The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

In just one week 468 people applied for the fifty new positions created by the Recovery Act-funded contract The Nature Conservancy awarded Pono Pacific last week. The contract is for Pono Pacific to remove 22 acres of invasive algae from Maunalua Bay as a first step in helping restore the bay to a thriving ecosystem. After initial application screening, Pono Pacific will conduct an active field-based interview process by which an expected 50 individuals will be selected to work on this project for the next year.

“We are excited and honored by the opportunity to provide meaningful employment to a percentage of these applicants, especially at a time when there is so much need in our community. We received applications not only from laborers and those already active in conservation, but also from engineers, entrepreneurs, IT specialists, financial planners, real estate agents, sales agents, and others from a variety of industries,” said John Leong, President and CEO of Pono Pacific.

“The Conservancy is grateful that NOAA Recovery Act Funds enables us to be part of this collaboration that puts people to work in Hawai‘i to restore our ocean environment,” said Suzanne Case, executive director of the Conservancy’s Hawai‘i chapter.

This work is made possible by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) award to The Nature Conservancy, in cooperation with Mālama Maunalua, for Maunalua Bay Reef Restoration. This stimulus funding to restore coastal habitats scales up three years of volunteer efforts to pull invasive algae out of the bay - the first step in restoring habitat in Maunalua Bay.

For more information and project updates visit www.nature.org/hawaii, www.ponopacific.com, or www.malamamaunalua.org.

Mālama Maunalua is a community-based group that is helping to care for the Maunalua region of southeast O`ahu. Mālama Maunalua is dedicated to creating a healthy Maunalua region, described as the area from Kawaihoa (Koko Head area, East O’ahu) to Kūpikipiki‘ō (Black Point) to the Ko`olau ridgeline. To learn more visit Mālama Maunalua online at www.malamamaunalua.org.

Pono Pacific provides cost-effective ecosystem restoration services to aid conservation agencies and landowners in their efforts to preserve and protect the environment throughout Hawaii and the Pacific. Pono Pacific hopes to make natural resource management and conservation become more efficient, effective, and simpler for both landowners and managers. To learn more visit www.ponopacific.com