Local residents battle invasive species along the Makiki River

Makiki Stream cleanup on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Provided by: DLNR

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hundreds of local residents gathered along Makiki Stream on Saturday to combat invasive species in the annual Earth Day cleanup.

Department of Land and Natural Resources employees and nearly 30 volunteers braved the mile-long waterway in search of Mother Nature.

We are removing various invasive species, introducing native plants, and working to prevent erosion on the hillsides,” said Kekai Ma of the DLNR State Parks Department.

Merle has also been certified for other Earth Day cleanups around the island, including Diamond Head State Monument and Sand Island State Recreation Area.

“Twenty years ago, we began an effort to make this area more native by bringing in native plants and trees. With a recent grant from the Honolulu Water District, we We were able to hire military personnel from Kupu and really work on removing bad plants and planting good ones,” explained Aaron Lowe of the Na Ara Hele program.

As of recent, DLNR has planted 30 to 40 koa trees. Plants planted about 20 years ago are fully grown and Rowe said the riverbank is starting to return.

“It’s like a secret garden story where you open the door and it’s overgrown and you pull out all the weeds and plants and vines and restore the native plants and make it look great again. We’re getting there. “We are doing so,” Lowe added.

“When you have all these community and school groups, curators, staff and volunteers from all over the state and country coming together, the volunteers feel really proud,” Marr said. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

Along with removing and replacing ecosystems, debris is also being removed from rivers.

Debris accumulation could clog the river, causing flooding downstream and impacting the Ala Wai Canal.

DLNR hopes to hold more Maikiki Stream cleanups, so if you missed this one, visit the website to monitor future cleanups.