Land trust dreams of a flourishing Kahanui wetland

Work begins on management plan, restoration efforts for crucial habitat

Restoring the Kahanui wetland to what it once was, flourishing as a food production system and wildlife habitat, is at the heart of a proposed project on Molokai.

Butch Haase, founder and executive director of the Molokai Land Trust, points to the need for a wetland restoration and management plan that promotes food security, traditional cultural practices, sea level rise resilience and community involvement.

"If we're going to be successful in having the community involved and be in support of restoration on Molokai, we need to integrate traditional production systems and have a way for human engagement involvement in these systems," Haase said Wednesday night during a community Zoom meeting. "There is a huge bridge in wildlife habitat and food production that can work harmoniously together, and so we would love that model to be integrated into our vision as we go forward."

The Kahanui wetland is located three miles west of Kaunakakai and is part of an extensive coastal floodplain. There are currently mangroves and kiawe trees invading areas of the site.

Community benefits from restored wetlands include having sustainable food sources, such as fish and kalo; clean and filtered water; reduced sediment on the reef and protected ocean resources; and less flooding -- a relatively small wetland can hold millions of gallons of floodwater and slow down release.

Haase said it also can provide protection from storm surges on the coast, regulate groundwater level and soil moisture, capture carbon and promote bird and insect habitat.

The recently formed Molokai Wetland Partnerships has been helpful in bringing in resources and realizing the vision, too.

The partnership includes the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Pacific Birds, Ka Ipu Makani, the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Forestry and Wildlife Division and other organizations.

Maui County Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, who holds the Molokai residency seat, helped to facilitate the community meeting on Wednesday night and said that she is "very supportive" of the project.

On Friday, the council approved a bill on second and final reading that will set aside $210,000 for the Molokai Land Trust to acquire the Kahanui wetland.

Rawlins-Fernandez said that $200,000 that was originally allocated to a parcel on Maui has been released, which freed up the funding for the acquisition on Molokai.

Recently the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also announced nearly $1.5 million in matching federal grants for Hawaii wetlands restoration and conservation, including funds for the Kahanui wetland acquisition that amount to a $401,000 federal grant with a $255,000 state match for a total project cost of $656,000.

The surrounding parcels are under the protection of government agencies, so acquiring Kahanui would be "really important" for continuing the preservation of lands, history and culture for the Molokai community, Haase said.

Wednesday night's meeting, which drew 24 participants, was the first of many meetings. As the year goes on, the land trust plans to hone the details of the restoration efforts and a management plan via community feedback for the proposed project in the Palaau district.

"We hope to use this site as a mechanism to engage other community organizations and individuals interested in these types of cultural practices to have a place and partnership in developing that vision and that model of how this space is going to evolve," he said.

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.