$1 million goes to Kona conservation

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

The U.S. Forest Service has paid The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i $1,060,000 for a permanent conservation easement on the conservancy's 1,800-acre Kapu'a reserve, a stretch of koa and 'ohi'a forest on the slopes of Mauna Loa.

The land, at 2,500 to 5,200 feet elevation, lies between the conservancy's 4,000-acre Honomalino Preserve and the state's 25,000-acre Manuka Natural Area Reserve, creating a 31,000-acre conservation zone 5 miles wide.

The conservancy bought the Kapu'a land in 2000 when the appraised value was about $2 million. Landowner Leighton Mau donated half that value; the Forest Service purchase provides the other half. By purchasing a conservation easement, the Forest Service ensures that any activities on the land will preserve its environmental qualities, although some ranching and logging could be permitted.

The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i, which will continue to manage the land, has spent more than $125,000 for fencing, control of alien species and fire prevention. That money was provided by private donations and a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Forest Service purchase is the state's first Forest Legacy project, part of a national program that supports partnerships between landowners, the state and the Forest Service, to protect forests from conversion to non-forest uses.

"This is a very significant acquisition for us. Hawai'i is one of only a handful of states that do not have any national forest lands. The Forest Legacy Program is a way for the Forest Service to work with the state of Hawai'i to assist in the long term protection of Hawai'i's forests," said Sandra Stone, manager of the service's landowner assistance program.

The Kapu'a acreage is diverse forest never heavily logged or grazed for cattle. It is dominated by 'ohi'a, koa and tree ferns and is habitat for the native Hawaiian bat, hawk and owl and four species of native forest birds. The conservancy is referring to its Kona preserve lands as its Kona Hema project.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.