Community groups strive to restore Windward Oahu’s Heeia Stream

KANEOHOE—Volunteers, including 85 Hawaiian Electric Company employees, will take part in the Heeia Stream Restoration Project to restore native Hawaiian vegetation along 2,000 feet of habitat in upper Heeia Stream on Saturday, July 17.

The community event is organized by Hawaiian cultural groups Papahana Kuaola and Hui o Koolaupoko, in partnership with Hui Ku Maoli Ola.

“Programs like ours that protect and perpetuate Hawaii’s natural resources are dependent on critical funding and community support,” said Rick Barboza of Hui Ku Maoli Ola, who specialize on native Hawaiian plants. “Volunteers from across the island including individual residents, organizations, and businesses like Hawaiian Electric have stepped up to provide the necessary labor to restore the native ecosystem.”

The project also includes the installation of erosion control material to address eroding stream banks and keep the soil out of the water. For Hui o Koolaupoko, the stream restoration project affords an opportunity to work with residents in the Heeia watershed and share techniques to reduce fertilizers applied to individual lawns and other methods to improve watershed health. The Windward organization is also working with Hawaii Pacific University to monitor water quality of the area pre- and post-project.

“One of the more fascinating aspects of the Heeia Stream project has been the discovery of the original loi (water pools) and water sources that the native Hawaiians used many years ago,” said Kaiulani de Silva, director of education and consumer affairs at Hawaiian Electric. “We
wanted to support this project through our volunteer ‘People Power’ community outreach program when we heard of the organizers’ desire to restore the lands to its original use. The restoration process is helping educate students and other community groups about preserving
and protecting Hawaii’s unique environment.”

Earlier this year, Hawaiian Electric’s ‘People Power] employee volunteers removed invasive algae along the shores of Kualoa Beach Park,
working with the Hakipuu Learning Center, and the Koolaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club.

Since December 2009, more than 400 volunteers have dedicated over 900 hours to the Heeia Stream Restoration Project in Kaneohe off Haiku Road. The community workday project is scheduled on the third Saturday of every month and starts with a brief project overview followed
by assigned tasks for work groups.

Interested volunteers should bring a refillable water bottle, snacks, sunscreen, gloves, insect repellant, a change of clothes, a towel, and wear covered shoes, boots, or tabis.

For more information, email [email protected].