{"id":206799,"date":"2024-11-24T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-24T18:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=206799"},"modified":"2024-11-25T08:22:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T18:22:02","slug":"maui-youth-join-uh-partnerships-conservation-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/11\/24\/maui-youth-join-uh-partnerships-conservation-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Maui youth join UH<\/abbr> partnership\u2019s conservation, fire mitigation efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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UH<\/abbr> East Maui Watershed Partnership tree planting event at King Kekaulike High School<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dozens of students at King Kekaulike High School (KKHS<\/abbr>) on Maui planted hundreds of native shrubs, grasses and ferns in November. It is part of a massive restoration effort by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> East Maui Watershed Partnership<\/a> (EMWP<\/abbr>)\u2014between federal, state and private landowners\u2014to preserve the native forest.<\/p>\n[vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/zqRsYUF3Mfo” el_aspect=”916″ align=”right” el_id=”wrap-video-right”]\n

The students planted ʻūlei,<\/span> pili grass, ʻilima,<\/span> pāʻūohiʻiaka<\/span> and kupukupu fern.<\/p>\n

“I feel like just by what we’re doing, like small stuff like this planting and getting involved with the ʻāina<\/span> is a huge step in bettering our future,” said KKHS<\/abbr> student Bella Kuailani.<\/p>\n

Another student, Keoliakaiponohea Kekauoha-Schultz, added, “Not only is this work important culturally, but it’s also important for the ʻāina<\/span> and the soil.”<\/p>\n

Vital forest habitat, water source<\/h2>\n

Educational efforts like these are part of EMWP<\/abbr>\u2019s multi-pronged strategy to implement land restoration and improved management practices on 23,000 acres within the 100,000-acre East Maui Watershed. The area is home to the largest intact native forests on Maui and also habitat for a globally significant concentration of endangered birds and endemic plant and invertebrate species, as well as the source of water that sustains upcountry households and much of Maui\u2019s agricultural production.<\/p>\n

Funds from the Bezos Maui Fund enabled the KKHS<\/abbr> planting project, and will support future school plantings and an expansion of on-the-ground resource management actions in remote watershed areas over five years.<\/p>\n

“We’re really hoping that the students will learn about the importance of native plants and how those native plants support our native animals, whether it be birds or insects, and how that ecosystem works as a whole, and that together creates a healthy watershed because we all need water right from here into the future,” said Allison Borell, EMWP<\/abbr> community outreach and education liaison.<\/p>\n

Protecting against wildfires<\/h2>\n
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King Kekaulike High School student Keoliakaiponohea Kekauoha-Schultz pours mulch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

EMWP<\/abbr> also works to reduce the threat of wildfire by eliminating potential fuel sources such as invasive plants and encouraging the planting and protection of native species.<\/p>\n

“Reduction of fuel loads in large stands of fire adapted invasive pine trees is one of the most powerful things we can do to reduce the threat of wildfire in these natural areas,” said Dan Eisenberg, EMWP<\/abbr> program manager.<\/p>\n

The EMWP<\/abbr> operates as a project of the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit and is supported by state and federal funds, grants, and donations from public and private institutions.<\/p>\n

“As stewards of this land, it is our responsibility to ensure the health of our native ecosystems for future generations. By working together with our communities, especially our youth, we can make a lasting impact on the conservation of these vital resources,” said Shaya Honarvar, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit director.<\/p>\n

EMWP<\/abbr> was the first watershed partnership formed in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in 1991, and has served as a model for similar partnerships across the state, many of which are also projects led by UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit.<\/p>\n

Borell said, “I want to relay to everybody that we need to protect these special places because once they’re gone, they’re gone forever and we don’t get them back.”<\/p>\n

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UH<\/abbr> East Maui Watershed Partnership tree planting event at King Kekaulike High School<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UH<\/abbr> East Maui Watershed Partnership is leading restoration in the field and in schools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,12],"tags":[665,73,947,56],"class_list":["post-206799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-video","tag-conservation","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-system","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t