Plant Restoration at Kapapapuhi Point Park

October 18, 2019

Hi this is Kaitlyn, my group and I are currently working on Plant Restoration in Kapapapuhi! This is my third semester at Leeward Community College and the first time participating in the Kilo Aina program. I discovered it through one of my agriculture classes. Our group is trying to revegetate Kapapapuhi Point Park. This area used to be used for ancient fishpond. We are working with Hui O Ho’ohonua to help restore the area to what it once was. We found out that restoring the vegetation of an ancient hawaiian fishpond is quite difficult because no one really knows what grew there then. So we are looking at plants that have been successful in the area and also through Mo’olelo and Oli.

First we visited Pu’uloa to get an idea of what our goal was with Kapapapuhi. We looked at the different plants and animals that were occupying the area, and also got an idea of what we wanted to plant. Kapapapuhi is covered with invasive species like mangrove and pickleweed. We talked to Frani Okamoto who is in charge of the shade house at Leeward CC which is home to many native plants. We also talked with Sandy Ward who is leading Hui O Hoʻohonua and their restoration efforts there.

So far we have also looked at the type of soil found in the area which were Pearl Harbor Clay and Keaʻau Stony Clay. Right now we are planning to go to our site and gather actual soil samples to test other characteristics like pH, ammonium, and phosphate. We are also looking into the water quality of fishponds and the patterns of the tides. This would affect how close we plant out plants to the shoreline. Our group is also looking into an irrigation system for our plants, because the only source of water is the brackish water. We do have some plants in mind that we are planning to grow very soon which include Akulikuli, Pili grass, Naupaka, and maybe Milo. I am excited to see our plants grow and help restore native plants at Kapapapuhi.

- Kaitlyn