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KEALAKEKUA COMMUNITY-LED CORAL RESTORATION PROJECT
Maki Morinoue Maki Morinoue

KEALAKEKUA COMMUNITY-LED CORAL RESTORATION PROJECT

(KEALAKEKUA BAY, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – The Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) took part in a second collaborative coral restoration project today with Hawaiian cultural practices and protocols in the waters of Kealakekua Bay, on the Kona side of Hawai‘i Island. Kanu Ko‘a is the name of a community-led project integrating Hawaiian culture, the local community, and the science of coral restoration, and the ceremony emphasized ‘ohana (family) and relationships with ko‘a (corals).

The partnership of local community nonprofit, Hoʻāla Kealakekua Nui, The Nature Conservancy, Hawai‘i and Palmyra (TNC), and the DLNR, organized the Kanu Ko‘a opening ceremony at Kealakekua Bay, which is one of 11 Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCD) in Hawai‘i.

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Critical Native Cloud Forest on Kohala Mountain to Receive Protection
Forest, 'Aina, Protection, Pigs Richard Bodien Forest, 'Aina, Protection, Pigs Richard Bodien

Critical Native Cloud Forest on Kohala Mountain to Receive Protection

The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), in partnership with The Kohala Center (TKC), recently received $234,000 in funding from the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) to protect and improve the quality of water resources in leeward Kohala and reduce nonpoint source pollution by mitigating soil erosion and increasing groundcover.

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County Buys Up Kona Land For Preservation
Land, Preservation, Culture Richard Bodien Land, Preservation, Culture Richard Bodien

County Buys Up Kona Land For Preservation

The purchase will ensure the preservation of numerous prehistoric and historic cultural sites and structures on the property, including a burial complex and the Kauakaiakaola Heiau. The Kauakaiakaola Heiau is among the most important historic and cultural sites in the state, along with other West Hawai‘i historic sites such as Keolanāhihi, Mo‘okini Heiau, and Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau.

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