Beachly x SeaTrees: Restoring the Ho'oawaiwai Watershed
Aloha, Beachly Tribe! As you may know, we at Beachly are lovers of the ocean and all that it offers us. Not only does it bring up the crisp, coastal lifestyle we love to recreate for all of you, but we also give back to the ocean whenever we can. By now, you may know we are partnered with SeaTrees and have been helping restore the Ho'awaiwai Watershed on the island of Maui. Every Beachly box sold contributes to the cause and we are so proud to be partnered with SeaTrees.
Have you ever wondered about the watershed or the other projects we help support? Luckily for you, we have an amazing video from the team over at SeaTrees to share with you! Let's dive into the cause.
Who is SeaTrees?
SeaTrees is a global non-profit working to regenerate coastal ecosystems, increase biodiversity, and create jobs in sustainable communities. On Earth Day this year, SeaTrees announced their first major milestone - the 1 Million SeaTrees planted + protected project! This project includes 125,000 square feet of kelp restoration in California. To date, there have been 2,210,445 SeaTrees planted to help restore the ocean's ecosystems!
SeaTrees believes the ocean has superpowers and we can work with it to reverse climate change. In our partnership with SeaTrees, we're going to wipe out carbon footprints, restore kelp forests, and continue growing the ocean's forests one Beachly box at a time.
Beachly x SeaTrees: The Ho'oawaiwai Watershed Project
If you've been a part of Beachly for a while, you most likely know that we transitioned our focuses this year to a new project. We have now allocated our donations to the Ho'oawaiwai Watershed Project where we will he helping restore and regenerate critical coastal watershed systems that have been deeply neglected over the years and are now impacting the island's ecosystems!
To restore this area of the island, the team over at SeaTrees have adopted a new tactic which combines both the practices of regenerative farming and watershed restoration, using native Hawaiian “SeaTrees” like Ulu, Milo and other “voyaging” plants to rebuild soil health and protect the coral reefs, that lie just beyond the project site at the family-friendly Launiupoko Beach Park.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT, CLICK HERE!
The islands of Hawaii are near and dear to the Beachly team. Co-Founder, Mark Healey was born and raised on Oahu, and we have a number of team members and advisors who live or have lived on the islands! We were honored when the SeaTrees team asked if we could support this special project. Work on the watershed recently began, and we can't wait to visit, roll up our sleeves and help out!
The Maliko Gulch and Launiupoko are the tao districts that are receiving the greatest help through the Watershed Project. The Maliko Gulch has served as a dumping ground for over 100 years whereas Launiupoko's soil has been left fallow and can no longer support the native plant species in its condition.
In order to support these areas, SeaTrees is focusing specifically on removing trash and invasive species (plant and animal), and growing native and voyaging plant species (a mix of trees, shrubs, and grasses) in critical areas within the watershed. This will in turn reduce soil erosion and sedimentation into the streams, resulting in direct improvements and protection of the reef systems that are located at the end of the watershed.
Thanks again to all of our members who support Beachly, and in turn, help support these wonderful projects. Thank you to our partners, SeaTrees, for all the hard work you put in to help keep our oceans clean and pristine. Here's to saving the oceans, one Beachly box at a time!
