Storm Water supports a community passionate about preserving their environment
May 14, 2011
The State of Hawaii Department of Transportation Storm Water Management Program focused its efforts for a day to help a community in need. Malama Maunalua, a community-based group dedicated to creating a healthy Maunalua region, organized the Maunalua Heritage Festival on May 14 to provide an opportunity for the community to learn and explore the cultural and biological heritage of Maunalua Bay.
The bay, which stretches from Kawaihoa (Koko Head) to Kupikipiki’o (Black Point), was historically known to be a major source of food for many families in the region because of its abundant marine life. Over time, however, the bay’s water quality declined and marine life decreased dramatically. Problems such as invasive algae, land-based sediment and pollutants, and unsustainable harvesting and fishing practices led to the bay’s degradation.
Many residents who attended the festival had a deep interest in the cultural, historical and environmental aspects of Maunalua Bay. Native Hawaiian navigator, Nainoa Thompson, who learned to fish along the shores of the bay, opened the festival by sharing his hope for the bay, which he said was once filled with thick schools of fish. Thompson has been working on plans to create an ocean education reserve at the bay to help area residents understand how their actions on land and in the sea are interconnected.
The Storm Water team used its storm water model to help visitors understand how pollutants can end up in our ocean and near shore waters. After viewing the model, community members were ready to spin our prize wheel and answer questions about storm water pollution.
To find out how you can get involved in one program that keeps our environment clean, click on the “Adopt-A-Highway” link on our homepage.
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