HILO — Kamehameha Schools has formed a safe harbor agreement with the state to help conserve nearly 33,000 acres on Hawaii Island.
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the 50-year deal Friday, which it said will assist the recovery of threatened or endangered species on the land, mostly mauka of Volcano.
The agreement sets baselines for native species and will help determine land-use practices to maintain critical habitat. It covers seven native birds, the Hawaiian hoary bat, and 25 plant species.
Namaka Whitehead, Kamehameha Schools’ ecologist, said it’s the first time the school has entered such an agreement on its lands.
Commitments being made include planting more than 20,000 plants every five years, planting 1,000 acres of new koa forest on former pasture lands, maintaining fire fighting infrastructure, and phasing out barbed wire that can harm bats on acreage still used for ranching, she said.
Whitehead said it will meet Kamehameha Schools’ goal of promoting functioning native ecosystems that are “the foundation of Hawaii cultural identity and well being.”
“The safe harbor agreement is an example of the kind of work that helps us to lead our mission,” she said.
Whitehead said the land is adjacent to the Puu Makaala Natural Area Reserve, where the state is attempting to reintroduce alala, the Hawaiian crow. She said the hope is that the Kamehameha Schools’ property could also be used as their habitat.
Much of the property has been fenced and it is believed to be ungulate-free, Whitehead said.
The agreement is a cooperative effort between Kamehameha Schools, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.