KCWA Dedicates Community Restoration Nursery; Expansion to Add Tool Library and Workshop Space
Kahu Kanani Franco and Grammy-winning musician Uncle George Kahumoku, Jr join in song to bless the KCWA Community Restoration Nursery, August 8th, 2025. (Bryan Berkowitz photo)
KULA, MAUI — On August 8, 2025, exactly two years after the devastating Maui wildfires, the Kula Community Watershed Alliance (KCWA) welcomed over 100 fire-affected community members, partners, and supporters to bless its new Community Restoration Nursery — a key milestone in the long-term recovery and restoration of the Kula burn scar.
The nursery, located in the heart of Upper Kula just outside of the burned areas, is made up of two 60-foot long hoop houses, each with customized shade cloth to accommodate both canopy and understory plants. The space is becoming a hub of community participation in growing tens of thousands of native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers for planting across priority restoration sites, including the first 20-acre unit of the burn scar that KCWA has recently protected from axis deer. The facility will also serve as a resilience hub, hosting seed collection and propagation workshops, a community tool library, and volunteer work days.
“This nursery space began as an idea in the early days after the fire — a vision for restoring the land and building wildfire resilience through community effort,” said Sara Tekula, KCWA Executive Director. “Two years later, thanks to the dedication of volunteers, the generosity of funders, and the partnerships we’ve built, that vision is taking root.”
The blessing ceremony was led by Kahu Kanani Franco of Kamehameha Schools Maui and supported and attended by KCWA’s many supporters, including:
Sponsors: Pukalani Superette, Down 2 Earth, Whole Foods, Kula Sandalwoods Café & Inn, Galaxy Lazer & Light, Haleakalā Biochar
Musicians: Steve Grimes, Wes Furumoto, and Grammy Award-winner George Kahumoku Jr., who donated their time to perform
Partners & Funders: Nā Koa Manu Conservation (fiscal sponsor), the Maui Strong Fund of Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Maui Fires Relief Fund of the Hawai'i Rotary District 5000 Foundation, and representatives from the County of Maui’s Departments of Agriculture and ʻŌiwi Resources.
At the event, KCWA Neighborhood Council President Dave Albright ecognized the many dedicated council members and volunteers who have contributed their time and energy to the nursery’s construction and operations.
The nursery was originally envisioned during KCWA’s participation in the County of Maui’s Long Term Recovery Group for Natural and Cultural Resources, led by Kaiea Medeiros (now with the Office of ʻŌiwi Services) and Koa Hewahewa (Deputy Director, County Department of Agriculture), who ensured Kula’s voice was included in shaping post-fire recovery plans.
The Maui Strong Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation provided a $481,000 grant in February 2024 to build the hoop-houses and jump-start restoration work, which has since expanded to include 120 acres of burned former wattle forest. Rotaryʻs Maui Fires Relief Fund has also made a major donation to advance the nursery’s next stage, including a solar-powered irrigation system and a shade structure to support the Tool Library and community workspace.
“KCWA’s work is rooted in relationships — to place, to land, to each other,” Tekula added while speaking at the blessing. “From landowners and volunteers to students, kūpuna, and fire survivors, this movement has grown because people have shown up for one another again and again. This nursery is proof of what’s possible when we care for ʻāina together.”
A gallery of images can be browsed below. Special thanks to Nā Koa Manu Conservation Vice President Bryan Berkowitz for memorializing the event with his beautiful photographs!
