In what would have been the 19th Roots Bodyboard contest Saturday at Honl’s Beach, also known as Wai‘aha, volunteers, keiki to kupuna came together to clean up the surf spot, plant native shoreline plants and of course surf.
Lael Wilson grew up surfing at Honl’s, many years before it became a county park in 2005.
“I’ve been surfing and cleaning up this beach since I was seven,” he said, pointing to the remnants of Nalupo‘o Heiau on the north end of the beach. “They used the rocks from the heiau to build a seawall. We tore down that wall to restore the beach.”
In all, the community effort netted over three truck loads of green waste and rubbish, including hypodermic needles removed from the beach.
Earlier in the day, Hawaii Police Department Community Policing cleared the beach of six homeless campsites in anticipation of the day’s events.
“This is the fruition of years and visioning of working collaboratively with the county parks and recreation to plant our parks with native species that will mitigate shoreline erosion,” said County Councilperson Rebecca Villegas.
She said efforts to plant in the beach parks in years past resulted in county maintenance workers either pulling or poisoning the natives because of lack of understanding.
But after conferring with P&R director Maurice Messina, the partnership between the county and community will ensure the newly planted vegetation will thrive in their new home.
“There is now a shared vision of native shoreline restoration,” Villegas said.
She also said there are plans to erect a memorial commemorating the 50th anniversary of the invention of the modern day Boogie Board by Tom Morey at Wai’aha Beach.
She used the example of the native plant garden at Kohanaiki as a model of what the public/private partnership can accomplish.
“The plants we are introducing here were propagated at Kohanaiki,” she said.
Krista Donaldson has been a community organizer, volunteer and ocean enthusiast for many years and helped organize Saturday’s event. Keiki painted colorful signs to identify the species of plants introduced at the beach.
She said a dedicated group of individuals have been working with the county to get on the same page on shoreline restoration.
“Kohanaiki is a model garden of native shoreline plants that serves to educate and regenerate the shoreline,” she said. “They know how to prevent erosion. We are mimicking what nature has always been doing.”
She said she is against using poison to eradicate invasive species at the beach, rather relying on physical labor with community involvement.
“It is our kuleana to maintain it,” she said. “This is the best classroom for kids. They learn by doing.”
The garden teacher at Innovations Public Charter School, Donaldson said a nursery at the school is being used to propagate shoreline plants from the Kohanaiki garden.
“We expect so much from our county, but don’t want our taxes to go up,” she said. “This shows the community can come together and do it.”