Mālama Awāwa O Kula
NURTURING THE VALLEYS OF KULA
The Kula Fire Restoration Project: Regenerating the burned lands of Pōhakuokalā, Kula.
I ka Wā Mamua, ka Wā Mahope
The Future is in the Past
In August 2023, approximately 303 acres of the Waiakoa watershed in Upper Kula (including over 23 homes, dozens of other structures, and a thick forest of invasive Australian Black Wattle trees) burned to the ground. This historic wildfire primarily took place inside a steep valley referred to as Pōhakuokalā in higher elevations, and Pūlehu in lower elevations.
Since late August 2023, the Kula Community Watershed Alliance has consistently convened the fire-affected community of Kula to keep an open dialogue and to learn together the best way to move forward.
As many elders have told us, we see that the way forward is often found in the wisdom of the past. According to historical record, this landscape (most recently dominated by invasive wattle trees) was once one of the most biodiverse native habitats on the slopes of pre-contact Haleakalā.
A critical source of fresh groundwater and food for endangered native species, this mesic forest once hosted a convergence of both windward and leeward species – as well as its own unique species – and is in need of our support now more than ever.
The people living in this watershed have seen the health of the land decline over decades, and in the aftermath of the wildfire, are eager to restore vitality to the place they call home.
This region is equally important for our neighbors down stream: the waters that flow through our gulches feed Keālia Pond and the South Maui wetlands –home to endangered species and critical ecological processes that support the near-shore ocean environment.
Waiakoa watershed has been destabilized and is now at risk in the aftermath of the wildfire. After the fire, neighbors immediately joined together to commit to the recovery and long-term stewardship of this special place.
The Kula Community Watershed Alliance was founded by those stewards with a shared vision to “Mālama Awāwa O Kula” – nurture the valleys and gulches of Kula, and in so doing, nurture the well-being of our communities, too.
Together, the Kula Community Watershed Alliance strives to stabilize, protect, restore, and maintain the burned areas and beyond.
Learn more about the Kula Fire Restoration Project, which is guided by a group of subject matter experts, below. You can also explore our commitment to and work to reduce invasive species (fire fuels) here.
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Our first step is to safely set a healthy foundation to build from. Plants are our greatest land stabilzers, but we are beginning with a fire-scorched disturbed landscape–the fireʻs intensity combined with soil dehydration prior to the fire has left us with completely sterile soil without structure or organic matter–a fine, dry powder.
In order to repair the soil safely, we are applying a mulch treatment made of invasive woody material collected nearby. The much provides a protective blanket over the soil, stabilizing it, slowing water down along the slopes, filtering rainwater and nutrients into the soil below, and getting it ready for planting.
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The restoration of this fire-effected area comes with many challenges, not the least of which is invasive species–both flora and fauna. The lands in our area were disturbed by deforestation and invasive, fire prone plant species well before the fires. Our area is also known for a large Axis Deer population, which is devastating watersheds all over Maui County. As an Alliance, we are committed to prioritizing landscape resilience Kula in the face of these challenges.
This is why weʻll need to engage in what‘s called in “Assisted Natural Regeneration,” meaning that human efforts will need to support the process along the way. We will do everything we can to reduce fire fuels, prevent invasive species regrowth, and to keep Axis Deer away from our restoration site. This will be achieved through a variety of methods, including systematic weed control and fencing where appropriate.
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With the guidance of ecological and cultural advisors, we will restore a healthy watershed environment using site-appropriate native plants and trees planted in the burned areas to return native groundcovers to the understory, shrubs to the mid-story, and magestic trees to the canopy.
This area of Kula, known as Pōhakuokalā (and Pūlehu just downhill), is home to a montane mesic forest which formerly held a tremendous amount of native biodiversity. As much as possible, we strive to restore the ecological identity of this area through careful sourcing of seeds within our ahu’pua’a, nearby habitat preserves, and saplings that have origins nearby. Several partner organizations have already begun growing these for us.
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Stewardship is a marathon, not a sprint. We are committed to the long-term maintenance of our restoration area, and this will include careful monitoring, weeding, fence repair, and plant care.
Community work days to maintain our watershed (in the safest areas of the restoration zone) will be a big part of our maintenance plan.
Sign up for our mailing list to be informed of upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Explore all the ways to join us and get involved.
Join the Alliance.
Are you a concerned resident living in the fire affected areas of Kula? A potential partner that can bring resources to our effort? Join the Kula Community Watershed Alliance and connect with like-minded neighbors who are dedicated to restoring the lands they call home.
Make a Gift
Post-fire recovery, soil stabilization, and land restoration of this magnitude is a long-term stewardship process that requires hard work, specialized equipment, expertise, and resources to properly execute. Please give what you can to help us make our neighborhood fire-safe, recover the land, and support its vitality.
Watch the Watershed.
Have you noticed anything new in your watershed? Submit your observations to our crowdsourced citizen science project to get to know our watershed better.
Volunteer.
Sign up to Join the Alliance, and choose the volunteer option, and weʻll be in touch when the opportunity arises!
What is a Watershed?
The Wonders of Watersheds
Discover the magic of watersheds or ahupua'a, where raindrops journey through hills and valleys to reach a common destination.
Rainfall & Runoff
Raindrops paint the landscape, trickling down hills to form tributaries that tell the story of our land.
Tributaries & Convergence
Join the dance of tributaries as they converge, shaping a powerful flow that defines the essence of our watershed.
Percolation to Groundwater
Some raindrops choose a hidden journey, percolating into the earth to join an aquifer, a life source beneath the surface.
Watershed Divide
Witness the watershed divide, where the land makes a choice, guiding rainwater in different directions. Water that moves along the surface of the watershed makes it into the ocean, eventually.
Protecting Our Watershed.
Like the raindrops, every action we take ripples through the land. By making good choices, we can safeguard precious fresh water and native habitats, nearshore ocean environments and reefs, and recreational spaces—for generations.
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