SUSTAINABILITY

Our work at Kuamo’o is designed to be sustainable.

Almost 200 years ago Kuamoʻo suffered the pain of a major battle in Hawaiʻiʻs history. For over 100 years Kuamoʻo was used for ranching and cattle. Today Kuamoʻo is protected and preserved in perpetuity. It is our turn to be a part of history to learn and share the moʻolelo and values of our wahi pana (legendary place), care for culturally significant sites, restore a more traditional landscape and responsibly manage natural resources.

We have started the removal of invasive species in order to have a comfortable meeting area, plant natives, and navigate throughout the 47 acre site. Majority of this work has been done by hand and AKA will use best practices to manage invasive species concentrating on specific areas at a time.

A fenced area has been constructed to keep goats out of our native planting area. A high population of feral goats in the area is a current challenge.

We are committed to re-introducing native plant species that will be used and shared with other ʻāina based projects, ʻohana and cultural practitioners in the future. Restoring coastal and dry land forest plants that are endemic, native and Polynesian introduced, some of which are endangered or threatened will ensure their survival and support the idea of a restored natural ecosystem at Kuamoʻo.

Hands on educational experiences and volunteer work days are valuable opportunities to engage community in the restoration and ongoing maintenance at Kuamoʻo. Additionally we are creating a center for peace and compassion for ourselves and each other by healing a battleground and working to understand conflict and resolution ideas.

Through caring for Kuamoʻo and the example of “ma ka hana ka ʻike” (In working one learns) we can influence future generations to be better stewards of place, keepers of moʻolelo (stories), managers and advocates of our natural resources who will make better choices for a more sustainable future.

The below photo shows volunteers of Kupu / Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps engaged in a re-planting effort. We are so grateful for their kokua and love for the ‘āina.