farm named for, inspired by, and designed to reflect the Nāulu wind and cloud bridge of the area. Created by Mākena Golf & Beach Club’s ‘Ōiwi Resources + Stewardship Director CJ Elizares, Nāulu Farm is part of Mākenaʻs larger effort to support the connection of the Nāulu cloud bridge from Ulupalakua to Kahoʻolawe through returning native place-based plants to Honuaʻula, a soon to begin low dryland reforestation effort, and ultimately strengthening the relationship between ʻāina and kānaka.

The Nāulu cloud bridge is a unique meteorological phenomenon in the Honua‘ula region of Maui. It forms when trade winds interact with warm air rising from the island, causing condensation and creating a cloud band that stretches from the top of Honua‘ula to the island of Kaho‘olawe – giving the formation an appearance of a bridge. This cloud formation typically occurs in the afternoons and is crucial for the area’s ecosystem, contributing to the island’s rainfall and supporting its diverse flora and fauna.

“Hilinaʻi he ʻōpua i ke alo lani”, referenced in a traditional Hawaiian chant, speaks of the dependable clouds in the eastern sky. “Our hope for this event is to come together on land with those we can lean upon, trust, and have confidence in to seed a crown of clouds upon our mauna, he lei ʻōpua a ke aloha,” says Mākenaʻs Community Engagement Director Leahi Hall. “Through the dryland reforestation efforts of our ʻŌiwi Resources & Stewardship team, our intention is to contribute to the Nāuluʻs ability to provide gentle rain to Honuaʻula and Kahoʻolawe, and to be a link in the clouds seeded through the critically important native ecosystem and watershed restoration work across Maui.”

“The August 2023 Maui Wildfires brought into clear focus our responsibility for caring for and about our watersheds–not only those pristine places high up on the mountain, but those running right through our backyards. The community-led Kula Community Watershed Alliance is actively working with dozens of fire-affected landowners to restore 200 acres of land that burned in the Kula Fire; reduce invasive fire fuels along the watersheds that our Kula neighborhoods are situated on; and reoccupy these spaces with native flora and fauna to promote the long-term health and resilience of our watersheds,” said Sara Tekula, Executive Director of Kula Community Watershed Alliance. “Weʻre grateful to Nāulu Farm for hosting us and for modeling how land stewards can be thoughtful partners with the more-than-human world.”

“Collaborating with organizations and community groups to support ongoing restoration efforts and community-based stewardship programs in the hopes that the Nāulu cloud will bridge across our skies for generations to come,” said Uhiwai O Haleakalā’s executive director Andrea Buckman.

“Bringing people to forests to develop a connection with sacred places is one of the most rewarding aspects of our work.  The complex connection between our island’s people and these forested places can really only be understood when they see the mist in the air, the rain on the leaves and the water flowing in streams to nourish the earth. Having people understand this and resolve to plant a forest is the ultimate.  Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership is proud to sustain these forests and our connections,” said Chris Brosius, Program Manager for Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership.

Tickets for the event are $200 per person.  The event includes delicious food and drink, live entertainment by Marja Lehua Apisaloma and Wailau Ryder, and beautiful views of Puʻu Ōlaʻi and Kahoʻolawe beyond. Seating is limited and is based on a first to register basis.  

To buy tickets, visit:

• Link for Kula – https://kindest.com/294496-ulu-mai-he-wai-kcwa 
• Link for Uhiwai – https://form.jotform.com/242267001418044 
• Link for MKWP – https://form.jotform.com/242356205477054