Kula Community Watershed Alliance receives ‘transfomative’ grant for wildfire restoration
The Kula Community Watershed Alliance has announced a $103,000 grant coming from the Hawaiʻi Rotary District 5000 Foundation’s Maui Fires Relief Fund to support the next phase of its Community Restoration Nursery and Tool Library.
The funding will enable infrastructure upgrades, including a solar-powered irrigation system for the nursery’s two “hoop-style” greenhouses and native seed orchard, as well as an adjacent shade and workshop structure.
KCWA says these improvements are central to growing site-appropriate native plants and supporting community engagement in the burn scar’s recovery.
“This contribution from Rotary is transformative,” said Sara Tekula, KCWA executive director. “It strengthens the backbone of our restoration work—giving the land what it needs to heal and giving our community the infrastructure needed to show up for that work.”
The group said additional support was provided for nursery management, as KCWA’s landscape-scale restoration initiative has expanded to larger projects requiring a greater number of site-appropriate plants.
KCWA blessed its nursery, located in Upper Kula, on Aug. 8 to mark the two-year anniversary of the 2023 Maui wildfires. It features two 60-foot hoop houses purchased through a grant from the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and now produces hundreds of native trees, shrubs and groundcovers. The site also serves as a hub for restoration tools, workshops and volunteer training.
The Rotary grant accelerates KCWA’s capacity to support the propagation of tens of thousands of seeds collected by Kula’s fire-affected community, extend nursery operations and expand community learning opportunities.
Tekula says the nursery is more than just a place to grow plants and will become a “hub for long-term resilience in Kula, where restoration, wildfire mitigation and community stewardship can be nurtured for years to come.”
The Maui Fires Relief Fund, administered by Rotary District 5000, supports both urgent relief and long-term recovery projects across Maui.
Al Weiland, Rotary assistant governor for Maui Coastal Clubs and co-president of Rotary Club of Kīhei-Wailea, said, “The Rotary Clubs of Maui are delighted to work with dynamic organizations dedicated to improving the long-term health of our communities. This work on environmental restoration will bring benefits for generations to come.”
KCWA continues to express gratitude to the landowner, who generously allows KCWA to conduct restoration activities on property. The group also credits its strategic partner, Nā Koa Manu Conservation, for providing fiscal sponsorship and guidance essential to scaling restoration efforts.
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