SAVE THE PLANET
Significant Changes
Originally, the area of Pouhala Marsh had native Hawaiian fishponds and taro patches flourishing in the natural springs abundant in that area. Moving into the 19th century, modernized agriculture was introduced and land was used for agriculture. The area had a lot of rice paddies. Finally in the early 20th century, the land was filled wiith trash and incinerator ash. Weeds outgrew the native plants. However, in recent years, volunteer work has slowly restored the marsh. Native plants have been replanted along stream banks to prevent erosion and purify the water. Overall water quality has improved. Over 70 acres is protected under the Pouhala Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary. Continuous volunteer work is also still in place.
As part of the Waikele watershed, policies show that the Waikele watershed has only 21% of it protected. 50% is still unprotected. The Hawaii Nature Center has a volunteer program that goes every month and even takes school groups out to practice restoration in the marsh. Non-native species are removed and native outplanting is done to improve the marsh. There are policies from the Department of Land and Natural Resources that prohibit many activities in wildlife sanctuaries like Pouhala Marsh that protects it. Since this is a wetland, the water that flows into the marsh is supposed to be kept clean by the Clean Water Act that is the primary federal law against water pollution. There is also the Chapter 126 of Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 13, Department of Land and Natural Resources that has specific rules on what is allowed to go on in Hawaii's wildlife sanctuaries of which Pouhala Marsh is one and under its protection.
Policies and Practices
Human Actions
Human actions are overall improving Pouhala Marsh's condition. Humans did pollute the marsh at first, but since awareness has spread, volunteer work has greatly improved the health of the marsh. There is restoration, the clearing away of invasive species, and monitoring of the native populations. It will be good to spread awareness as well by talking more about the marsh and having more restoration field trips to get students hands-on experience with nature. A good volunteer network is the Hawaii Nature Center which has goals of clearing the area of trash, removing dirt to restore wetlands, remove non-natives, plant natives, install fences to keep out wild animals, create ponds for the native waterbirds, and finally installing fish screns to prevent harmful fish from entering the marsh and taking the native birds' food supply.