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The Nature Conservancy Honors Mālama Maunalua
with 2008 Kāko‘o ‘Āina Award

Group Sets Precedent as Model of Community-Based Ocean Stewardship

HONOLULU, HI — October 14, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i has recognized Mālama Maunalua, a community group working to conserve and restore a well known east O‘ahu bay, with its 2008 Kāko‘o ‘Āina Award.

This past weekend, Mālama Maunalua was presented with the award at the Conservancy’s annual board meeting at the Waikīkī Aquarium.

The Conservancy established the Kāko‘o ‘Āina (Supporter of the Land) Award three years ago to honor community members who have provided significant and longstanding support for conservation in Hawai‘i.

“Mālama Maunalua is arguably the most successful community-based conservation effort we have seen in Hawai‘i,” said Suzanne Case, executive director of The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i. “The group’s ability to garner community support has been remarkable.”

Case noted that the group has established a modern-day version of the traditional Hawaiian ahupua‘a natural resource management system applied in an urban setting. “This is an exciting model ” she said. “It charts a new, yet ancient, course for Hawaii.”

In ancient times, konohiki, or caretakers, carefully managed land divisions that extended from the mountains to the sea. Likewise, Mālama Maunalua uses a holistic approach in managing the resources of their ahupua‘a.

Maunalua Bay stretches from Portlock Point to Black Point, encompassing 7 miles of beach and 6 ½ miles of ocean waters. The mission of the community-based initiative is to improve the environmental quality of the bay and surrounding lands through a combination of values-based education and coordinated community management and monitoring activities.

Starting in 2006 with a few individuals who remember the bay’s former abundance, Mālama Maunalua is now a rich mosaic of individuals and organizations working together to restore the bay to its former health. Partners in this effort include residents; various schools; the Polynesian Voyaging Society; Mālama Hawai‘i; The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i; Hui Nalu Canoe Club; B.E.A.C.H. (Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawai‘i); State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and many others.

Mālama Maunalua has organized surveys conducted by local fishers to monitor how many and what kind of fish are being caught. Volunteers are mobilized in the Makai Watch program, which conducts beach cleanups and invasive limu removal, educates users about the bay’s ecology and history and, like a neighborhood watch, observes for compliance with marine laws.

“This community is really committed to their backyard, the ocean,” said Carol Wilcox, a co-founder of the group. “These are old neighborhoods and have a lot of history. People know what this place used to be – that, we hope, can be again.”

A writer and lifelong advocate for Hawaii’s environment, Wilcox has resided in the Maunalua area for over 60 years. In the 1940s, she dug for clams with her grandmother in the mud flats of ‘Āina Haina – a pastime that vanished along with the clams. While snorkeling or kayaking, and talking to fishermen, Wilcox grew alarmed over the deteriorating health of the bay. “I saw that things were going downhill – a lot of sediment and a lot less fish,” she said.

“Mālama Maunalua is a partnership of residents, community and conservation groups, and public agencies collaborating across jurisdictions – and what we share is our love of this place, and the formal recognition that there is this integral connection between the land and the sea,” Wilcox said. “If we want to protect our ocean and coral reefs, it’s got to start with the land.”

Wilcox and Laura Thompson, Mālama Maunalua’s founders, accepted the award on behalf of the group. Also recognized were the other steering committee members: Bruce and Lita Blankenfeld; Gerry Davis; Mitch D’Olier; Jennifer Taylor; Nainoa and Kathy Thompson; and Jean Tsukamoto, and other volunteers.

The Nature Conservancy’s Kāko‘o ‘Āina Award celebrates those who have demonstrated significant, steadfast efforts to protect Hawaii’s environment. Prior awardees were Jan TenBruggencate, former science writer for the Honolulu Advertiser, who received the first award in 2005; renowned wildlife photographer and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Jack Jeffrey (2006); and research biologist Art Medeiros, who helped to establish Maui’s Leeward Haleakalā Watershed Restoration Partnership (2007).

 
Panoramic view of Maunalua Bay.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.