2 Big Isle nonprofits selected to help mitigate impact of tourism

The Hawaii Tourism Authority has chosen a pair of Big Island nonprofits to mitigate tourism impacts at Punalu‘u and Kealakekua Bay.

In partnership with the Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau, HTA selected the organizations Ka ‘Ohana O Honu‘apo and Ho‘ala Kealakekua Nui Inc. to develop projects to manage visitors to environmentally sensitive areas through HTA’s Hawaii Island Community-Based Action Stewardship Program.

Through the program, Ka ‘Ohana O Honu‘apo will develop its “Ka‘u Hoa Pili ‘Aina Training Program,” which will train 10 local stewards at Punalu‘u to educate visitors about the conservation and cultural significance of the area and collect data about their behavior.

While the program will begin with a focus on Punalu‘u, it will eventually be expanded to the greater Ka‘u coastline and further inland.

Meanwhile, Ho‘ala Kealakekua Nui’s project, “Building ‘Aina-Based Stewardship Programs for Kealakekua Bay,” will similarly educate visitors, tour operators and residents about how to respectively interact with the environment, while providing equipment to volunteers to help restore the coastal habitat and training citizen scientists to monitor the health of the area.

“HTA continues to collaborate with Hawaii Island residents to better manage tourism’s impacts and support the initiatives they want to see and actively engage in for their communities,” said HTA’s Interim President Daniel Naho‘opi‘i in a statement. “Reinvesting in these nonprofit organizations to expand the work they are doing to protect, preserve and educate people about the culture, history and natural resources of these special places is our kuleana to the community and those who visit.”