Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 9, 1 September 2017 — Restoration work attracts native species [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Restoration work attracts native species

ByTreenaShapiro

f hen William "Billy" Akutagawa

hunted deer in Mokio back in the 1970s, he didn't realize what else the land had to offer, aside from a pas-

ture for Moloka'i's grazing cattle. Now, as a founding member of the ll-year-old Moloka'i Land Trust (MLT), Akutagawa wants today's young people to be more familiar with their environment. "We want them to understand their island. What was it like before? How did Hawaiians survive? What kinds of plants were important to them? What fisheries were important to Native Hawaiians?" MLT's Mokio Preserve holds many clues to these questions, even after more than a century of use by grazing cattle and other ranuin2 un2ulates. Since receiv-

ing the l,718-acre parcel from Moloka'i Ranch, the land trust has cleared away invasive kiawe and lantana and seen native vegetation begin taking their plaee. Endangered 'ohai plants and endemic yellow-faced bees ean onee again be found in Mokio, and kioea have returned to nest on its cliffs. The landscane restoration work

will take generations, notes MLT Secretary Cheryl Corbiell, but it's already makin2 he said. Hunt-

an impact. "We've actually been able to do acres and acres of true restoration," fromclearing kiawe to laying bales of pilipili grass onto the hardpan soil to give new plants a plaee to take root. "We're discovering plants and seeds that have been sitting in the ground for 75 years, just waiting for the right conditions, then bingo, this little native plant that no one's seen in 100 years is sitting there." Visiting researchers have been interested in how quickly insects have returned to the area, particularly the yellow-faced bees. "There were virtually no insects here but now there's little bees that have shown up because now they have a habitat. And birds are showing up because they have food," Corbiell said. The land trust has an environmental focus, but it also has a cultural one ensuring the land ean be accessed for subsistence uses, to gather medicinal plants or for cultural purposes by hula hālau and other practitioners. An ancient trail connecting the east and west ends of the island runs over and across the preserve. "We know for a fact that Hawaiians used the Mokio area all the way down to 'īloli to get their resources," said Akutagawa. Moloka'i residents continue to gather resources there for personal use. "We allow people to go in

and take 'opihi out of that area. We allow them to access those areas to fish. A lot of them throw net for moi. They also do pole fishing for ulua,"

ing is also allowed, although not at the same time as other activities. Deer are a good source of protein but thinning the herds allows native plants to flourish more, Akutagawa said. "We also know that Native Hawaiians use lā'au lapa'au," he added. "If they want to, they ean go down and harvest whatever native plants they need." While some people have wanted to piek 'alae to sell, that's not allowed. "If you want to get 'alae, get 'alae for yourself, not to sell to the general puhlie." Island culture is different from continental culture, Akutagawa explained. "You only have a finite number of resources and you have to maintain those resources. We're very cognizant of the fact that there's only 70 percent of our watershed left on Moloka'i. The rest has been destroyed by ungulates, whether it's deer, goats, pigs or cattle," he said. "Instead of losing more, let's try to save what we have." Although not part of the parcel fromMoloka'i Ranch, MLT also has a lease agreement to protect Pu'u Ka'eo, a hill west of Mokio that includes an adze quarry and seasonal housing complex, with a

heiau on one side. Adze from this quarry has been found throughout the islands, even in Honolulu Harbor. At Anapuka, where ancient Hawaiians

built a stone wall, there's another housing complex and ko'a, or fishI ing shrines, still containing broken I coral and other offerings. Other landowners have s expressed interest in having MLT ! manage cultural sites on their j properties, either by donation or ! management easement. MLT also j has a land stewardship contract from The Nature Conservancy to do restoration work at Mo 'omomi, right over the fence from Mokio. While the Mokio Preserve requires the most care and attention, MLT's first property was the 196.4-acre Kawaikapu Preserve on the eastern end of

Moloka'i. While Mokio faces drought, Kawaikapu has natural water sources, allowing plants to flourish. "Most of the time it's green," Akutagawa observed. The emphasis there is to remove invasive species and restore native 'ōhia, hāpu'u, pala'a fern and other rainforest vegetation. "There's not as

mueh management but a lot of inventory, a lot of research done on what native species are there," Akutagawa added. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs was a major funder for Moloka'i Land Trust in its early days, providing seed money for the nonprofit to rent an office and hire an executive director and field coordinator. Since then, the land trust has sought other grants and donations, and collects some revenue from rent. The nonprofit remains largely volunteer-based, with valued interns from AmeriCorps and KUPU sharing the labor. In July, MLT held a groundbreaking for a new facility in Kualapu'u that will allow it to bring its offices, baseyard and native plant nursery together. Although there's still a long road ahead, "Just starting means you do get some birds coming back, insects coming back, native plants onee they have a little bit of shade, and of course birds move seeds and nature starts taking over," Corhiell said. "It's amazing," said Akutagawa. "If you don't abuse it, it's going to eome back." ■

Hardpan restoration work at Mokio Preserve has been ongoing for six years. While there's still a way to go, the area has already seen the return of the kioea, the first documented sighting of the bird in modern record. - Photos: Courtesy of Moloka'i L and īrust