He'eia NERR

Conservation and environmental science news platform Mongabay recently featured three communities in Hawaiʻi for their efforts to restore Indigenous land and resource management systems. The article draws on a recent publication in Ecology and Society co-authored by Heʻeia NERR Director Dr. Kawika Winter and several collaborators. Read the full Mongabay news article here.

We are pleased to share a web feature about the Heʻeia NERR highlighting our role in the NERRS Science Collaborative Catalyst Project entitled “Cultural Ecosystem Services in Estuary Stewardship and Management”. Living As the World  

Seeking Public Comments on Draft Revised Management Plan for the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting comments from the public regarding a proposed revision of the management plan for the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve. A management plan: provides a framework for the direction and timing of … Read more

Check out 2019-2020 Grad Assistant Angel Melone’s new publication below! She utilized new methodology including kriging to establish baseline soil carbon measurements in the agro-forestry plots at Puʻulani in Heʻeia. Her measurements will help us to evaluate the success of Indigenous resource management for Heʻeia in the ye ars to come! Angel has also landed … Read more

Our Reserve was recently featured on the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association website. We appreciate all that NERRA does for the Reserve System, raising estuary awareness among the general public and in the halls of Congress. Read the full article here.

To improve the water quality in Heʻeia Fishpond and surrounding coastal areas, the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) is leading a two-year project in partnership with Paepae o Heʻeia, Hui Kū Maoli Ola and Nā Kilo Honua o Heʻeia to remove invasive mangrove and hau (lowland tree) and install bioretention … Read more

Check out this new blog post by Melissa Mau, Project Coordinator for Heʻeia Wetland Restoration at Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi.  The hard work of Melissa and others at this Heʻeia NERR partner site has resulted in the return of native wetland views like the one below, not seen in many decades.  Mahalo nui to the National Marine … Read more

Be on the lookout for invasive corals!  Invasive species pose a threat to native ecosystems, by land and by sea.  This week the Heʻeia NERR team helped the State Division of Aquatic Resources and Waikiki Aquarium to remove several exotic invasive corals from a patch reef within the Reserve boundary in Kāneʻohe Bay.  These fast-growing … Read more

The health of the land is tied to the health of its people!  The Tropical Medicine Clinical (TMC) Laboratory at UH Mānoa was established in April 2020 to support Hawaiʻi’s COVID-19 pandemic response.  Playing key roles in the effort were Heʻeia NERR Coastal Training Program Coordinator Katy Hintzen and Dr. Rosie Alegado, associate professor of … Read more

by Eryn Opie Eryn is a Heʻeia NERR Graduate Assistant studying Natural Resources & Environmental Management at the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa.  Her research focuses on the “birdscape” in Heʻeia.  Eryn is from Kailua, Oʻahu. Heʻeia is a place where people, water, birds and plants are connected. Someone once said that “kalo is like people,” … Read more