Hawaiʻi's Kohala by the Sea Firewise Community Celebrates 15 years!

Fifteen Years Firewise: 

Kohala By the Sea Recognized for 15 Years of Community Wildfire Prevention Efforts 

By: Jane Mayo, Nani Baretto, Elizabeth Pickett, Zoe Sims, and David Tarnas 

On a sunny, breezy morning in late February, a group of Kohala residents gathered in the South Kohala Fire Station to celebrate 15 years of Firewise USA status for the community of Kohala By the Sea. 

Located a few miles north of Kawaihae Harbor and just mauka of Akoni Pule Highway, Kohala By the Sea (KBTS) is a residential community of 48 homes nestled amidst Kohala’s arid, fire-prone grasslands. In 2004, KBTS was the first community in the State of Hawaii to be recognized by the National Fire Protection Association's Firewise USA program, which empowers neighbors to work together and take action to protect their homes from wildfire. When established, KBTS became the 50th Firewise Community nationwide.  Today, KBTS is among more than 1,500 Firewise USA sites, including 14 in Hawaii. Its status as the state's longest-standing Firewise USA community is the result of years of collaboration between KBTS neighbors, the Hawaii County Fire Department, the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, and State leaders.  

Representative David Tarnas speaking to residents of Kohala by the Sea

(Photo courtesy of Rep. Tarnas and Zoe Sims)

"As a community, you have recognized the serious risk wildfire poses to your community, and decided to take action," said State Representative David Tarnas (House District 7 – North & South Kohala, North Kona), who addressed residents and stakeholders gathered at the South Kohala Fire Station on February 20. "I hope that your model of collaborative self-management and proactive fire prevention is an inspiration to other communities that they can work together to concretely reduce the risk of wildfire to their homes."  

Surrounded by arid rangelands that grow dense vegetation in the winter rain and become brown and fire-prone in the summer, the communities along the leeward side of Hawaii Island are particularly vulnerable to wildfire.  

It hasn’t always been this way: the island’s leeward slopes were once home to extensive native dry-forests. Since the introduction of herbivores and deforestation of the lowland slopes, however, invasive grasses, such as guinea grass and fountaingrass, have come to dominate the landscape. These African savanna grasses have evolved to coexist with grazing herbivores and with periodic fire. The grasses dry easily, burn readily, and bear seeds resistant to fire. 

The impacts of wildfires on lowland ecosystems are broad and long-lasting, according to Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), a nonprofit based in Waimea, Hawaii Island, that supports wildfire prevention and protection across the Pacific. Wildfire leaves slopes denuded of vegetation, so that subsequent rains sweep topsoil away, eroding the landscape and polluting near-shore waters with sediment and nutrients. Such sedimentation and nutrient enrichment is highly destructive to coastal water quality, coral reefs, and fisheries. 

Concrete actions such as removing leaf litter and other flammable debris near homes, planting native drought-tolerant ground cover in place of invasive grasses and trees, and establishing home and community fire response plans, can significantly reduce communities' fire risks.  

The Firewise USA program recognizes community-wide efforts to undertake such actions, educate residents regarding fire hazards, and collaborate with fire prevention stakeholders. KBTS has held work days to remove flammable debris, conducted semi-annual reviews to identify and reduce fire fuel; established a "Call-Em-All" system to contact residents in case of emergencies; and even created a digital community map with information to support fire response. 

With the assistance of HWMO and the commitment of community members, Hawaiʻi Island’s leeward communities of Waikoloa Village, Waialea, Puako, Kohala Waterfront, Kanehoa, Waiki'i Ranch, and Pu'ukapu Pastoral  have all followed KBTS to achieve Firewise status, and the community of Pu'uanahulu is expected to join them within the next few months. 

Assistant Fire Chief Darwin Okinaka

(Photo courtesy of Rep. Tarnas and Zoe Sims)

At the KBTS event recognizing fifteen years of Firewise Community certification, Assistant Fire Chief Darwin Okinaka represented the Fire Department, but firefighters normally based at the station were unable to attend: they were busy responding to a brush fire in the Kawaihae area which broke out on the morning of February 20, and, according to Big Island Now, scorched about ten acres of coastline before being contained.  

Addressing residents, Chief Okinaka said the Fire Department is grateful for the collaboration which is so key to reducing risk in communities.  

Mike Walker with Smokey Bear presenting the 15 year Firewise signs

(Photo courtesy of Rep. Tarnas and Zoe Sims)

State Division of Forestry and Wildlife Fire Protection Forester Mike Walker said in his remarks that public involvement is key to protecting natural resources, such as soil, watersheds, and coastal water quality, from damages caused by wildfire. 

"Establishing certain neighborhood protocols to mitigate the risk of wildfires causing destruction within your community is something that every community should practice," Carson Magoon, HWMO Community Education Coordinator, told KBTS residents. "Your methods in doing this are inspiring, and the community involvement you have all been able to maintain throughout the years is extraordinary.  You and your neighbors have set an excellent example for the rest of state of Hawaii to follow."  

For more information about our Firewise program, visit our Firewise Page here.

Fire Adapted Communities Learning Exchange

Learning from partners about their forest management techniques

HWMO had an incredibly informative time in Bend, Oregon in November. On the 13th and 14th, our team had the privilege of meeting with the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network. We got to learn about some of the best methods and practices that communities around the western United States are employing in order to stay safer from wildfire. There is a lot that can be done; from community outreach events to the specific methods landowners can use to dispose of their flammable vegetation and ultimately reducing fuel loads. HWMO can take pieces of the equation that the Pacific Northwest (PNW) is using and apply it right here at home in order to reduce the wildfire risk to island communities.

There are definitely differences between the PNW strategies, and the strategies that can be employed here in Hawaii. For one, prescribed fire has become a very consistent and useful tool that is used in conifer forests. The thinning of vegetation using fire, (the element that has been removed from the landscape over the previous century) is something that has enabled the forest management agencies and non-profits to cost effectively manage the accumulation of hazardous fuel in these forest environments. One common misconception is that whenever there is fire on the ground in the forest, it is bad. What has been re-learned by the land stewards of today and something that Native Americans had used as a tool for thousands of years is that these ecosystems actually thrive with consistent, low intensity fires. Fire in these landscapes can actually reduce the competition of invasive species, give the existing trees more room to grow and thrive, and even promote the microbiome of fungi and bacteria that are beneficial to the health of these ecosystems. Prescribed fire in Hawaii is not the same animal, as it has almost exclusively been used for agricultural clearing as opposed to land management, yet HWMO and the State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) are currently in the process of exploring the potential usefulness of prescribed fire in Hawaii. Read more about the HWMO’s participation in STAC HERE.

Exchanging knowledge abut community engagement in land management

At this learning exchange, we took plenty of notes from this group that has been in the process of pre-fire mitigation much longer than HWMO has. One important theme that kept recurring is the fact that education is a critical component to our mission of wildfire mitigation. It is extremely valuable while working with landowners across property boundaries to bring everyone up to speed on the potential fire risks of unmanaged land. Education also should be about teaching landowners and land managers methods to manage the vegetation on their land. This might include chainsaw classes, fire-ready home and landscape classes, structural ignitions courses, of a firefighting 101 class to help people understand last minute firewise modifications they can make around their home. This process will only be successful with community participation. It wont happen with only one group working towards wildfire safety; it needs to be something that happens in every community.

Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization is incredibly thankful for the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network for facilitated this learning exchange. Mahalo Nui Loa. We are looking forward to keeping this relationship alive!

The Success of Hawaiʻi's Firewise Communities

Image Courtesy of Firewise USA®

Congratulations to the 11 Hawaiʻi Firewise Communities that that recently renewed their national certifications!

These communities include:

Hawaiʻi Island Communities:

• Honokoa

• Kanehoa

• Kohala by the Sea

• Kohala Waterfront

• Puʻukapu

• Waialea

• Waikiʻi Ranch

• Waikoloa Village

Maui Communities:

• Launiupoko

• Waiohuli

• Kahikinui

Oahu Communities:

• Kamilonui-Mariner’s Cove

These Firewise communities continue to work towards their own safety and longevity by mitigating their fire risk. This can include removal of hazardous vegetation, wildfire education within the community, constructing or modifying homes to include Firewise materials, and loads more!

HWMO wants to say Mahalo to all of Hawaiʻi’s Firewise Communities for their persistent wildfire mitigation work. This work is helping to make Hawaiian communities safer and more adapted to the increasing presence of wildfire in the Hawaiian landscape. The costs of wildfire impacts can be much greater than the initial costs of damage to structures. These Costs can also include the damage to infrastructures, ecosystems, landscapes, community values and relationships, and way of life. Addressing these risks proactively is very wise, especially in fire-prone environments.

Special Shoutout to Hawaiʻi’s Oldest Firewise Community!

Congratulations Kohala by the Sea Firewise Community!

We would like to give a special shout-out to Hawaiʻi’s most long-standing Firewise Community: Kohala by the Sea! They have just completed their 15th year in a row of Firewise certification, and are a great model of what it means to be firewise. There is no defined end-point for communities striving to live more safely with fire because the work is never finished. At the heart of the process is the action of collaboration, planning, coordinated action, and proactive effort. This sustained effort is what it means to a truly successful Firewise Community. 

State Technical Advisory Committee: Prescribed Fire in Hawaii

Some exciting things are happening involving the potential vegetation (fuel) management tools here in Hawaii. The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) under the USDA Farm Bill’s Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 initiated a State Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) in Hawaii to investigate several related topics with designated sub-committees to lead the charge: 

• Land Easements

• Water Quality

• Prescribed Fire

• Forest Management

• Nutrient Management

Photo Credit: US National Park Service

You guessed it; HWMO is front and center in the Prescribed Fire Sub-Committee, and we are helping to determine the possible usefulness of prescribed fire as a land-management technique here in Hawaiʻi. While fire has been used as a tool in Hawaii for a long time in an agricultural context, the idea that prescribed fire can be used to manage land for conservation and fuel reduction is something that has not been explored thoroughly. That is the role of this sub-committee. So far, we are working with partners from the University of Hawaii (UH), the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), the Hawaii Soil and Water Conservation District, and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO).

While there are many different dimensions to this issue, prescribed fire is not a tool that should be overlooked. In the past 20 years, many states on the US Mainland have taken to using prescribed fire as a cost effective management technique. In these environments it is very necessary to use fire as a tool to manage the forest vegetation that has been overgrowing for the past 100 years due to the intensive suppression regime over the century. While many of those ecosystems are naturally adapted to fire for a multitude of reasons, fire has not become a consistent part of Hawaiʻis larger ecosystem until recently. With the number of fire-prone invasive grasses and shrubs that are populating the Hawaiian landscape, prescribed fire is a tool that needs to be better understood. That is the purpose of this sub-committee; to better understand prescribed fire and its potential benefits and implications in the diverse array of Hawaiian landscapes.

If you have any information regarding prescribed fire here in Hawaii, feel free to contact us at admin@hawaiiwildfire.org. We greatly appreciate any perspectives on this issue that you might be willing to bring to our attention.

To lean more about these public committees and how you can get involved, check out how to take a seat at the table HERE.

National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy Workshop 2019

This week HWMO had the privilege of attending the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy Workshop 2019, held in Plymouth Massachusetts. Plymouth (rock) is known as the place where europeans first made their appearance in America, and after attending this extremely educational workshop, it is clear that the ecological history of this area is a very interesting story. Plymouth, and the surrounding area is a fascinating landscape, having been covered with a massive glacier up until about 15,000 years ago. This glacier had a major effect on the geology of the area - grinding rock on ice, developing 700 feet of sand that exists beneath the area today.

Forest that has been recently managed with prescribed fore on the left, and un-managed on the right. can you tell the difference?

The Native American tribes in the area, including the Wampanoag, Mohegan, and the Mohican tribes have a long-standing relationship with fire. George “Chuckie” Green, the Assistant Natural Resources Director with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe shared his deeply rooted knowledge of the area that has been passed down to him through the generations. Many parts of the forest in that landscape burned every single year, as cultural burning led to dramatic benefits to the forest ecosystem. These benefits include thinning of the understory brush throughout the forest allowing more space for grazing and foraging, increased yields on many of the underlying vegetation species, the reduction of flammable fuels so that fires burned less furiously when they did ignite, and increased nitrogen fixation in the soil. It was an incredible lesson to learn that the tribes of the area had been living with fire and using it as a tool for thousands of years. The management of this ecosystem has been devoid of consistent cultural or prescribed fire throughout the past century due to the management techniques adopted among a variety of land management agencies in the US. The United States Fire Department’s motto for nearly every fire of the past century has been to “extinguish it by 10am”, which seemed to be a great fire management motto for a while. Unfortunately, over time this has resulted in wildfires that are completely unmanageable due to the increase in amount of “fuel”, or forest material such as leaves, branches, and trees that can add to a blaze. Luckily now, acceptance of the idea of prescribed fire in the area is gaining traction, and as a result the health of the habitat that surrounds Plymouth is improving. In this area, it is true that “small fires prevent big ones”, and even benefits the local ecosystem.

Wildfire lookout towers are still in use throughout the state of Massachusetts today. This was one of the stops on an information-packed field trip into the Myles Standish State Park.

Having met so many wonderful partners new and old, HWMO is continuing to expand its knowledge base of management techniques used throughout the country. It is important to recognize the fact that every ecosystem throughout the country is different, and the methods used in certain places should be thoughtfully considered to ensure that the right method is used at the right location. Working with Native Tribes to come up with effective management techniques throughout the country is something that could benefit not only the health of the ecosystems, but could reduce the risk of unmanageable wildfires to come.

We would like to thank everyone at the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy Workshop for putting on an incredibly educational event. HWMO looks forward to continuing to develop best-practices of managing the many dimensions of wildfire using many of these techniques back home in Hawaiʻi. Mahalo everyone who made this such a successful workshop. A hui hou!

Puʻu Anahulu's Firewise Hazard Assessment is a first step towards becoming a Firewise Community

The terrain of this beautiful landscape is rough, and varies from a vast lava fields covered in dry fountain grass, to dense forests that are interspersed in and around the community. The steep gullies and hills that surround the community make it a landscape that is immediately intriguing, and definitely a challenge when it comes to fire-suppression. The Puʻu Anahulu Community on Hawaiʻi Island is located on the upper road between Waimea and Kona. They participated in their Firewise Hazard Assessment on October 16, 2019, and their wealth of knowledge about the area and it’s history fire was clear during the assessment.

Stop #4, the Historic Puʻu Anahulu Baptist Church

The hazard assessment was extremely educational for the community as they worked with professionals from Hawaii Fire Department, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the National Parks Service, the US Army Fire and Emergency Services, and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization. As one unit, we went around the community to pre-planned areas where we could see the wildfire risk-potential, and understand what would happen in the case of a wildfire. “The majority of the work that saves a home during a wildfire is done long before a wildfire threatens a property” added Chief Moller, the US Army Fire Fire Chief. “This is an isolated community so it takes resources and extra time to get here. If the community is working to manage their own (fire risk), It will help the partnership for all of us”, said Chief Darwin Okinaka. “the bottom line is that we won’t put any personnel in danger to save a house. If the opportunity is there to save a house we will do it, but if the risk is too great, we may not be able to.”

Wanda Rowan, Puʻu Anahulu Resident sharing her knowledge of wildfire in the area.

This points to the fact that the real reason households within a community can stay safe during a wildfire is because of the work that has been done to not only create defensible space for fire personnel to safely defend a structure, but to ensure that the structure itself, and the vegetation immediately surrounding will not combust in the case of a nearby fire. With the prevalence of wildfires in Hawaii growing by over 400% since the 1960s, it is vital that homeowners take necessary precautions in case a wildfire does approach. Embers can be a very sneaky intruders through vents, igniting the flammable interiors of homes, yet can be stopped by 1/8th inch stainless steel mesh screening. The vegetation around a house also can be thought of as the potential kindling of a campfire. If there are dry branches, leaves, and twigs right underneath/next to the larger combustible material, it will allow the campfire log (or in this case, the side of a home) to become hot enough to combust, creating a structure fire. Simple firewise landscaping and building techniques can help a home withstand a wildfire, even if it comes within close proximity of the building.

Volunteer Fire Department personnel Steven Hyde speaks with the group at the northern boundary of the community.

While there are many different reasons why the Puʻu Anahulu community could become threatened in the case of wildfire, the first step to increase the communityʻs safety is to identify what exactly the hazards are that they are going to address. Once the hazard are addressed, then action to address those hazards should be a priority to help the families throughout the community protect the homes from fire. “(I am) Optimistic; the the greatest journeys start with the first step, and I think that is what we’re on; the first step. It will take many steps before we are able to get to our goal, but together, it will be a great journey” Concluded Chief Moller.

HWMO would like to extend a sincere thank-you to all of the safety personnel that came to participate in the Community Hazard Assessment yesterday; it was their experience fighting wildfire that made it possible for us to accurately identify the risks of the area. Also, a big mahalo to the Puʻu Anahulu community members that are putting in the effort necessary to keep their community prepared for wildfire.

Wildfire and Drought Lookout! 2019

HWMO’s Executive Director speaks in Honolulu at the 4th annual Wildfire and Drought LOOKOUT! campaign kickoff

Monday marked the launch of the 4th annual Wildfire and Drought LOOKOUT! campaign. Wildfire and Drought LOOKOUT! is a continuing campaign to keep people across the state informed of current fire and drought conditions, provide tips on protecting life and property from wildfires, and to provide information and education on how to deal with prolonged drought. More than thirty federal, state and county government agencies and supporting organizations are a part of the effort.

According to the The National Drought Mitigation Center, much of the State is currently undergoing drought conditions as Hawaii starts to enter drought season.

Source: National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC)
For the United States Drought Monitor, click here.

HWMO’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Pickett pointing out tips on how to reduce your chances of starting a fire.

See the KITV4 video here.

Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization would like to remind everyone to be very careful in the coming months during Hawaii’s peak drought season. As Elizabeth Pickett (HWMO) reminds everyone in the Wildfire and Drought LOOKOUT! news release, please put barbecues and campfires out cold before walking away, do not pull over on dry grass, and hold off on using equipment that may cause sparks.

While some of the Hawaiian islands have recently undergone plenty of rainfall, be aware that in the coming months this could mean greater vegetation loads, and that means more fuel for fire.

Be aware, and remember that it only takes ONE spark to start a wildfire.

Waikoloa Community Leadership Council Meeting

A lot was covered last week at the Waikoloa Community Leadership Council meeting. From how to alert residents of incidents that may require evacuation, to methods used for fostering community participation in mitigating fire risk and plenty of other issues.

A few of the major entities that were represented at the meeting include the Hawaii Fire Department (HFD), Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), Hawaii County Civil Defense, Hawaii County Council Member Tim Richards, Hawaii Police Department (HPD), US Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Water Supply, Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, the Waikoloa Board of Directors, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), as well as other members of the Waikoloa Village Association.

While many topics were discussed, one of the major points that remained on the table for quite some time was that Waikoloa Village does not have a standardized alert system in place, should a wildfire incident require evacuations. Waikoloa Village leadership is hoping for more governmental agency support while alerting residents in times of emergency. This brought up the fact that the Hawaii Fire and Police Departments are under-staffed and under-funded. There is a government-funded speaker alarm system being installed in Waikoloa Village, and it is understood that the Fire and Police Departments will do everything they can to ensure the safety of residents. This is a major improvement to what alert system existed before, but there is still much room for improvement to ensure the safety of all Waikoloa residents. The number of people in the village that may need assistance when it comes to an evacuation is beyond the capacity that local governmental agencies can handle. There are also precautionary measures that can be taken prior to a disaster such as making a plan with your fellow community members and neighbors. Individuals are urged to also sign up for Civil Defense texts and emails Here. While it is understood that government agencies such as the Fire and Police Departments will do everything in their power to assist a community such as Waikoloa Village in times of Emergency, it is also necessary for communities to do their part to be proactive, and ensure that evacuation when the time comes to be safe and successful.

Another big topic that came up is that the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative is not adequately protected from fires that would devastate such a pristine native forest preserve. The Waikoloa Dry Forest is determined to preserve, protect and restore a remnant native Hawaiian dry forest ecosystem through land management, outreach, education and grassroots advocacy. The fact remains that the Hawaii Fire Department is severely understaffed and under-funded. There are still over 50 job vacancies in the Fire Department, which limits their response capabilities, with life and safety as their top priority. One suggestion was that the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative could spend more energy on building a fire break around the forest preserve. This could turn the space surrounding the preserve from a dangerous landscape to access (even under non-emergency situations) into a defensible space that firefighters might be able to traverse with fewer risks and hazards.

While there were more topics covered at this meeting, it is clear that a continued collaboration is necessary to maintain the safety of the Waikoloa Village Community. The dangers of wildfire that surround this at-risk community cannot be handled by a single organization or agency. It will take a lot of effort on all sides to ensure the safety of this community surrounded by fire-prone grass.

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the members of the Waikoloa Village Association Firewise Committee including Mark Gordon and Julia Alos for helping to make this meeting happen. It is invaluable to the safety of the community to bring these topics to light, as well as pre-plan and prepare for an emergency. When the time comes, itʻs best to be prepared!

Public Information Officer (PIO) Training for Our New Community Education Coordinator

Carson Magoon, HWMO’s recently hired Community Education Coordinator had the opportunity to be trained by several leaders of the Incident Command System world: Tina Boehle, Greg Funderburk, Lori Iverson, Mike Johnson, and Mike Theune. He spent the week of May 20th in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park learning all about the Incident Command System (ICS) that goes into effect when a disastrous incident takes place, and how to effectively disseminate information to the public during an incident.

Recording as much of what the Incident Commander says in this ICS simulation. Credit:

Being able to accurately and effectively keep people informed in times of disasters like wildfires is extremely important in the process of evacuating and correctly delegating resources. In events of crisis and confusion, being properly informed is a basic human need just as food, water and shelter. If you have the right information, the likelihood of making the correct decision in times of high risk are much greater.

Class going through the methods of good media relations

During this training, Carson was able to learn facets of communicating incident information including interacting with the media and community members through many different communication channels. One key takeaway Carson gleaned from this experience is that a PIO should never divulge information that is not totally confirmed to be correct. Only confirmed information that you know is completely accurate should be shared with public and the media. That being said, in times of crisis, if information is not being released promptly, stories will still be shared among people whether they are factually accurate or not. This requires Public Information Officers to be as prompt as possible when informing the public, but they also must be very careful that the information they release is completely accurate. Cases of non-factual information being given to the public can result in a public-relations situation that can be very difficult to remediate.

While a few more classes are required of Carson to go out on assignment as Public Information Officer during an incident, the information-packed training was an extremely beneficial experience for Carson and HWMO. As he moves forward with Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization in hopes of keeping the communities of Hawaii as informed as possible about wildfire threats, he will undoubtedly be able to gather, assemble, and disseminate information more effectively after the training involved in this course.

Kamilonui-Mariner's Cove Memorial Day Weekend Wildfire Mitigation Project

Representative Gene Ward joins the cause this past weekend.

As a very fitting tribute to Memorial Day, a collaboration of people including military veterans from Team Rubicon, an international veteran service organization that uses disaster response to help reintegrate veterans back into civilian life, came out in full force to create a large firebreak around Kamilonui-Mariner’s Cove. The Firewise Community (the first ever on Oahu as of this year!) of agricultural and residential lots in Hawaii Kai, has been working with HWMO for a couple of years now in an effort to create a more wildfire resilient community.

Carol Jaxon (left) and Elizabeth Reilly (middle) have been instrumental in moving Firewise Communities project forward in Kamilonui-Mariner’s Cove. We cannot thank them enough!

Big mahalo to Team Rubicon for the enormous time and effort they donated to the cause!

This weekend, as part of Wildfire Preparedness Day, we are seeing what it means to be fire-adapted: everyone playing a role to reduce wildfire risk. The Firewise committee consisting of local residents and farmers, Aloha Aina O Kamilo Nui, and Livable Hawaii Kai Hui organized the work days; Team Rubicon volunteers are knocking back fire fuels; neighboring landowners provided access to the land and green waste hauling services; residents are feeding volunteers; and HWMO provided a hazard assessment, continual guidance through the Firewise Communities process, and a $2,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service. We are so grateful to everyone who is helping out to make Kamilonui - Mariner’s Cove a model for community-driven wildfire protection on Oahu and for the rest of the Hawaiian Islands!

All photos courtesy of Aloha Aina O Kamilonui