Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in the ahupuaa (watershed) of Heeia, moku (land division) of Koolaupoko on the island of Oahu. With the support of the local community, Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi was formed in 2007 and currently holds a 38-year lease agreement with the State of Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority (HCDA) to implement Mahuahua Ai o Hoi (Regrowing the Fruit of Hoi), a long-range project to restore agriculture and ecological productivity to nearly 405 acres within the wetlands of Heeia.

Purpose of Activity

In traditional times, Heeia contained one of the most extensive areas of wetland taro cultivation on Oahu (Handy, Handy & Pukui, 1972). Through the mid-1930s, the Heeia wetlands were a thriving agricultural landscape, producing volumes of kalo (taro), a nutrient-dense dietary staple for Hawaiians, and creating opportunities for social and economic advancement for the families of Heeia and Kaneohe.  

Through its cultural, educational, and ecosystem restoration programs, Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi is promoting the social and economic advancement of the local community. Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi’s mission is to perpetuate the cultural and spiritual practices of Native Hawaiians. 

Activities

Our Mahuahua Ai o Hoi Program plans to bring food security and biodiversity to the community through ecological and sustainable agriculture. Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi’s vision is stated as, the ecosystems of Heeia are healthy, with thriving native species and lands and waters providing abundance for its human community. That human community is aware of, supporting and participating in the restoration of the terrestrial (forests), freshwater, estuarine, and marine parts of the ahupuaa by abating threats, such as sedimentation and invasive species, and actively encouraging the reestablishment of native Hawaiian natural communities.”

Kupu’s programs aim to provide life-changing opportunities that promote personal and professional growth for young adults and emerging professionals throughout the state.

Kupu partners with various conservation and sustainability focused organizations throughout the state and Pacific in order to provide these opportunities. Such partners range from large federal and state entities such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Department for Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), to smaller non-profits such as Mālama Loko Ea and Hui o Koʻolaupoko.

It is our hope that participants in Kupu’s program will gain valuable experiences and skills that will assist them in their personal and professional pursuits, while gaining a further appreciation for Hawaii’s amazing natural and cultural resources.
Many alumni of Kupu’s programs go on to pursue higher education or careers in the green job sector, and in some cases even obtain jobs at the partner site in which they served.

Purpose of Activity

Kupu’s mission is: To empower youth to serve their communities through character-building, service-learning, and environmental stewardship opportunities that encourage integrity (pono) with Ke Akua (God), self and others.

Kupu in Hawaiian means, “to sprout, grow, germinate, or increase.” Like the kupukupu fern, Kupu’s heart is to bring life back to the land, ocean, and communities we serve.

Activities

Each year, Kupu offers hundreds of service opportunities that create positive environmental, cultural and community impact across Hawaii and the Pacific region.

Kupu offers summer and year long positions. All participants serve alongside experts, receiving valuable mentorship, and hands-on experience. These programs are ideal for youth ages 16-24 who are eager to spend time outdoors and seek educational support — through a high school education equivalency certificate, or earning college credit and education awards.

For the most current program openings please see the following link:

Our network of botanical gardens, preserves, and research centers in Hawaiʻi and Florida works to perpetuate tropical plants and all they make possible. We do so through a biocultural approach, where Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, and scientific research guide our path forward. Together, we will restore flourishing relationships between plants, people, and places.

Purpose of Activity

To enrich life by perpetuating tropical plants, ecosystems, and cultural heritage

Activities

All of our botanic gardens offer tour experiences and public programming to help deepen people’s relationships with plants. Visit our garden web pages to plan your visit: ntbg.org/gardens/tours. Volunteers support our Garden in many ways. Volunteer information and opportunities can be found at ntbg.org/support/volunteer.

Waipā is a 1,600 acre ahupuaa, or watershed, located along Kauai’s beautiful north shore.
The Waipā Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization which manages the valley under a lease from the landowner, Kamehameha Schools.

In the early 1980’s, through activism, the Hawaiian families of Kauai’s north shore communities saved Waipā valley from resort and golf course development.
They envisioned Waipā as a place to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian cultural values and knowledge through practice.

Waipā Foundation was established in 1994 to to bring this vision to fruition.
Today Waipā Foundation is a thriving community based nonprofit that serves thousands of learners each year through a wide variety of programs, projects, festivals, and gatherings.

Purpose of Activity

Waipā Foundation’s purpose is be a living learning center; a space to elevate and share Hawaiian values and practices, such as aloha aina and malama aina, and to inspire all who connect with Waipa to adopt and incorporate these values into their lives and worldview.

Activities

Waipā’s programs focus on hundreds of youth and families which comprise the historically underserved in both it’s local geographic area.
We also welcome thousands of lifelong learners annually from schools and other groups from throughout the island, state and beyond.

Waipā’s team has developed and manages about 30 acres of wetland taro fields, gardens, orchards, food forests and cultural plantings along with sites along the stream and irrigation system, it’s coastal strand and an inland fishpond.

Produce from our gardens and loi as well as other local farmers is made into products such as poi, cheesecake and baked goods, and savory entrees in our commercial kitchen and poi mill on site.

Our kitchen, facilities, and farmers market also support local food entrepreneurs and provide a space for community gatherings, cultural practice and other uses.
Our small fleet of waa (canoes) supports programming around Hawaiian waa culture and knowlege in and around Hanalei Bay. Waipā is the ultimate landscape for learning, mai uka a i kai (from the uplands to the sea).

Volunteer workday at 9am on the 4th Saturday of each month at various sites within the ahupuaa.