A new restoration effort has brought nene and other water birds back to the ponds in Keaukaha.
Kumiko and Patrick Mattison have turned a passion project into the ‘Aina Ho‘ola Initiative, a restoration project for the estuarine wetlands and fish ponds of Lokowaka, Ki‘onakapahu and ‘Akahi in Keaukaha.
The ponds are located directly off of Kalanianaole Street across from James Kealoha Beach Park (“four-mile”).
The Mattisons have focused their efforts on clearing invasive species from the pond, Ki‘onakapahu, which is owned by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and leased by The Seaside Restaurant.
After seeing a post from DLNR about ae‘o, also known as Hawaiian stilts, being found in only one location on the east side of the island, Kumiko Mattison remembered she saw a stilt in Lokowaka 10 years ago.
“There have been very few sightings of stilts, but wetlands like this are supposed to be a suitable habitat for them, and I really remember seeing that stilt,” Mattison said. “I got a permit from the restaurant to start removing invasive species in January 2021. Nene came back to use the area three months after we started working. It was incredible.”
While nene and white-faced ibis have been the main birds to frequent the pond, Mattison did witness stilts stop by in May 2022, although they did not stay.
“When we saw the stilts come last May, we realized it was time to start talking about this work proudly. We realized what we are doing is working,” Mattison said. “We started our Facebook and Instagram page and started posting about volunteer opportunities.”
The Mattisons and volunteers spend most of their time removing overgrown invasive species from in and around the pond. They also plant native species in place to attract more native birds to the area.
“The first thing we needed to do was remove overgrown invasive species from land and water. It was growing over itself, and there was decaying material. It was tough, fibrous, stinky, but we manually removed it. Patrick sticks to the water, while I remove invasives from the land,” Mattison said. “We still have so much, but we have learned from our mistakes. We now have a new method of covering an area with plastic so the invasives don’t regrow. We do a lot of squatting.”
Recently, Kumiko Mattison has cleared grass from the side of the road to deter the nene and two new goslings from crossing the busy Kalanianaole Street.
“Many drivers wait patiently, but I wanted to remove the grass from the edge of the shoulder, so the nene have less reason to be there,” Mattison said. “We have three males molting here and a pair that chose to nest here. Two goslings were just hatched and they’ve already come so close to the road.”
When the nene were first spotted back in Lokowaka, the Mattisons were able to obtain nene-crossing signs that were installed on either side the street. However, they hoping to get more warning signs for drivers during inclement weather.
Kumiko Mattison has requested Mayor Mitch Roth and DLNR to install flashing yellow lights to warn drivers of nene crossing as well as warning signs against feeding nene in James Kealoha Beach Park. Although these have not been installed, Mattison is hopeful something can get done soon.
There have been 14 different tagged nene that have made a temporary home of Lokowaka since the initiative began in 2021. There have been at least two that were untagged.
Currently, three tagged single males — Ho‘okahi, Ho‘olua and Pualani — and a tagged pair, Kamali‘u and Wisdom and their two gosling, have made a home in the ponds.
Mattison hopes their efforts to remove invasive plants and planting native species, along with more warning signs from the county, will help more water birds find their homes in Lokowaka.
“We’ve done all this work for the water birds and native plant species, because they deserve it. All the native birds that have stopped here just love it, and out of all the places they could be, they chose to be here,” Mattison said. “We want to keep them coming and continue working with more help and eventually funding.”
Since starting the initiative, Mattison has worked with the Rotary Club of Hilo to remove invasive species as well as students from Kua O Ka La Public Charter School, who have helped cultivate native plant species, such as pohinahina and ‘ilima, to be planted in Lokowaka.
This year, cadets from the Youth Challenge Academy will be volunteering with ‘Aina Ho‘ola to expand the work and help remove more invasive species from the area.
“We would love more people to come out and help us with this important work, because we are already seeing the benefits, and there is so much more to do,” Mattison said. “One Saturday a month we have a volunteer day for anyone who wants to join.”
While ‘Aina Ho‘ola has not been funded, the initiative has received support from The Seaside Restaurant, Café Pesto and Ola Brew to help keep volunteers coming when they can.
“We would love to be funded somehow and are working with people from the community to help us get there,” Mattison said. “We want to have a website up this year that helps explain what we’re doing out here and invite more people to come help.”
Those interested in volunteering or learning more about the restoration efforts can email ainahoola@gmail.com.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.