Starting in 2007, Malama O Puna championed the listing of a 158 acre coastal property in Puna known as the Wai’ele for purchase under the County’s Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission (PONC). The County finally purchased the property in December 2021 and Malama O Puna applied for funding to serve as a steward creating a steering committee of lineal descendants to assist in the land use planning. To date, a Botanical Survey and Natural Resource Assessment have been completed along with trail maintenance and invasive species control. Two marine coastal trash clean-ups were completed in FY 2023-4. Malama O Puna has been joined in this effort by another nonprofit, Hawaii Environmental Restoration (HER), and will continue in this work for the foreseeable future.
Video of marine clean-up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPv9ugA9WJw
For more information on the Botanical Study click here