Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
OHA updates trustees on Waikele O Puna forest reserve: restoration, access and a pending 1,900-acre grant application
Summary
OHA staff briefed the Committee on Investments and Land Management about Waikele O Puna, a 25,856-acre lowland rainforest reserve on Hawai‘i Island, outlining conservation work, community engagement with schools, an ongoing Forest Legacy grant application for 1,900 adjacent acres and FY25 funding for modest visitor facilities.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs on March 9 presented an informational briefing on Waikele O Puna, a 25,856-acre lowland rainforest in Puna on Hawai‘i Island that OHA acquired in February 2006 and manages for conservation, cultural access and stewardship.
"Waikele is the designation of this 25,856 acre low lying wet forest considered to be the largest intact tropical lowland rainforest in the context of The United States," said Lori Walker, interim director of land assets for OHA. Walker said the reserve is zoned as a state forest reserve, conservation protective subzone, and serves as a watershed recharge area for the Pahoa aquifer and as habitat and a seed bank for rare and endangered species.
OHA recounted management history and partnerships. The land was acquired in 2006 with the Trust for Public Land and the Department of Land and Natural Resources through the federal Forest Legacy Program; OHA later…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
