The waterfalls, lo`i and lush, green vegetation that cloak the Kawaikapu watershed on Molokai’s east end are here to stay. The Molokai Land Trust (MLT) purchased a 196.4 acre section of the sacred grounds last week.

One of several seasonal waterfall in the recently purchased Kawaikapu watershed.The area stretches through the entire ahapua`a, from the coastline to the 1600-foot high rugged mountains, and will be protected from any future development by MLT. Butch Haase, MLT Executive Director, said the land trust will also be in charge of taking care of the land.

“We will do the stewardship,” Haase said. “There is also a community committee by local Kawaikapu residents who are helping us develop a start-up management plan for the area.”

MLT will also be calling on other community groups and schools to help restore the land to its original beauty and keep it that way. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has paid for MLT to start preliminary botanical and archaeological surveys on the land. MLT also plans to populate the area with native species from seeds they have been saving in a nursery.

“Permanent protection of the site will… allow future generations to know and participate in caring for the land,” said MLT President and Molokai’s OHA representative Colette Machado.

Haase said the land will also be open to the public for hunting and forest gathering on alternating weekends starting shortly after the new year. People will need to obtain a free permit from the MLT before using the land.

The Deal
The land trust paid just shy of $1.25 million for the large plot of lush landscape. They were able to make such a large purchase thanks to help from the County of Maui and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

The Hapu`u fern, above, is one of many Hawaiian species that will populate Kawaikapu.The land’s previous owners, Greg and Tracy Gordon, sought to sell the property because it was becoming too much for them to handle. The 8.5 million square feet of land was being worn away by erosion, invasive species and animal damage.

“This land needed a better future and Molokai Land Trust offered a permanent solution by putting the land into conservation versus sold and developed,” Greg Gordon said.

Gordon originally turned to Ke Apuni Lokahi, a local community development non-profit organization, to help him find a safe owner for the land. They put Gordon in touch with MLT.

Last year, MLT took a major leap towards purchasing the land with a $767,976 grant from DLNR’s Legacy Lands Conservation Program.

“767,976 – that is a number I will not forget for as long as I live,” Haase said.

The County of Maui came through last month with the final piece of the puzzle - $480,000 through its Open Space, Natural Resources, Cultural Resources and Scenic Views Preservation fund. Last Monday, MLT officially gained ownership of the land from the Gordons.

“It’s our first land that we actually outright own,” Haase said. “Now, we actually have some tangible results, which is a very nice feeling.”

MLT was formed in 2006 to preserve and restore land on Molokai. Along with Kawaikapu, they currently hold 99-year leases on 1,695 acres of land on the island’s west end.