Volunteers clean up harbor area

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A retired veteran and Bee’s Trees owner Bee Battle said he has spent about a week removing prickly cactus, trimming trees and clearing the overgrown grassy area overlooking the mouth of Honokohau Small Boat Harbor.

A retired veteran and Bee’s Trees owner Bee Battle said he has spent about a week removing prickly cactus, trimming trees and clearing the overgrown grassy area overlooking the mouth of Honokohau Small Boat Harbor.

The state-owned area is at the far end of the harbor, but across and north of Alula Beach, where people often take their dogs or dive. It has been overgrown for a few years. In some places, it was impassable and impossible to relax in, which is why Battle said he and a friend, Ron, decided to voluntarily clean it up as a gift to the community.

“By cleaning it up, not only do we get the air through here and view back, but there are spots for people to set up their chairs and just relax,” he said. “This is an oasis.”

The cleanup involved removing approximately 40 yards of cactus plants that had spread all over the place, as well as cleaning a kiawe tree and shucking it by hand. The friends also did about 15 dump runs, Battle said.