A two-year effort to protect and improve water quality and ecosystem health in the Pelekane Watershed was recently completed by The Kohala Center.
The Kohala Center, an independent nonprofit organization based in Waimea, helped to implement a rotational and targeted grazing program to support erosion control in the watershed through the state Department of Health’s Polluted Runoff Control 319 Program in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
“A major success of this project was the coordination of project partners in our community,” said Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui, president and chief executive officer of The Kohala Center. “This work follows a long line of projects in Pelekane that show the united efforts of community to reduce erosion and wildfire risks and better care for aina.”
The completed activities are expected to reduce future wildfire risk, sediment runoff, and nonpoint source pollution in the region, in turn protecting coral reefs, enhancing recreational usage, and contributing to historic and cultural preservation, according to the center.
Pelekane is one of South Kohala’s major watersheds, and currently about 85% of the land is privately owned and used for cattle grazing. Pelekane Bay receives runoff from numerous streams within the watershed, and following brush fire events, the amount of sediment that reaches the ocean is far greater than what is considered acceptable.
The EPA currently lists Pelekane Bay as an “impaired waterbody” due to sedimentation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) selected the leeward side of the Big Island, where Pelekane is located, as a NOAA Habitat Focus Area because of its extensive reef systems, tangible threats, ongoing conservation efforts, and strong community involvement. The bay is also on the state’s List of Impaired Waters due to substantial soil erosion.
Preventing wildfires by reducing fuel load — flammable vegetation such as non-native fountain grass and leaf litter — is a priority for managing erosion in the watershed. Large brush fires in the area in recent years have led to the runoff of sediment during post-fire rain events, compromising water quality and smothering coral reefs in Pelekane Bay.
In line with the 2005 watershed management plan for the bay that called for the establishment of a rotational, targeted cattle grazing program to help reduce fuel load in the watershed, the center repaired and created manageable paddocks. Additionally, a new water trough was installed in a less-utilized pasture where water was not previously available to draw cattle away from Makeahua Stream.
“Our tenacious stewardship technicians successfully created two functioning paddocks, in often unforgiving conditions, to allow for continued rotational and targeted cattle grazing within the Pelekane watershed,” said Jake Merkel, Kohala watershed field supervisor at The Kohala Center. “Parker Ranch now has the infrastructure in place to restrict cattle to specific paddocks in order to maintain effective fuel load to minimize erosion and reduce fire risk.”
The two-year project complements ongoing efforts to mitigate soil erosion in the region, including watershed protection fencing to maintain the health of native forests located upslope of the project site. It also included education and outreach to keep area residents abreast of the project’s intentions and approaches, while also providing a forum for community members to provide feedback and ideas for future efforts.