Pohaku Pelemaka

Ho'owehe i ka niu. The purpose of the ho.owehe i ka niu summer camp is meheu: to make a track/footprints and ma ka hana ka 'ike: through work comes knowledge. 'ohana join together through a few day camp at ka'akepa to share intergenerational knowledge of hawaiian cultural practices through niu (coconut), lawai'a (fishing practices), oli/mele/hula (song/chant/dance), environmental kinship, aloha 'aina (love/care for the land) and mea 'ai (food preparation and sharing). These activities entail having paid positions to coordinate, manage, implement and work with partners to ensure the programs are carried out successfully. We also provide honorariums for cultural practitioners to teach their cultural practice. All of these practices aim towards the stewardship activities that will be part of the long-term relationship 'ohana have with the area and ensuring these practices are carried on for generations to come. We believe having a presence and educating residents and visitors frequenting ka'akepa makes a difference. If we aloha 'aina then others will follow. Ho'owehe i ka niu allows us to share intergenerational knowledge from kupuna to keiki. As stewards of the area, it is imperative to strengthen organizational capacity with paid positions to carry out these goals.

Education & research. Pohaku pelemaka has been hosting groups of students from local schools, college groups and cultural practitioners. These groups will sometimes join in and coincide with the monthly la ohana. The primary focus of educational groups is to share the significance of the place and to aloha aina. This allows us to help steward the area with volunteers that work with our organization. Pohaku pelemaka has become a host site for college researchers. We have also become a host to the university of hawaii at hilo pipes internship program. We hosted 2-interns in the summer of 2024 and we will continue to be a host site in 2025. The interns are now on a year-round track internship with our organization. They are responsible for collecting data on the coconut grove (uluniu)at kaakepa which consists of over 1,700 trees. We are looking at the genetic diversity of the grove and how to care for the trees, create a mulch management plan, protect rare/endangered species from being lost through beginning a niu nursery and providing educational materials about the uluniu and place. Through the internship programs, we have been able to create a network of college professors to bring students to our site to help with topics that will help with the design of a stewardship management plan and community- based stewardship program for the site. The summer of 2024, interns were a part of the inaugural niu now partnership and the initial data collection of the uluniu. This is the beginning of the larger data collection that will occur for the stewardship management plan. It is likely the surveys will continue over the next 6-months and into the summer of 2025.

Ka'akepa 'ohana stewardship and adaptive management plan & community-based stewardship program. Pohaku pelemaka has been working on stewardship of ka'akepa a wahi pana (sacred/storied place) along the lower puna coastline on hawaii island. The property consists of multiple parcels. We have secured a right-of-entry from the state of hawaii, department of land and natural resources and the county of hawaii, parks and recreation division. The education and research programs are a major support to the management plan and the stewardship program. College groups, internships and researchers will help with data collection of the natural and cultural resources of the site, research about the history, background, landscape and management objectives and goals. They will also help provide insight about the development of the community-based stewardship program. This program will use the management plan to help guide stewardship activities at ka'akepa. Kahu 'aina o puna. Pohaku pelemaka helped to form the 501c(3) kahu 'aina o puna which is specifically designed to be the stewards of pohoiki. This program will utilize the community-based stewardship program manual to implement within the park and provide oversight of the surrounding properties and the state boat ramp. We have assisted in designing the bylaws and input needed to start the nonprofit and give the manual for the program. We are still working with kahu 'aina o puna to help get the program started with the county of hawaii parks and recreation division.