The City and County of Honolulu is partnering with the nonprofit Hui O Hoohonua to rejuvenate and maintain the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced on Wednesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Blangiardi said the agreement grows out of existing partnerships between the city, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and the local community and responds to concerns raised at the mayor’s 2023 town hall tour

  • Blangiardi said the agreement could serve as a blueprint for future similar initiatives around the island

  • The Hui Alaloa project will focus on generating community involvement, planting edible and native plants, improving safety for walking and biking and integrating Hawaiian place names

  • The mayor’s office said the project was challenging because the trail traverses multiple city department jurisdictions

Blangiardi said the agreement grows out of existing partnerships between the city, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and the local community and responds to concerns raised at the mayor’s 2023 town hall tour.

“This is a shining example of how the city, our military, and local nonprofit partners can tackle big challenges and move ahead together,” Blangiardi said. “We recognized that Hui O Hoohonua wanted to do something transformative for this area and we knew we had to take action. I’m beyond proud of Cat Taschner, the director of the Department of Land Management, for spearheading an innovative solution and transforming roadblocks into a creative pathway forward.”

Blangiardi said the agreement could serve as a blueprint for future similar initiatives around the island.

The Hui Alaloa project will focus on generating community involvement, planting edible and native plants, improving safety for walking and biking and integrating Hawaiian place names, according to a release issued on Wednesday.

The mayor’s office said the project was challenging because the trail traverses multiple city department jurisdictions. However, following community concerns aired at a 2023 Waipahu town hall, Blangiardi directed his staff to propose a solution that would allow Hui O Hoohonua to collaborate with multiple departments. Support was also provided by the military.

Blangiardi recognized students from Waipahu Intermediate School’s Future Farmers of America program to have helped reclaim plots on campus for native plants and agricultural purposes. A news conference to announce the Hui Alaloa project was held at the campus on Wednesday.

“The importance of today’s gathering is uniting community, whether it be the people residing in the Waipahu neighborhood or our city leaders working at Honolulu Hale,” said Evan Uiagalelei, Hui O Hoohonua’s lead field technician. “This is the time for our community to give back in the place they live for us and future generations to come.”

Uiahalelei invoked the Hawaiian expression “Olelo noeau I ulu no ka lala i ke kumu,” which translates to “the branches grow from the trunk.”

“Without our ancestors, we wouldn’t be here,” he said. “For us to malama aina now, it will help our keiki thrive physically and mentally from the food their kupuna have planted, and will put nutritious food back onto the plates of our community.”