Community Partnership to Preserve Alakoko Fishpond through Purchase and Stewardship
Feb. 5, 2021: Mālama Hulēʻia is collaborating with the Trust for Public Land to purchase the 600-year old Alakoko Fishpond (also known as Alekoko Fishpond and Menehune Fishpond) on Kauaʻi for $3 million. The nonprofit has already been at work for the past few years to restore the pond, remove invasive growth, and engage thousands of volunteers while promoting place-based education. Mālama Hulēʻia was in negotiation with the property owner for a 20-year lease when the owner offered to sell. Protecting Alakoko will provide impactful community benefits: restoring a healthy watershed, river, and native wetland ecosystem; preserving a beloved cultural site and outdoor classroom for ʻāina-based education; and increasing sustainable aquaculture and food security for Kaua‘i. - Mālama Hulē‘ia The fishpond was designated on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The statement of significance found that the site “is the most significant fishpond on Kaua‘i, both in Hawaiian legends and folklore and in the eyes of Kaua‘i’s people today…Its antiquity makes it the oldest fishpond on Kaua‘i…it is the best example of an inland fishpond in the entire state.” The nomination recommended that the site be preserved as a historical park. In 2009, the fishpond was listed as one of Hawai‘i’s Most Endangered Historic Places by HHF, in cooperation with the Hawai‘i State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Honolulu Magazine. The designation flagged the site as vulnerable to neglect, invasive species and potential development. Mālama Hulē‘ia efforts to establish a stewardship program to address long-term maintenance and restoration needs is an important step towards its preservation. HHF has written a letter in its support of the hui's efforts to preserve and protect this special place, including [...]
