Makai Watch Meets

The Kaanapali Makai Watch program is seeking community input and involvement as it gets off the ground – Meeting planned for June 30th in Lahaina. All community members who would like to help shape the development of and get involved with the newly-established Kaanapali Makai Watch program are invited to join us for a “talk story” meeting to learn about what’s going on and what’s planned, and to provide their input. The meeting will be held from 6-8 pm on Wednesday, June 30th, at the Lahaina Civic Center (1840 Honoapiilani Hwy; Lahaina HI 96761). The statewide Makai Watch program consists of three components: 1) education & outreach; 2) monitoring; and 3) observation/voluntary compliance. The Kaanapali Makai Watch program seeks to integrate with and build upon existing efforts that encompass these components, such as the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s education station at Whaler’s Village, and the Division of Aquatic Resources’ Herbivore Enhancement Area in-water survey protocols. In addition, the state is currently supporting the development of observation and compliance protocols for volunteers and will be coordinating DLNR-assisted trainings for current Makai Watch groups later in the year. In the meantime, efforts will focus on education and outreach along with various types of community-based monitoring (including biological and human use protocols), while stakeholder coordination efforts are carried out in association with ongoing state and federal initiatives. Attend this meeting to learn what’s already underway, what’s planned, how to get involved, and help the coordination team scope out other aspects of this program! Workshop presenters include Luna Kekoa & Darla White (Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources); Liz Foote (Project S.E.A.-Link and the Coral Reef Alliance); Tamara Paltin (Save Honolua Coalition) & Robin Knox (Aquanimity Now). One significant objective of the Kaanapali Makai Watch program is to raise awareness of the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area (KHFMA), a new type of Marine Protected Area for which rules went into effect last July. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) established the KHFMA at North Ka‘anapali where take of certain herbivorous fishes (such as surgeonfishes, parrotfishes, rudderfishes) and sea urchins, as well as fish-feeding, is prohibited. At Kahekili Beach Park (North Ka‘anapali Beach or Airport Beach) the reef shows signs of stress with seasonal invasive algal blooms and rapidly decreasing coral cover. Studies by marine scientists have found that overgrowth of coral reefs by algae is a severe and growing problem in Hawai‘i. Kane‘ohe Bay, Waikiki, Maunalua Bay, and much of west and south Maui are all areas where previously healthy reefs have become largely dominated by algae. Herbivorous fishes are essential to tropical reefs because, once established, algae prevent new coral from competing for space on reefs, converting coral-dominated habitats to algal-dominated habitats. Maintaining healthy populations of herbivorous fishes on the world’s reefs is critical to reef conservation. Establishing this herbivore management area is an immediate management action that DLNR is using to intervene in the rapid coral reef degradation that has been documented in the area. According to Darla White, Special Projects Manager for DAR, “the community can kokua by supporting these rules for the health and longevity of Maui’s reefs.” During this workshop, White will present an introduction to the KHFMA, including an overview and background, its rules and boundaries, and the supporting science and ongoing research in the area. According to Liz Foote, “This program will provide opportunities for everyone to get involved. Everyone is a stakeholder. Volunteers will have many fun and exciting projects to choose from, whether their interest is talking to visitors, engaging local fishers, working with K-12 students, recording data in or out of the water, or simply devising creative outreach strategies in support of this area. We also hope to enlist the private sector businesses surrounding the Kaanapali region, particularly the hotels fronting the ocean. In addition, there are already a lot of wonderful community initiatives underway in the area, and we hope the Makai Watch program can serve to interlink, enhance and expand upon these efforts.” The workshop will also include a “take action” component focused on efforts that are available to join now, and the Save Honolua Coalition will take the opportunity to debut a new program focused on community-based water quality monitoring efforts. Tamara Paltin, President of Save Honolua, adds: “Please join us as the Save Honolua Coalition launches its Turbidity Task Force program to monitor and report water quality at Honolua and other sites around Maui in an effort to get the EPA to enforce existing water quality standards as set forth by the Clean Water Act. Are you frustrated by poor water quality and runoff at Honolua Bay and other sites? Become a part of the solution by monitoring and reporting water quality with easy to use, free reusable kits provided to the community by a grant written by the Save Honolua Coalition through the Coral Reef Alliance. If you are concerned about water quality, it’s the least you can do.” There is NO OBLIGATION to volunteer; the coordination team is simply seeking feedback and could use help in brainstorming approaches and methods for engaging the community and providing fun and interesting ways for people to volunteer in support of this area. The Makai Watch program is also utilizing social media as a forum for interaction and discussion; facebook users can become a “fan” of the program at http://www.facebook.com/kaanapalimakaiwatch and of the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area at http://www.facebook.com/KHFMA. Workshop Agenda: Part I: Take Action NOW: Update/Overview of Turbidity Task Force (Tamara Paltin & Robin Knox) • How to help Honolua and all West Maui sites • water quality issues, the basics…role of Citizen Science • demo of materials Part II: Introduction to the Kahekili Herbivore Fisheries Management Area (KHFMA) (Darla White) • overview and background rules, boundaries etc. • supporting science & ongoing research Part III: NOAA Coral Fellow Role & Responsibility (Luna Kekoa) • overview of projects and how to get involved Part IV: Kaanapali Makai Watch program –overview & brainstorming (Liz Foote) • what is Makai Watch? • why Kaanapali? • existing and planned activities • What do YOU want to do? Refreshments will be served; Please RSVP to Liz Foote, (808) 669-9062 or Lfoote@hawaii.rr.com Contact: Liz Foote, Hawaii Field Manager, Coral Reef Alliance; Executive Director, ProjectS.E.A.-Link