Kula Community Watershed Alliance

05/20/2026

CALLING ALL MAUI HAMMAHS! 🔨🔨🔨🔨

Sunday, May 31st, join KCWA and Kulaʻs fire affected community for a special community Kōkua Day focused on hands-on wildfire resilience and watershed restoration in Kula.

This month’s workday will center around building hali hali lines — hand-to-hand bucket brigades — to move mulch into steep stabilization/restoration zones within the gulch that burned in the August 2023 Kula Fire. These areas are difficult to access with machinery, making collective human effort one of the most effective ways to slow erosion, retain moisture, stabilize disturbed soils, and prepare the land for future native tree, shrub, and fern plantings.

Expect meaningful physical work, strong teamwork, fresh Kula morning air, and a chance to directly support long-term land recovery in the burn zone. This is a great opportunity for people who enjoy active volunteer days and want to contribute in a tangible way.

Participants should be able to lift and pass 25-30 lb buckets of mulch.

We will also have nursery-based volunteer projects available for those who prefer lighter-duty work, including seed cleaning, propagation, up-potting, and general nursery care within the shade house.

After the morning workday, volunteers are invited to gather for a community potluck lunch alongside the ferns in KCWA’s nursery shade house.

What will volunteers need to bring or wear?
Please Bring:
Sturdy shoes or boots
Sun protection
Water bottle
Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty
Potluck dish or snack to share (optional)

Gloves, tools, water refill stations, and instruction will be provided.

SIGN UP HERE: https://dash.pointapp.org/events/615546

05/17/2026

Thick stands of Australian Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii) in Kula affect abiotic processes in local ecosystems - they reduce water availability, increase the risk of soil erosion and flooding, alter soil chemical composition, and obstruct solar light irradiation. Wattle invasions negatively affect biotic processes as well, reducing the diversity and abundance of native flora and fauna, including protective species that make the land more resilient.

Eradicating infestations of A. mearnsii in Upcountry Maui requires an integrated, long-term management approach based on an understanding of its invasive mechanisms. KCWA’s advisors have a combined 65 years of experience working with wattle on Haleakalā, and we rely on their expertise as we continue our post-fire restoration and mitigation work.

Post-fire landscapes require active stewardship to interrupt destructive ecological feedback loops and support long-term watershed recovery.

Pictured here: the view from the center of a dense and unmanaged wattle forest in Hapapa, Kula, with treefall covering the forest floor and no stabilizing groundcover plants to be seen.

hisa

05/12/2026

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/global-fire-outbreaks-hit-record-high-unprecedented-heat-extremes-loom-2026-05-12/

Climate change has driven record-breaking outbreaks ​of fire in Africa, Asia and elsewhere this year, with conditions expected to get worse as ‌the northern hemisphere's summer approaches and El Nino weather patterns kick in, scientists warned on Tuesday.

05/07/2026

“Keeping streams and drainage ditches in good condition, doing hillside and stream site stabilization, using natural solutions — all of those are going to be tools in our toolkit. But I think the mindset has to be not just to wait for a disaster to hit, and then we respond and go about recovering. We really got to be prepped for these things. And that’s something I’m also working on in the Congress,” said Schatz.

US Sen. Brian Schatz conducted site visits on the Valley Isle on Wednesday, focus on the progress of recovery efforts on Maui, following the 2023 wildfires and recent Kona Low storms in March of this year. The conversation also touched on the upcoming opening of the Hālau of ʻŌiwi Art in 2027 in ...

05/05/2026

Yes, we call them “wattle waddles.” 🤣

On steep slopes, downed wattle tree branches can be shaped into contour lines (waddles secured by old fence posts) that slow water, capture soil, and create small terraces for planting in an otherwise unstable burn zone. Then, we call on the bucket brigade to hali hali the wood grindings to serve as mulch for a bunch of late-season plantings to come. 🌱🌳

Different conditions call for different approaches.

This is just one of the ways our dedicated crews are listening to the land and creating solutions to slow water down by using what’s already here. 🌱

05/02/2026

From stabilization to restoration—this is how a valley begins to heal.
What was once purely dust can become a living system again.

By turning invasive species into mulch, slowing water with log terraces and other erosion control features built from locally sourced materials, and replanting native forest, we’re restoring the natural function of this landscape—rebuilding the sponge and bringing moisture back into the soil.

At the center of it all is the nursery. Each plant a small act of hope, grown to return to the burn scar and continue the cycle of regeneration. Join us on the last Sunday of each month to find your role in this positive work.

Mahalo to the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation for stepping in at a critical moment to support the communityʻs need to gather and work on restoration together as neighbors and friends. This support has been transformational for Kula Fire survivors and the long-term restoration of these lands.

This is what community-powered healing looks like—of place, and of people. 🌿

04/24/2026

A few more spots left! Registration ends tomorrow (April 24th).

***UPDATE: REGISTRATIONS FOR THIS WORKSHOP ARE NOW CLOSED*****

aui Wildfire Resilience Workshop
📍 UH Maui College, Kahului
🗓 Saturday, April 25
⏰ 1:00 – 4:30 PM

We’re inviting community members to join us for an afternoon focused on wildfire resilience, preparedness, and land stewardship in Kula and across Maui.

This workshop is especially intended for those who were impacted by the 2023 fires, as well as those living in areas with ongoing wildfire risk.

We’ll be gathering with practitioners, partners, and neighbors to share tools, experiences, and lessons learned—grounded in what’s already happening here on the land.

This session is part of a broader research effort focused on post-wildfire recovery and community resilience. Participants will receive a $200 stipend in recognition of their time and contribution to this work.

Space is limited.

→ Register at the link in bio / below
www.bit.ly/MauiWildfireWorkshop

Completing the registration form does not guarantee a spot. We’ll follow up to confirm participation.

04/23/2026

The state is still reeling from recent floods, but climatologists are already eyeing another potential hazard — wildfire.

04/23/2026

🌱 Join us this Sunday for our April Kōkua Day! 🌱

We’re getting our hands in the soil and putting plants in the ground—and we’d love to have you with us.

Spend the morning caring for keiki plants in the nursery, then head out to the burn zone to help plant native seed balls in recently stabilized areas of the gulch, and support the next phase of restoration in Kula. This is real, on-the-ground restoration work—and every bit of it matters.

Whether you’ve joined us before or it’s your first time, all are welcome.

🗓 Sunday, April 26
⏰ 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Bring a water bottle, wear closed-toe shoes, and come ready to connect—with the land and each other.

Sign Up Here: https://dash.pointapp.org/events/536175

Let’s keep this work moving 🌿

04/22/2026

Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge will be celebrating Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Partners will be on site with a variety of hands on activities for attendees of all ages.