Live Aloha, Give Aloha: Treecovery

treecovery: Restoring the Trees of Lāhainā for future generations

I grew up on a farm Upcountry, where my parents had a nursery and landscaping business, so plants and gardens have always been a focal point in my life. My father would plant shower trees whenever he could on a landscaping job, saying they reminded him of my mother. When I see the Shower Trees blooming at the Kapalua Ridge Villas, one of the job sites he worked on decades ago, I smile whenever they are in bloom.

My grandmother lived just off Front Street at the Puamana end.  When I was a teenager, my father moved back to Lāhainā, and from that time on, I spent all of my summers in Lāhainā. I remember the smell of the air, the way it would change slightly as the months got warmer,…

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Live Aloha, Give Aloha: Beach Buddies at the Maui Humane Society

Live Aloha, Give Aloha: How a Day at the Beach Can Change a Shelter Dog's Life

I have a very social dog.  Her name is Lily and she absolutely LOVES meeting new people.  After a long day at work, I'll usually take her to the highest density place I can for a walk, so we increase her chance of meeting someone new.  A favorite is down at Flemming--she's crashed a few family photo shoots, sat down next to people in their beach chairs, and fallen in love over and over again.  Often people tell me how much they miss their dog and I don't blame them.  

I find myself telling people about Beach Buddies, an amazing program run by the Maui Humane Society that lets you take a dog from the shelter to the beach (or for a hike) for the day.

A volunteer takes…

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Live Aloha, Give Aloha: The Marine Institute

Inside the Marine Institute's Work to Protect Maui's Honu, Monk Seals, and Coral Reefs

The Marine Institute: Outplanted coral plugs established on the reef (PC Nāhoa Kai Productions)

There's a moment almost every visitor to Maui experiences: a Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle (honu) gliding past during a snorkel at Honolua Bay, a monk seal sunbathing at Poʻolenalena, a flash of color on a reef wall at Molokini. These encounters feel like magic, but behind every one of them is a fragile, interconnected ecosystem — and a small team working around the clock to keep it that way.

I became aware of their work through a friend who volunteers with a team to disentangle sea turtles.  He is an experienced diver and professional underwater cinematographer.…

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Live Aloha, Give Aloha Spotlight: Aloha Pu'u Kukui

Live Aloha, Give Aloha:
Protecting the Forest That Gives Kapalua Its Water

The Kapalua Resort sits within an expanse of the most extraordinary ahupua‘a on Maui — a traditional land division that runs unbroken from the mountain summit to the sea. It's easy to fall in love with the golden light on the golf courses, the turquoise water at D.T. Fleming Beach, or the quiet elegance of a Kapalua sunset. But none of it exists without what's happening quietly, far above the resort, at the top of the West Maui Mountains.

That's where Pu‘u Kukui begins.

We're kicking off a new series here on the blog called Live Aloha, Give Aloha — a spotlight on the organizationsdoing the real work of caring for Maui, and the many ways you can join in, whether that's…

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