Video by David Corrigan

The Pelekane Bay Watershed Project is moving along here on the dry, leeward side of Kohala Mountain.

The Kohala Watershed Partnership recently took local media for a closer at the effort which is being funded with a $2.69 million federal stimulus through a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration coastal restoration grant.

The funds are being used to improve the condition of the watershed, and restore the coral reef of Pelekane Bay by reducing the land-based sediment runoff from the mountain.

Getting there was tough… But nothing compared to the actual work being done at the site.

The crew labored in hot sun, lifting and moving boulders in an effort to heal the land, one section at a time. 15 new personnel have been hired under the project.

The partnership hopes that by building sediment dams and planting native vegetation, the erosion of the watershed will be lessened.

Wild goats are one of the primary threats to the watershed. The feral animals devour the vegetation that prevents erosion.

Project coordinators say the watershed is just a part of the greater health of the mountain. Efforts to plant native trees are continued all the way up to the summit, where native rain forests bask in the windward moisture, illustrating the diversity that exists in just a relatively small area.

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