Stream Restoration in Hawai`i Kicks off Koloa Plantation Days

Kicking off the Koloa Plantation days event, there will  be a general membership meeting on Thursday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Koloa Neighborhood Center, co-sponsored by Koloa Community Association and Malama Maha’ulepu.  The topic will be “Stream Restoration in Hawai`i” presented by Matt Rosener, hydrologist and engineer.

In Hawai`i there is a growing recognition of the need to better manage streams and rivers, both for the freshwater habitats they provide and for the offshore saltwater habitats they help sustain. Unfortunately here in the islands, like many other places, there is a long history of mismanagement of streams and riparian corridors. This has resulted in degraded habitat and water quality conditions in the lower reaches species and excessive water withdrawal. But the tide may be turning.

Several recent stream and riparian restoration projects undertaken by various entities in the islands have yielded promising initial results. This talk will focus on the significant challenges currently inhibiting larger-scale stream restoration in Hawai°pi, and it will also describe substantial opportunities to gain momentum in the fledgling stream restoration movement here.

Case studies will be presented for the Hanalei River and Waipa Stream on Kaua`i’s North shore where the  Matt Rosener has been intimately involved in planning, implementing and monitoring watershed and stream restoration projects for the last five years, working at Hanalei and Waipa, as well as on O`ahu and Moloka`i.

Call 651-1332 for more information.