A new fence is being built to replace a "temporary" wooden slat and wire barrier installed 10 years ago to protect nesting female hawksbill turtles from crawling onto North Kihei Road.

The new fence at Kealia, a known nesting ground for the critically endangered turtles, will extend about three-quarters of a mile along the shoreline. Thick plastic lumber designed to withstand heavy doses of sun, salt and wind is being used for the project, in a partnership between Maui County, Alexander & Baldwin Inc. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The project is getting assistance from $15,000 in funding from the A&B Foundation, Maui Community Correctional Center Community Workline crews, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Natural Area Reserve staff, county parks staff and volunteers, and donations from Marmac Ace Hardware, Lowe's and WalMart.

Hawksbill turtles can weigh 250 to 350 pounds and come ashore to nest every two to three years. The turtles prefer nesting higher up the sand dunes near the vegetation line, which puts them in danger of straying onto the roadway.

The Kealia shoreline is one of only a few hawksbill nesting sites on Maui.