KAPALUA GOLF DONATES $500,000 TO PRESERVE PU‘U KUKUI WATERSHED

Maui, Hawaii  – The Living Pono Project recently announced donations totaling over $650,000 to support the non-profit’s preservation efforts of the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed, the largest private nature preserve in Hawaiʻi. The $650,000 donation includes a $500,000 donation from Kapalua Golf. Set atop Mauna Kahālāwai (the West Maui Mountains), the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed is one of the wettest spots on earth and is a vital source of water for the Maui community. ​

Led by Kapalua Golf’s $500,000 donation, other donors to support the launching of this year’s fundraising campaign are Kapalua Resort Association, Jonathan Kindred, and Sven & Kristin Lindblad. The commitments provide financial support for conservation efforts, including personnel, equipment, and supplies.

“70 percent of Maui’s population receives water from the West Maui Mountains,” said Kapalua Golf and Tennis General Manager Alex Nakajima.  “Kapalua Golf is thrilled to support the efforts of the Living Pono Project in protecting the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed which provides water from Kapalua all the way south to Makena. We hope our initiative will encourage others to support this precious resource.”

At over 9,000 acres of contiguous native rainforest, Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve (PKW) was established to protect west Maui’s native rainforest and associated native plants and animals. This intact ahupuaʻa and larger moku complex showcases the dynamic interactions of different ecosystems within an ahupua’a, as well as potential impacts that global warming may have on a community. The watershed typically averages nearly 400 inches of rain annually, however has been a visible victim of climate change the past three years as rainfall logged has decreased to just over 200 inches a year.

Native vegetation and forest cover play a vital role in protecting mountain soils from erosion, while also acting like a sponge that absorbs heavy rains thus helping to recharge the aquifer responsible for supplying fresh water to Maui residents.

Maui Land & Pineapple Company established a perpetual conservation easement in 1988 protecting the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve, which contains a number of endangered species and native ecosystem resources. Protecting natural resources for future generations, the efforts of the PKW team focus on aquifer recharge, ungulate management, invasive species removal, soil retention, reef protection, native habitat for endemic flora and fauna, and rare species protection

For more information on the Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve, visit www.puukukui.org. For more information on the Living Pono Project, visit www.livingponoproject.org.