NAWILIWILI — More than a hundred volunteers from different Kaua‘i organizations converged on Nawiliwili Park on Sunday to take part in the Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i’s Kokua Day Kaua‘i cleanup project.
The initiative marked the return of Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i’s shoreline and community cleanup projects since the COVID-19 pandemic kept people away from large-group gatherings and events.
“Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i focuses its cleanup efforts on gathering and expanding community,” said Rafael Bergsrom, the executive director of SCH in a press release.
“While cleanups provide temporary relief to our coastlines, they are not the true solution,” he said. “They are an educational opportunity to inspire proactive conversations about how to stop pollution before it starts. We deeply appreciate the chance to connect with these wonderful partners on Kaua‘i and expand our impact through restoration, new perspectives and meaningful hands-on work.”
Coordinated with Hokuala, a Timbers Resort, and the Hawai‘i Land Trust that includes the Waipa Foundation, volunteers could be involved in a cleanup of Nawiliwili Park, Unulau Bay that was accessible by shuttle boat provided by private citizens and the Kaua‘i Sailing Association, or a restoration event that involved planting native plants provided by the Timbers Resort farm in the area around the canoe hale.
“The Sustainable Coastline people are Honolulu-based,” said Joy Stedman of Hokuala Timbers Resort. “They came over a few days early to get things ready for Sunday. After they learned about the Nawiliwili Harbor overlook, they went in and cleaned the opala from the top down. That was huge. They pulled out all kinds of rubbish, including tires, mattresses and all kinds of junk people dumped.”
Organizers expected that more than 900 pounds of marine debris and other trash would come out of Unulau Bay. These plastic pollution items included trash from the commercial fishing industry as well as single-use plastics.
SCH organizers said volunteers picked up items like buoys, ghost-net fragments, single-use Kellogg’s cereal containers, and even a McDonald’s cup from 2008 that was still fully intact. These items were collected and prepared for shuttling out of the area to the Timbers Resort farm by a Jack Harter Helicopters aircraft.
“The pile is further sorted and prepared for shipping off-island,” said David Nagao of Timbers Resort. “The farm is readily accessible, and has the space where the sorting and packing can be done.”
Kokua Day Kaua‘i is a collaborative effort between Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i, Hokuala Timbers Resort, the Hawai‘i Land Trust, Malama Hule‘ia, Waipa Foundation, the Surfrider Foundation, Parley for the Oceans, Young Brothers, Kaua‘i Sailing Association, the Niumalu Canoe Club and the community of Kaua‘i who showed up for the massive cleanup.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
