Rotary’s Maui Fires Fund Invests $103,000 in KCWA to Strengthen Restoration Infrastructure and Community Resilience
Draft schematic of shaded KCWA Nursery / Restoration Work Space
KULA, MAUI — The Kula Community Watershed Alliance (KCWA) is proud to announce a $103,000 grant from the Hawaiʻi Rotary District 5000 Foundation’s Maui Fires Relief Fund to support the next phase of the KCWA Community Restoration Nursery and Tool Library. This funding from Rotary’s Maui Fires Fund will directly enable critical infrastructure upgrades including a solar-powered irrigation system for the nursery’s two hoop houses and native seed orchard, and an adjacent shade/workshop structure—elements that are central to growing site-appropriate native plants and supporting community engagement in the burn scar’s recovery. Additional support was provided for nursery management as the landscape-scale restoration initiative began larger projects requiring a greater number of site-appropriate plants.
Photo: Bryan Berkowitz
KCWA’s newly blessed nursery – comprising two 60-foot long “hoop houses” purchased through a grant from the Maui Strong Fund of the Hawai’i Community Foundation – was dedicated on August 8 in an event marking the two-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires. Located in Upper Kula, the nursery is now actively producing hundreds of native plants—trees, shrubs, groundcovers—and serves as a regional hub for restoration tools, workshops, and volunteer training. With the Rotary grant, KCWA will accelerate its capacity to support the propagation of tens of thousands of seeds collected by Kula’s fire-affected community, extend nursery operations, and expand community learning opportunities.
““This contribution from Rotary is transformative,” said Sara Tekula, KCWA’s executive director. “It strengthens the backbone of our restoration work—giving the land what it needs to heal, and giving our community the infrastructure needed to show up for that work. The grant allows us to build out the nursery as more than just a place to grow plants—it will become a hub for long-term resilience in Kula, where restoration, wildfire mitigation, and community stewardship can be nurtured for years to come. We are also deeply grateful for the landowner for agreeing to host us for as long as it takes”
The Maui Fires Relief Fund, administered by Rotary District 5000, was established to support both urgent relief and long-term recovery efforts across Maui following the 2023 wildfires. Community-based projects like KCWA’s are part of Rotary’s strategy to invest in resilient rebuilding, habitat restoration, and local leadership.
“The Rotary Clubs of Maui are delighted to work with dynamic organizations dedicated to improving the long-term health of our communities,” said Al Weiland, Rotary Assistant Governor for Maui Coastal Clubs; co-President, Rotary Club of Kihei-Wailea. ‘This work on environmental restoration will bring benefits for generations to come.”
KCWA also acknowledges the leadership of its strategic partner, Nā Koa Manu Conservation, whose guidance, fiscal sponsorship, and support have been essential from the beginning. As KCWA’s organizational anchor, NKMC has provided the stability and structure needed for KCWA to grow quickly in response to the wildfires, secure critical funding, and carry out restoration work on a landscape scale.
##
About Rotary District 5000 Maui Fires Relief Fund
Launched in the wake of the August 2023 wildfires, the Maui Fires Relief Fund is managed by Hawaiʻi Rotary District 5000 Foundation. It supports nonprofit, community-led initiatives that address immediate recovery and build capacity for long-term resilience. Rotary’s funding priorities include restoration projects, infrastructure upgrades, support for fire-affected families, and programs that strengthen environmental and community health. Learn more here.
About Kula Community Watershed Alliance:
The Kula Community Watershed Alliance (KCWA) was formed in August 2023 by fire-affected residents and local stewards in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires. KCWA’s mission is to restore the Kula burn scar and support wildfire resilience through community-led, science-based action. Working across more than 200 acres and 70+ landowners, KCWA follows a four-step approach—stabilize, protect, restore, and maintain—to heal landscapes and build long-term watershed health and wildfire resilience. KCWA is a fiscally sponsored project of Nā Koa Manu Conservation, a Maui-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to protecting native ecosystems. Together with partners, funders, and volunteers, KCWA is building a more resilient future for Kula. Learn more here.
Media Contact:
Sara Tekula
Executive Director, Kula Community Watershed Alliance
808-250-4030
sara@kulacommunitywatershed.org
