County of Maui, Department of Water Supply
The Department of Water Supply (DWS) is an agency of the County of Maui. DWS is tasked with providing adequate source storage, transmission, distribution and fire protection flows to meet County needs, and with protecting water resources at the County level. DWS serves approximately 35,000 customers on Maui and Molokai, in compliance with all state and federal water quality standards.
The mission of the Department of Water Supply is to “Provide Clean Water Efficiently.” In support of this mission, DWS spends over $1 million per year on resource protection and monitoring. Participation and co-funding of the West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership is part of this commitment. DWS owns over 2,000 acres in the WMMWP project area, in the vicinity of Waihee Valley.
Visit the Department of Water Supply’s website to get data on water quality, distribution, ways to conserve and protect your drinking water, and more.
State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources
The State of Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, under its Division of Forestry and Wildife, holds over 21,000 acres of land in the Partnership through its Forest Reserve and Natural Area Reserve systems. Parcels are spread throughout the watershed including major sections in the Kahakuloa and Ukumehame ahupua’a (Hawaiian land divisions). Within the Partnership the State manages four sections of the West Maui Natural Area Reserve in Kahakuloa, Honokowai, Pana’ewa, and Lihu’e. This is the State’s highest level of protection for lands possessing Hawaii’s rare natural communities and is a testament to the quality of habitat that is found on Mauna Kahalawai. There are also seven sections of the West Maui Forest Reserve within the Partnership, and these lands are managed for watershed purposes. All of these lands provide significant ecological services to the people of Maui in the form of water, recreation and aesthetic beauty.
Kamehameha Schools
Established in 1887 by the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Paki Bishop, a direct descendent of Kamehameha the Great, the Bishop Estate is the largest private land holding in the State of Hawai’i. Income from the trust is used to operate a college preparatory program for students from preschool through the twelfth grade. Part of Kamehameha School’s mission includes protecting the environment and recognizing the significant cultural value of the land, the flora and the fauna.
Within WMMWP, Kamehameha Schools owns an approximately 1,000-acre tract of land above Lahaina Town that stretches up to the summit of Pu’u Kukui. Waters from this area, known as Pau nau, help support the Lahaina community.
Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc.
Maui Land & Pineapple Company Inc. (ML&P) is a land holding and operating company primarily dedicated to agriculture and resort operations. ML&P owns approximately 21,903 acres in West Maui, on which it operates the Kapalua Resort community and cultivates and processes approximately 3,107 acres of pineapple. In West Maui, ML&P also owns and manages the 8,304 acre Pu’u Kukui Watershed Preserve, which is the largest private nature preserve in the state of Hawai’i. They also manage 3,307 of Makai Conservation lands (below Pu’u Kukui)
The ML&P vision is to create and manage holistic communities that integrate agriculture, wise stewardship of natural resources and eco-effective design principles to build a sustainable future for Maui.
The Nature Conservancy of Hawai’i
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/hawaii/
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. Here in West Maui, TNC operates the Kapunakea preserve with 1,263 acres of beautiful native forest. With 11 different native natural communities, Kapunakea Preserve exemplifies the extraordinary concentration of biological diversity that is Hawai’i. Though only a small piece in the WMMWP puzzle of contiguous protected watershed forest, Kapunakea supports a wide array of communities ranging from dry lowland forest at around 1,000 feet, to wet montane forests and bogs at 5,400 feet near the summit. Among these are the rare ‘ohi’a mixed montane bog and lowland mesic forests.