News

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

This Earth Day we celebrated our estuary in Heʻeia, and estuaries all across the country.  Last year Heʻeia NERR saw more than 7,000 visitors, most of whom were K-12 students!  Click on the infographics to read more stats and stories and find out how much the NERR System means to coastal communities like ours.  Visit … Read more

A project at Heʻeia Fishpond to remove an island of invasive red mangroves and replace them with native plant species has been completed, with studies showing that the fishpond’s ecosystem and water quality have improved dramatically. The two-year project was led by the Sea Grant College Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and funded by the state Department of Health’s Clean … Read more

An interdisciplinary group of researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi teamed up with colleagues from other universities and several Native Hawaiian communities to compile conservation findings in a special issue of Sustainability that will be the largest collection of scientific publications made by Native Hawaiians. The group’s work focuses on biocultural restoration in Hawaiʻi. The work collectively highlights Hawaiʻi as a global … Read more

NOAA has designated Heʻeia ahupuaʻa as a National Estaurine Research Reserve!