Episode Photos
Director of Photography Sean Hickey films along the waterfront in Olowalu on Maui.
Andrea Kealoha, Ph.D. from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa collects samples to study the impacts of the Lahaina wildfire on coastal water quality. Since the fire, they have collected hundreds of samples.
Researchers retrieve sensors from multiple study sites along the Lahaina coast which are measuring the health of the coral reef.
Andrea Kealoha, Ph.D. works with the team from Sea-Bird Scientific to retrieve data off their sensors which have been deployed on the reefs near the Lahaina wildfire site since October 2023.
At the Kauluwehi Biocultural Garden at the University of Hawai'i Maui College, they have transformed the space into a “pu’uhonua," or refuge, where they are growing native tree starts to help replent fire-impacted areas across Maui.
Videographer David Diez films volunteers as they work in the Kauluwehi Biocultural Garden at University of Hawai'i Maui College.
High above the Lahaina waterfront, up the mountain, these tree starts from Kauluwehi are being planted by local community members to help heal the landscape from former clear cutting.
Aiding them is restoration ecologist Dustin Palos, who is committed to applying indigenous Hawaiian wisdom to the restoration of native lands.
Director of Photography Sean Hickey flms the work being done above Lahaina to replant the landscape with more fire-resistant plantings.
Videographer David Diez films volunteers as they remove invasives and replant with native species.
This work to remove invasives and replant with native species is just one small step in working to heal the landscape and bring the traditional watershed back to Lahaina.
Just east of Lahaina, the Olowalu Valley is thriving after more than two decades of dedicated restoration efforts. Here, videographer David Diez crosses the Olowalu stream after filming its banks.
Everything that happens along the Olowalu stream up above in the valley impacts the Olowalu Reef below. This vast "mother reef" seeds not only Lahaina and all of West Maui, but also neighboring islands.
Our film team headed up the Waihe'e River canyon with the work crew from the Hawai'i Land Trust, which is working to restore traditional watersheds across the Hawaiian islands.
When out in the field filming, we always have to be careful where we tread!
High up the mountain, the wild flow of the Waihe‘e River is harnessed by ancient irrigation canals to nourish traditional Hawaiian farms lower down.
These traditional Hawaiian farms grow kalo, a plant of profound significance in Hawaiian culture.
The kalo plants require fast, cool water flow as it is crucial for nourishing the plants as they grow.
The Hawai'i Land Trust is working with local farmers to repair the irrigation canal that feeds these kalo plants.
First, the team clears the irrigation canal of ovegrown invasive plants which are blocking the flow of the water.
Videographer David Diez films as the Hawai'i Land Trust clears the canal of invasives.
Once the invasives are removed, the water is able to move more swiftly to reach the kalo plants, after which it is rerouted down the mountain back toward the ocean.
After clearing invasives on another section of irrigation canal, the team must dredge it by hand to remove accumulated sediment, ensuring the faster, cooler water flow crucial for nourishing the kalo plants.
This waterway will one day be reconnected to the wetlands and inland fish pond at the Waihe'e Refuge. However, restoring this ancient watershed still requires years of work ahead.
Farther afield, in Nu'u, on Maui's remote Southeast coast, the Hawai'i Land Trust is working to protect another crucial wetland. Here, Scott Fisher, Ph.D. tells the crew about the bioshield they are buidling.
Our crew discusses how to film the bioshield and the Pupuka Pond. The forested bioshield is designed to slow down an incoming tsunami and capture sediment so as not to damage the delicate pond habitat.
Volunteers from across Maui join the Hawai'i Land Trust to clear invasives and plant new layers of forested bioshield.
These small plant starts will grow into a naturally protective barrier that will one day protect the pond from water inundation events, like tsunamis.
