Uhiwai O Haleakala

The transition of the leeward Haleakala watershed restoration partnership (lhwrp) program to Uhiwai continued throughout 2022. Transferring and or establishing most funding and access agreements to Uhiwai so staff could continue lhwrp projects were completed by the fall. Field operations resumed as access was secured for lhwrp project sites. Operations continued to be conducted from home office spaces with the expenses for "rent and utilities" donated as in-kind services.

Outreach: staff continued to work with hamline university on the digital learning module, participated in several public outreach events, and collaborated with a local elementary school to initiate a new program that would create a garden of native plants, "bringing a piece of the forest to the campus". The garden is utilized as a resource for teachers and students to learn about the watershed, native plants and their uses.

Conservation: starting in january, staff were able to resume backcountry operations conducting fence inspections, seed collection, invasive species removal, erosion control, and outplanting at the department of Hawaiian home lands, kaupo ranch, and nu'u mauka. Front country seed collections and weed work continued at pu'u-o-kali, the nu'u mauka native seed farm and 'oma'opio. Uhiwai hosted 2 uh maui college interns through the kekaulike summer program.