HWMO Blog
The South Maui CWPP, in conjunction with HWMO’s recently completed Western Maui and current Central/Upcountry Plan, will cover most of the island with a CWPP. Although not as extensive as a plan, HWMO held a community meeting at the Kihei Community Center to collect input for the plan.
Sharing wildfire concerns and recommended actions.
Map of the area covered by the new CWPP.
Map of the area covered by the new CWPP.
Wildfires are becoming more and more of a common threat to communities in Central/Upcountry Maui.
To draw up a brand new CWPP for Central/Upcountry Maui, HWMO held two community meetings, one at the Makawao Community Center and another at the Kula Community Center, to gather input from community members in the same format as the previous CWPP meetings for Northwest Hawaii Island and North Kona.
In preparation of the upcoming CWPP meeting for Molokai on March 18th, Hawaii Wildfire's Elizabeth Pickett met with nineteen people from the Molokai Fire Task Force at the Kaunakakai fire station on February 18th. Representatives hailed from agencies including Maui Fire Department, Maui Police Department, DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and The Nature Conservancy.
During the meeting, an important step for creating Molokai's first Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), Ms. Pickett gave an overview of the CWPP process and asked the Task Force to aid in coordinating the March 18th community meeting details.
Many of the attendees were able to provide their own wildfire concerns and recommended actions they would like to see taken to reduce wildfire hazards on the island.
The community meeting will take place at the halau at Kulana Oiwi on March 18th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Banner photo: Molokai Fire Task Force members share input on wildfire concerns and recommended actions.
West Maui is at a high risk of wildfire due to unmitigated fire fuels, limited community engagement in the wildfire issue, and under-addressed pre- and post-fire planning and preparedness. HWMO is taking a proactive approach to protect West Maui's natural resources and communities by developing a West Maui Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) that will help secure funds for wildfire mitigation projects in the near future. CWPPs are unique in that they require a significant amount of community input and involvement. In order to understand, prioritize, and address community concerns and possible solutions, HWMO held a series of 6 community meetings in Lahaina, Wailuku, and Waihee on January 22, 23, 28, and 29.
As part of a two-way communication process, HWMO shared information through a presentation about the CWPP and by displaying large maps of West Maui's fire history and subdivision-level hazard assessments (developed by HWMO). Towards the end of the meeting, members stood in front of a giant satellite image map of West Maui to place stickers on areas of significant interest (watersheds, their home, their favorite park, etc.). The meetings were a great success judging by the vast amount of in-depth input we received. We thank all of you who have taken part in the process! There are many more opportunities to take action as an interested community member as this is only the beginning of an ongoing process of addressing West Maui's wildfire issue.
Banner photo: Elizabeth Pickett, HWMO Executive Director, jots down community members' wildfire concerns and possible solutions.
HWMO started ramping up its West Maui Community Wildfire Protection Plan efforts by holding meetings with the West Maui Fire Task Force and the West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership (WMMWP). In order for us to better understand the issues at hand in West Maui, members from these groups provided input regarding wildfire concerns of theirs and possible resolutions for those specific issues.
These meetings were an important early step in this giant collaborative effort that will later involve a wider range of community input. In the end, the West Maui CWPP will identify, prioritize, and bring funding towards projects to reduce the threat of wildfire to West Maui communities.
As described by our own Elizabeth Pickett in a recent Lahaina News article:
"CWPPs are meant to tie into existing or planned projects. Many communities are developing disaster plans or long-range community plans, and the CWPP is meant to complement those plans.
"It will be a useful tool for community members to help make West Maui's neighborhoods and natural areas fire-safe. Wildfires tie into many natural resource, municipal and community issues, so this is an important opportunity for communities to learn, have their voices heard and get involved."
Banner photo: West Maui Fire Task Force with our very own Ilene Grossman (on left) and Elizabeth Pickett (on right).