Pulama Lanai

Pulama Lanai Pulama Lanai is a nonprofit organization focused on stewardship and revitalization of Lānai Island in the Hawaiian Islands. Established to coordinate restoration of natural resources, support Hawaiian cultural practices, and guide sustainable community development, Pulama Lanai operates amid intersecting interests represented by private landholders, state agencies, and Native Hawaiian organizations. The organization works with partners across conservation, cultural preservation, tourism, education, and economic development to implement programs on forestry, marine resources, archaeology, and cultural revitalization.

History

Pulama Lanai was formed in the early 1990s to address legacy land-management issues on Lānai after major transactions and administrative changes involving entities such as the Castle & Cooke family holdings, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, and private investors. Its founding reflected broader shifts in Hawaiian land stewardship seen in initiatives by groups like the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Bishop Estate, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Over time Pulama Lanai forged partnerships with national organizations including The Nature Conservancy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, while engaging academic collaborators such as the University of Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian cultural practitioners from ʻAha Pūnana Leo and the Kamehameha Schools. Significant projects have intersected with regional efforts like the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Mālama Hawaiʻi movement, and island-scale restoration models used on Molokaʻi and Kauaʻi. Major milestones have included watershed rehabilitation, archaeological surveys coordinated with the State Historic Preservation Division, and the development of community-oriented programs during periods of private redevelopment on Lānai.

Mission and Programs

Pulama Lanai’s mission centers on stewardship consistent with Hawaiian values and models of mālama. Programmatic areas include native-plant restoration, reforestation campaigns modeled after efforts on Mauna Kea and Haleakalā, and invasive-species control comparable to projects led by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council. Marine stewardship programs align with fisheries management approaches used by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and community-based subsistence strategies practiced in Hanalei, Hilo, and Honolua. Cultural programs draw on Hawaiian language revitalization exemplified by ʻAha Pūnana Leo, traditional navigation techniques used by Hōkūleʻa and the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and loko iʻa (fishpond) restoration similar to work in Heʻeia and Kaloko-Honokōhau. Pulama Lanai administers stewardship programs involving native species such as ʻōhiʻa, māmane, and koa, and coordinates with botanical institutions like the Lyon Arboretum and the National Tropical Botanical Garden. The organization’s conservation science integrates methodologies from the Nature Conservancy, Smithsonian Institution, and the Pacific Islands Climate Science Center for monitoring biodiversity, watershed health, and climate resilience.

Conservation and Cultural Initiatives

Pulama Lanai implements integrated conservation and cultural initiatives that reflect models from conservation areas like Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the National Park Service partnerships in Hawaiʻi. Archaeological stewardship incorporates standards used by the State Historic Preservation Division and the Society for American Archaeology, protecting sites linked to aliʻi, kahuna, and traditional wahi pana. Cultural initiatives include hosting hula and mele programs influenced by kumu hula networks, supporting Hawaiian language instruction aligned with Kamehameha Schools curricula, and collaborating with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Polynesian Voyaging Society for heritage projects. Conservation measures tackle invasive mammals and plants following protocols used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Agriculture, and island eradication campaigns on islands such as Nihoa and Kahoolawe. Pulama Lanai’s marine work includes reef assessments using protocols from NOAA, Coral Reef Watch, and academic partners such as the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Community Engagement and Education

Community engagement efforts by Pulama Lanai mirror outreach strategies employed by educational organizations like the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, and community-based trusts in Kāneʻohe and Waimea. Programs provide youth apprenticeships patterned after kūpuna-led mentorships, internships in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi and Outrigger Enterprises, and cultural-immersion activities comparable to programs at the Bishop Museum and ʻIolani Palace. Public workshops cover topics found in conservation curricula by The Nature Conservancy and NOAA’s community resilience initiatives, while workforce development aligns with hospitality training used by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. Pulama Lanai also coordinates volunteer restoration days modeled on community stewardship efforts in Waimea Valley and the Mālama Learning Center.

Governance and Funding

Pulama Lanai’s governance structure involves a board of directors, executive leadership, and advisory councils that include Native Hawaiian kūpuna and cultural practitioners, similar in composition to boards at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Kamehameha Schools. Funding streams come from philanthropic foundations such as the Kresge Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation-style donors, government grants through agencies like NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state grants from the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, as well as private investment and partnerships with corporations comparable to hospitality partners in the Hawaiʻi Tourism industry. Financial oversight and reporting follow nonprofit standards used by the Council on Foundations and GuideStar, while strategic planning draws on regional conservation frameworks like the Pacific Islands Regional Conservation Strategy.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in Hawaii Category:Conservation in Hawaii Category:Cultural organizations in Hawaii