Volunteers help Maui’s coastline during recent native planting day in Pāʻia

Residents and visitors helped grow a healthier future for Maui’s coastline during a recent County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) native planting day to restore shoreline adjacent to the Pāʻia Youth and Cultural Center at Lower Pāʻia Park.

In collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, the planting day drew 40 volunteers who completed 900 native plantings. Plantings encourage natural accumulation of sand that eventually form dunes. All plants were grown at the County DPR Maintenance Division Beatification Section native plant nursery and included pōhuehue, ʻakiʻaki and ʻākulikuli, with supplements of nanea and Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka.

“Mahalo to all the volunteers whose hands and hearts made this work possible. Hosting a volunteer day increases community engagement, nourishes the relationship between people and the land, and reflects the county’s strong commitment to sustainability,” DPR Director Patrick McCall said. “Together, we’re doing more than shoreline restoration work — we’re growing a healthier, more connected community.”

The two-hour event Oct. 20 began with pule and a brief educational session. Volunteers comprised both tourists and residents and included the County’s Department of Corporation Counsel. 

This planting is part of a long-term shoreline restoration project designed to make the island more resilient and sustainable. By returning native plants to their natural shoreline habitat, the plants help sand collect and form dunes. These dunes act as a natural buffer between the ocean and the land, strengthening the island’s protection against rising sea levels.

DPR’s native plant nursery is cultivating more than 30 native plant species and has propagated more than 4,000 native plants, with approximately 2,000 of those being used for the County of Maui’s dune restoration efforts in partnership with the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant Program and the Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter.

The nursery is dedicated to researching and cultivating native plant species, particularly those adapted to thrive in Maui County’s coastal environments.

For general information on County DPR, visit https://mauicounty.gov/parks.