Mālama Hulēʻia

Home
United States
Lihue, HI
Mālama Hulēʻia

Help support our work at RestoreTheFishpond.org

Mālama Hulē‘ia advocates, educates, and leads community efforts to remove red mangrove along the Hule‘ia river, re‐establishes native wetland ecosystems and creates an environmental stewardship program honoring Hawaiian values.

04/16/2026

Heyyy 👀 you know what to do… community workday registration is OPEN 🌿🤙

Join us for a morning of mālama ʻāina at Alakoko loko iʻa—caring for this place alongside community, and continuing the work of restoration and connection.

We’ll be in and around the water for this one, so come ready to get a little wet, a little muddy, and fully present with the ʻāina. There may even be a few moments to learn and connect in ways we don’t always get to 👀

✅ Register now — link in bio
✅ First time volunteering with us? Please complete the waiver
✅ Come ready to work, learn, and kōkua

Bring with you:
☀️ Sun protection
💧 Water bottle
👟 Closed-toe shoes you don’t mind getting muddy
🧤 Gloves (if you have them)
🧢 Hat

We’ll bring the tools, guidance, and a good crew.
Mahalo for showing up for this place 🌿

04/09/2026

🌿 Walking, looking, assessing, sharing, learning, planning. Always doing.

We spent the morning walking the site alongside a Soil and Water Conservation District planner, taking a closer look at how different parts of the system are functioning and where we go next.

From the upland areas, down through the puna and wetlands, and along the Huleʻia River, it is all connected. What happens in one place carries through the rest.

This is part of the work behind the scenes. Taking inventory, asking questions, and building a plan that can support future restoration and agricultural work.

🌺 Last image is paʻu o Hiʻiaka. You see it moving across the landscape, covering and holding the ground. Named for Hiʻiaka, it carries a certain presence when you come across it.

03/25/2026

Ua kipa mai ka papa Mālaaʻo o ke kula ʻo Kawaikini iā mākou i kēia p**e. Ua huli nō nā lima i lalo ma ka huki mangrove, huki a me ka hoʻomākaukau kā ʻuala, ua hānai i nā hoa a ʻohi huamoa a laila ua hīmeni aku i nā pua ʻamaʻama.
Mahalo nui ke kipa ʻana mai e nā hoa o ka papa Mālaaʻo!!!

Kawaikiniʻs Kindergarten class visited us at the fishpond this week. Little but mighty and not afraid to work; they pulled mangrove, harvested ʻuala and prepared cuttings to replant, fed the chickens and grabbed the eggs for aunty and ended their visit by giving their aloha to our baby fish with a song.

03/18/2026

After the storm, the ʻāina is alive with wai moving from mauka to makai 🌧️🌿

At Alakoko loko iʻa, this is when the work really shows up. These flows remind us how everything is connected, and why restoring this system matters.

Join us this Saturday for a community workday—hands-on, a little muddy, and always worth it.

🕗 8:00am sign-in
🥙 Lunch provided

Come prepared:
• Clothes you don’t mind getting muddy
• Covered shoes or tabis
• Water bottle
• Sun/rain protection

Muddy conditions in play

🔗 Register at the link in bio

02/18/2026

A quick update for our community 🌿

There will be no volunteer workday this Saturday.

Our team is supporting several other community efforts this month, and we’re taking a short pause so we can show up fully 🤍

We look forward to gathering again in March and getting back out together 🌊

Mahalo for your steady support.
E mālama pono this weekend 🌺

Next Community Workday: March 21st

02/02/2026

Today is World Wetlands Day 🌿💧

At Alakoko, coastal wetlands are not separate from the loko iʻa. They are part of one living system, shaped by wai 💦, ʻāina 🌱, and generations of ʻike. Wetlands slow and cleanse freshwater as it moves mauka to makai ⛰️➡️🌊, nourish nearshore ecosystems, and create the conditions that allow loko iʻa and native species to thrive.

A critical part of restoring these wetlands is the removal of invasive mangrove 🌳🚫, which alters water flow, buries native habitat, and disrupts the balance of these systems. Restoring wetland function means making space for native and endangered species 🐦 and natural hydrology to return.

We do this work in community 🤝, alongside people who know this place and partners who help steward it. It takes the hands and commitment of many, laulima 🙌, to care for the Huleʻia system, including Alakoko loko iʻa and coastal wetlands.

On World Wetlands Day, we honor the wetlands that protect us, and the people who show up, care for place, and help restore balance 🌿💙.

E ola nā kahawai 💧
E ola nā wetlands 🌿
E ola ke kai 🌊

01/14/2026

🌿 Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou! 🌿
Wishing everyone a happy new year as we kick off our first community workday of 2026 ✨

There’s no better way to start the year than gathering together, getting our hands dirty, and caring for this special place we all love. We’re feeling excited, grateful, and ready to begin another year of laulima 💚

👉 Register at the link in our bio to join us!

What to bring:
☀️ Sun protection
💧 Plenty of water
👟 Closed-toe shoes you don’t mind getting muddy
😊 A good attitude and willingness to work together

We can’t wait to see all the familiar faces and welcome new ones. Let’s start 2026 strong, together 🌱

12/23/2025

Check it out…something we’ve been working on for a while and are proud of what we’ve created.

After the Alakoko property was transferred to Mālama Hulē‘ia, we took time to be intentional about how we move forward. The result is our Alakoko Loko iʻa Conceptual Master Plan.

The Plan reflects the restoration already underway—rebuilding the kuapā, removing invasive mangrove, and engaging community—while laying out what it will take to care for this place well over time. Grounded in fishpond restoration and cultural practice, it guides the work ahead.

You can read the full Plan via the link in our bio.

Mālama ia Hulē‘ia, Hulē‘ia ia Mālama 🌿

12/17/2025

No community workday this weekend as we pause for the holidays.

Wishing everyone a peaceful time to rest, reconnect, and care for what matters most.

Mahalo for the many ways you show up with care and intention. We look forward to continuing to mālama this place together in the new year. 🌿

12/02/2025

🐟Alakoko is restored one stone, one lesson, and one season at a time. 
🌈This Giving Tuesday, we honor every volunteer, student, teacher, and family who has helped carry this story forward.

🌀Across the island, the heart of mālama ʻāina grows...in the kuapā, in the classroom, and in the spirited energy of the makahiki games. Your support keeps this momentum alive.

🧡ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: He iki unu paha, akā paʻa ka pōhaku nui ʻanʻole kaʻa.
Perhaps it is a small wedge stone that can stop the big stone from rolling.

💚 Join us. Give today → link in bio.
 

11/12/2025

🌞Join us this Saturday at Alakoko for a morning of hana and aloha ʻāina —restoring the loko i‘a, caring for the ʻāina, and connecting with community. We’ll gather at 8am, work together through the morning, and share lunch when the day’s work is done.

Register (link in bio), bring your hat, water bottle, and good energy — we’ll provide the rest. 🌺

📍 Alakoko Loko iʻa
🕗 Saturday, 8:00am
🥗 Lunch provided

Address

Lihue, HI
96766

Website

http://malamahuleia.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mālama Hulēʻia posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Mālama Hulēʻia:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Lihue?