We are pleased to announce that ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative has been selected for the 2026 Dr. Fern Duvall Conservation and Collaboration Award!
Founded in 2021, ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative leads efforts to restore and revitalize native wetlands and loko iʻa (traditional Hawaiian fishpond systems) at the Lokowaka Pond complex on Hawaiʻi Island. This grassroots community-based nonprofit works to provide vital habitat for endangered wetland birds and migratory birds while fostering deeper connections between people and place.
The Lokowaka Pond complex includes four interconnected loko i’a, and is one of the most significant wetland habitats on Hawaiʻi Island, hosting the majority of the islandʻs ʻalae keʻokeʻo (Fulica alai) population. In our 2024 Strategic Plan for Hawai’i Wetlands, Pacific Birds ranked this site as our highest priority wetland restoration site on Hawaiʻi Island, and the 11th most important statewide. By providing community-centered stewardship opportunities at this site, ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative has created lasting ecological and social impact at the Lokowaka Pond complex.
ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative approaches restoration not simply as ecological work, but as a long-term commitment to caring for the relationships between people, water, wetlands, and place. The organization’s name, ʻĀina Hoʻōla, means both “land in the process of healing” and “land that heals.” This reflects the belief that both ecosystems and communities can be renewed through care, patience, and collective responsibility. Lokowaka is a healing land – one that is healing through restoration, and one that heals the people who care for it.
- Kumiko Mattison, Founder of ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative
Since 2021, 2,073 volunteers have participated in restoration and stewardship efforts at the Lokowaka Pond complex. They have collectively contributed 9,248 volunteer hours through removing invasive vegetation, replanting native species,and reviving natural hydrological flow. ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative also creates opportunities for teachers and students to engage directly in wetland stewardship, ecological monitoring, and place-based learning. This work has improved habitat for several vulnerable waterbird species, including nēnē (Branta sandvicensis), ae'o (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni), and ʻalae keʻokeʻo.
The Pacific Birds review committee agreed that the accomplishments of ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative embody what we wish to celebrate in the conservation community and reflect the spirit of the Dr. Fern Duvall Conservation and Collaboration Award.
This award was started by Pacific Birds in memory of Dr. Fern Duvall to honor his incredible legacy. Fern helped shape Pacific Birds’ conservation efforts in Hawaiʻi and was a generous mentor, gentle leader, and trusted guide, particularly to young conservationists. The award recognizes the conservation efforts of individuals and small community-based organizations that embody the innovative, inclusive, humble, and collaborative spirit that Fern brought to conservation endeavors.
Please join us in congratulating ʻĀina Hoʻōla Initiative for this well-deserved award!
