Seed Bank Collaboration with Maui Nui Botanical Garden
As those who have volunteered with us at one of our public preserves know, stewardship is a very important part of our work. Ecological restoration work, which involves restoring the structure, function and composition of native ecosystems in order to increase productivity, biodiversity and resilience, along with connecting people to the land, lies at the heart of our stewardship work. Connecting people to land and restoring native species in order to create a healthy, vibrant ecosystem will ensure that our keiki and mo`opuna inherit healthy, thriving land that they can then pass on from one generation to the next. This simple concept lies at the heart of mo`okuauhau, or generational thinking, a value codified into HILT’s mission, values and strategic plan.
With this in mind, on May 6th HILT staff and the staff of the Maui Nui Botanical Garden made an excursion to the Nu`u Refuge to collect seeds that will be curated, grown, and ultimately replanted at the Nu`u Refuge in order to expand the extent of indigenous and endemic species there. The work began by collecting Makaloa seeds (Cyperus laevigatus) from around the Nu`u Pond. Although Makaloa remains relatively common in wetlands around Maui, and it is highly valued as weaving material, the Makaloa at Nu`u represents a very small population of this species on south east Maui. The nearest populations of this species are in Kula Kai (Kihei), and with so few wetlands between Kula Kai and Kaupo, this small patch of Makaloa, like the wetlands itself, are disproportionately important to their size.
After collecting the Makaloa, we moved on to Ka Lae `Apole, the volcanic peninsula that makes up the majority of the Nu`u Refuge. This area of the Nu`u Refuge is stark and generally bare, inviting only the toughest and most durable native species. While I had often seen Pua Kala at Nu`u (Argemone glauca; the Hawaiian Poppy), with its distinctive white flower, and I knew the location of several Maiapilo (Capparis sandwichina; a Hawaiian caper), the most exciting find of the day came when we found two shrubs of an east Maui species of `Akia, Wikstroemia monticola, one of a dozen of the Wikstroemia species found across Hawai`i. `Akia is perhaps most famous in its use to stun fish (sometimes erroneously called the fish ‘poison’ plant) in and around estuaries and fishponds, although I could not find any record of this species being used for that purpose. ‘Akia has also been noted for the strength of the fiber and ropes made from its bark.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this species of ‘Akia comes from its ability to endure. As the pictures indicate, it is growing, and thriving, on bare a`a lava. Too often I hear people disparaging native species, suggesting that they don’t have the durability of non-native species. This ‘Akia shows the error in that claim.
Mahalo to the staff of the Maui Nui Botanical Garden for their dedication and commitment to malama nā lā’au maoli, to care for the native species that make Hawai`i unique, that tell our story, and heal the land. Without people like them, our ‘aina would be much poorer.
— Dr. Scott Fisher