The mauna KEA watershed ALLIANCE (ALLIANCE), with the big island resource conservation and development council as its fiscal agent, will (1) update the mauna KEA watershed management plan 2010, (2)…

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $400,000 Project Grant under the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CFDA 15.554) to the Big Island Resource Conservation and Development Council as the fiscal agent for the Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance. The funding will be used to (1) update the Mauna Kea Watershed Management Plan 2010, (2) create a five-year action plan with input from watershed partners, and (3) develop a wildfire protection and post-fire response plan for over 416,000 acres of alliance lands in Hawaii. These activities aim to strategically plan and implement on-the-ground actions to combat threats like invasive species, rapid 'ōhi'a death, habitat fragmentation, and wildfire, in order to protect and enhance the valuable ecosystem services provided by the Mauna Kea watersheds. The award period runs from September 6, 2024 to June 30, 2027.

The mauna KEA watershed ALLIANCE (ALLIANCE), with the big island resource conservation and development council as its fiscal agent, will (1) update the mauna KEA watershed management plan 2010, (2) create a five-year action plan with the full input of the watershed partners, and (3) create a wildfire protection and post-fire response plan for all ALLIANCE lands, over 416,000 acres. The ALLIANCE is a collaborative of state of hawai I, federal, and private watershed partners, including land trusts, nonprofits, and ranches, whose interests span the upper elevations of mauna KEA. These watersheds provide valuable ecosystem services for hawai I county ranging from cultural benefits to water capture, aquifer recharge, and maintenance of water quality. Invasive species, rapid OHI a death, habitat fragmentation, and wildfire are major threats to these resources. This project will advance the larger vision of the ALLIANCE to strategically plan at landscape scales for on-the-ground actions for the next decade and beyond to combat threats and address changing conditions to protect and enhance the watersheds of mauna KEA.