From July 8th – 12th, 10 Kupu Hawaiʻi Youth Conservation Corps (HYCC) members and two Kupu team leaders joined forces with ATA on the Kuliʻouʻou Ridge Trail to clear a new home for a future Native Hawaiian Hardwoods forest. The HYCC team cleared at least half an acre of Koa Haole, Strawberry Guava, and California grass which will be replaced with native tree species in our next planting season. Decades from now, Hawaiian cultural practitioners will be able to harvest native hardwoods from this kīpuka with a permit from the DLNR!
The enthusiastic team also participated in hands-on lessons connecting conservation, cultural preservation, and resource management, and learned to identify native plants. Keoki Limasa-Viena, Land Steward for the Kupu Nā Manu ʻElele Program, and Chris Cramer, Executive Director of the Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center shared their vast knowledge on environmental protection and best practices. After working with these motivated and conservation-minded young adults for one week, the ATA team left feeling hopeful for the future knowing that the bar for stewardship has been set high by the generation that is about to enter the workforce.
