Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 12, 1 December 2019 — Restoring our Lifeline in Wai'oli [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Restoring our Lifeline in Wai'oli

ln July 201 9, OHA Trustees visit with Wai'oli kalo farmers battling silt and argicultural challenges. - Photo: Koweno Lei Carvalho-Mattos

Breaks in the 'auwai causes pools of stagnant water and no flow to the lo'i. - Photo: Kawena lei Cnrvnlho-Mnttns

Northern Kaua'i kalo patches are still recovering from the floods - Photo: iason Lees

By Kawena Lei Carvalho-Mattos For generations of mahi'ai from Wai'oli, Kaua'i, kalo farming is a way of life. Eaeh successive generation learns about the flow of the 'auwai, the right texture and temperature of the soil, the taste of eaeh kalo species, when to harvest, and when to let the land rest. This is the intimate relationship and 'āina knowledge of their kūpuna that they are passing down. Kaua'i farmers grow 80% of Hawai'i's kalo that ends up in our homes; and about 30% of that comes directly from Wai'oli. "I help my dad. He's 83 and still goes to the lo'i everyday," shared Joanne Kaona. "He learned kalo farming from his father, and his father from his father." As in many mahi'ai families from Wai'oli, Joanne grew up working in the lo'i with her father, Clarence "Shorty" Kaona. However, when heavy rain in April 2018 brought torrential flooding to Kaua'i's north shore, the Wai'oli lo'i kalo system was completely destroyed. The landscape of the river was altered and redirected and landslides and fallen trees prevented most of the water from reaching the farms. In the aftermath, some lo'i were dried out. Twenty months later, the problems remain. "Not even half of our patches are planted or being harvested now," said Kaisen Carrillo. "The silt from the landslides is high in nitrogen, so the kalo doesn't grow right. You have to restore pH levels by removing the silt, and for that you need big machinery: bulldozers and excavators." After the flooding, the community eame together to clear the 'auwai and was successful in restarting a small flow. However, during disaster relief efforts they discovered that mueh of Wai'oli's lo'i kalo system is on conservation land, presenting a new set of challenges regarding access. To address the situation, Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law at UH Mānoa's William S. Richardson School of Law, through an environmental law elinie funded through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' A'o Aku A'o Mai initiative, helped to organize the Wai'oli Valley Taro Hui, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit was established to preserve kalo farming as a traditional and cultural practice and protect natural resources. "The Wai'oli Valley Taro Hui is a collaboration of small farmers who have been farming since time immemorial. They have helped steward the mānowai, po'owai, and 'auwai systems that have fed our community for many many generations," said

D. Kapua'ala Sproat, Director of Ka Huli Ao and the Environmental Law Clinic. "Permitting was a complex maze of requirements between county, state, and federal agencies," shared Sproat. "Ka Huli Ao and OHA partnered with the Hui starting in January 2019, and together we identified the permitting hurdles that would need to be addressed. We also worked with them to establish nonprofit and federal tax exempt status, and then submitted an applieahon to the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) for an easement." Last May, the BLNR voted unanimously to approve the Hui's 55-year easement and Right of Entry free of charge. Said Sproat, "we're really

proud of what has happened here. We provided direct benefits for this community, but also a potential model for lāhui a mau loa." "It's important that OHA stays involved," said Dan Ahuna, OHA Trustee for Kaua'i. "It's who we are. We're part of this land. We're part of this culture." The next step is to repair the 'auwai. But with the rainy season already upon us, the entire lo'i kalo system is vulnerable to additional erosion and breaks. Farmers are anxiously waiting for the finalization of legal permits so that the emergency resources ean be released for the extensive work whieh requires equipment and professional help. Said Wai'oli farmer Chris Kobayashi, "The 'auwai is our lifeline for feeding our kalo. If it breaks anymore, we'll be in worse shape for sure." ■

Sr Joanne Kaona

■ L V i * Kapua'ala Sproat

Clarence "Shorty" Kaona

Kaisen Carillo