Media release from The Kohala Center

KONA, Hawaii: The cultural and natural landscape of the Kahalu‘u ahupua‘a (mountain-to-sea system) will be explored by Mitchell Fujisaka, Dr. Ku‘ulei Rodgers, and Kaipo Perez in a free presentation from 5:30–7 p.m. Tuesday, February 28, at Keauhou Beach Resort, Ballroom III.

Fujisaka, a kūpuna (elder) of Kahalu‘u, will share stories of his life in this ahupua‘a.

Rodgers, of the Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology (HIMB) and the Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program, will speak on quantifying the health of our watersheds and coral reefs and exploring the mauka/makai connection between them. Rodgers will make available knowledge from the Hawai‘i Watershed Health Index and the Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Reef Health Index.

Perez, doctoral candidate at HIMB, will present his preliminary baseline assessment (environment and biological) on coral reef resources through an interactive map of Kahalu‘u Bay.

A newly created community web portal focusing on the study of freshwater cycles and resources within Kahalu‘u ahupua‘a will also be available for viewing. The site provides cultural and scientific information and is a key to sustainably managing the natural and cultural resources contained within this ahupua‘a. It was developed in collaboration with the Center for Conservation Research and Training (CCRT) at University of Hawai‘i Mānoa and The National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR-Track 2).

For more information, contact Cindi Punihaole at 895-1010 or cpunihaole@kohalacenter.org. The evening is sponsored by The National Science Foundation EPSCoR-Track 2, CCRT, HIMB, The Kohala Center, and Jane Musser Fund.

(photo above by Randy Magnus)