BRIGHT SPOTS
WE ARE uplifting our community’s accomplishments
imagine what Hawai’i Island’s future can look like
becoming the poster child for future generations
We are proud of our community leaders and their accomplishments
‘Āko’ako’a
A collaboration where ike Hawai’i and Western Science can thrive to solve our challenges! First and largest coral nursery in the nation.
https://www.akoakoa.org/
KEALAKEKUA COMMUNITY-LED CORAL RESTORATION PROJECT
(KEALAKEKUA BAY, HAWAI‘I ISLAND) – The Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) took part in a second collaborative coral restoration project today with Hawaiian cultural practices and protocols in the waters of Kealakekua Bay, on the Kona side of Hawai‘i Island. Kanu Ko‘a is the name of a community-led project integrating Hawaiian culture, the local community, and the science of coral restoration, and the ceremony emphasized ‘ohana (family) and relationships with ko‘a (corals).
The partnership of local community nonprofit, Hoʻāla Kealakekua Nui, The Nature Conservancy, Hawai‘i and Palmyra (TNC), and the DLNR, organized the Kanu Ko‘a opening ceremony at Kealakekua Bay, which is one of 11 Marine Life Conservation Districts (MLCD) in Hawai‘i.
Mauna Kea Listed As A Traditional Cultural Property
The Hawaiʻi Historic Places Review Board
Mahukona Purchased and Permanently Protected
Mahukona Land Trust
Coral Reef Restoration Project Underway On Hawaiʻi Island (Nov. 1, 2023)
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Group pulls plug on Hilo bottling plant
Group pulls plug on Hilo bottling plant
Hawaiian Fishponds Are Rebounding In The Face Of Rising Seas And Invasive Species
Community caretakers have been adapting traditional practices to modern day challenges in an effort to restore these once-productive food sources.
Watch the video
https://d1l18ops95qbzp.cloudfront.net/wp-content/2022/07/12110619/Honokea-Loko-Ia.mp4
Keeper of the Bay
A STORY OF CARING FOR KAHALUʻU
Feeding Hawaiʻi: Portraits of Resilience
It's about feeding our children. So there will be fish in the bay, the bay will be healthy, and corals will flourish. That's when the bay will be pono.
Coral nursery under construction in Kona for program to save West Hawai‘i’s reefs
Greg Asner, director of Arizona State University’s Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science and a longtime resident of Hawai‘i, is at a new research and coral propagation facility that is being built in Kailua-Kona. June 26, 2023. (Tiffany DeMasters/Big Island Now)
Hawaiʻi Plans Koa Canoe Management Forest In Kaʻū
The 1,257-acre area is the only state land currently designated for cultivating and providing koa for use in kālaiwaʻa, or traditional Hawaiian canoe construction.
Big Island company using seaweed to reduce methane in cows gets boost in funding
Studies have shown that adding seaweed to cow feed dramatically reduces methane in cow burps and snorts. As serious deadlines loom in California to cut methane production, the race is on to begin commercially producing the red seaweed — the limu kohu that Hawaiʻi loves.
Critical Native Cloud Forest on Kohala Mountain to Receive Protection
The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), in partnership with The Kohala Center (TKC), recently received $234,000 in funding from the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) to protect and improve the quality of water resources in leeward Kohala and reduce nonpoint source pollution by mitigating soil erosion and increasing groundcover.
Land Deal Will Protect, Conserve Nearly 1,400 Acres at Kaunāmano
Nearly 1,400 acres of Big Island land, and troves of accompanying Hawaiian culture, will be protected
Miloli‘i Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area Designated
Where over 100 years of indigenous knowledge and practice can ignite hope toward restorative and regenerative pathways back to an abundant future for the community of Miloli’i and beyond!
The CBSFA rules include certain size and/or bag limits, and seasonal restrictions for fish species, including ‘ōpelu. It bans the aquarium trade altogether.
https://www.kalanihale.org/cbsfa
Coral Spawning Observed After Popular Beaches Closed
Once a year, with spring tides and the full moon, corals spawn and send millions of tiny gametes into the water column.
County Buys Up Kona Land For Preservation
The purchase will ensure the preservation of numerous prehistoric and historic cultural sites and structures on the property, including a burial complex and the Kauakaiakaola Heiau. The Kauakaiakaola Heiau is among the most important historic and cultural sites in the state, along with other West Hawai‘i historic sites such as Keolanāhihi, Mo‘okini Heiau, and Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau.