The Talk Story Times Newsletter

Join us in exploring our latest Talk Story Times Newsletter for insights and updates on our initiatives.

In The News.

Latest news articles and published happenings on Hoʻomalu Ke Kai:

A recent article explores how statewide Green Fee funding could help expand coral restoration efforts on Kauaʻi and support the continued growth of the island’s first coral nursery.

In a recent Hōʻike feature, we share the story behind building Kauaʻi’s first coral restoration nursery, highlighting the challenges, partnerships, and vision driving this work forward.

A collaborative team recovered corals growing on degrading man-made structures off Ahukini, bringing them into the Kauaʻi Coral Restoration Nursery to be grown out for future reef restoration.

Screen Shot 2025-06-25 at 9.18.34 AM.png

For World Oceans Day, conservation leaders and community members who care about the ocean came from across Kaua’i to the Outrigger Kaua’i Beach Resort in Līhuʻe a week ago to spread public awareness about the challenges of a healthy sea.

Screenshot 2025-05-07 at 11.40.00 AM.png

Voices of impact at OUTRIGGER Kaua’i Beach Resort & Spa Discover how OUTRIGGER Kaua’i Beach Resort & Spa blends hospitality, culture, and sustainability—from local flavors to voluntourism.

Screenshot 2025-05-07 at 11.38.21 AM.png

OUTRIGGER Kaua‘i Beach Resort & Spa and Ho‘omalu Ke Kai Partner Up for Ocean Cleanups on Kauai

Screenshot 2025-05-07 at 11.35.31 AM.png

Happy Camper for Monday, February 24, 2025

Screen Shot 2024-09-23 at 11.47_edited.j

A much-needed facility to protect coral reefs, one of the Hawaiian Islands’ most precious natural resources, will be built on Kaua‘i

Screenshot 2024-05-19 at 11.20.07 AM.png

Kauaʻi schoolchildren visit PMRF to do ʻgood for the landʻ while celebrating Earth Day

Screenshot 2024-05-19 at 11.19.28 AM.png

Hoʻomalu Ke Kai upcycling washed-up plastic, building beach cleanup stations, more

The Nature Conservancy unveils expanded insurance policy for Hawai‘i coral reefs

A total of 289 whales recorded off coast of Kaua‘i

Super Bowl not your style? Soak up the sun, save an ancient Kaua‘i fishpond this Sunday

How to Contribute to Conservation Efforts in Kauai

Voice of the Sea TV Episode - Kauaʻi Sea Farm Restorative Aquaculture Projects

Screen Shot 2023-02-02 at 7.45.59 AM.png

Public invited to Kauaʻi East Side beach cleanup on Saturday

Screen Shot 2023-02-02 at 7.49.02 AM.png

Kauaʻi Sea Farm cultivating loli for export and fishpond restoration with NOAA funding

Ho‘oponopono Plastic Program collects to upcycle plastics

Visitors join hotel staff, Surfrider in cleaning Shipwreck’s Beach

Volunteers remove 2,000 pounds of derelict fishing gear from Kaua‘i coastline

Grant recipients want to restore Kaua‘i, mauka to makai

Aqualung, PADI unite with Kaua‘i divers for #DiveForEarthDay

Kaua‘i celebrates Earth Day, Volunteer Week

Statewide events celebrate Earth Day 2022

Ho'omalu Ke Kai: An upcycling plastic program taking plastic from beach clean-ups and turning it into usable products such as lumber, flower pots, surfboard fins, and other to be determined items.

Screen Shot 2024-01-01 at 5.45_edited.jp

Read about our recent events and projects below

December 2024 Newsletter

Volume IV Issue II

September 2024 Newsletter

Volume IV Issue II

ab1b26_e403e7f36ec44792b59a9056e2204efb~mv2.jpg

January 2024 Newsletter

Volume IV Issue I

Hoʻomalu Ke Kai is turning 5, and we’re celebrating the community that made it all possible. 🎉

Today, our work continues through coastline cleanups, ocean plastic upcycling, and the Kauaʻi Coral Restoration Nursery. 🔄

But this all started before 2021, with a small group coming together around a shared vision to bring coral restoration to Kauaʻi. 🪸

On April 29, 2021, Hoʻomalu Ke Kai was created to help carry that vision forward and create a way for the community to take action.

Come celebrate with us 🌊

5-Year Anniversary Coastline + Reef Cleanup
📍 Ahukini Landing
🗓 Saturday, April 25th
⏰ 10am–1pm

Land crew will be cleaning the rocky coastline, parking areas, and behind the airport where marine debris continues to wash up from the North Pacific.

Dive crew will be in the water helping clean the reef. Tanks available for certified divers, message us ahead of time so we can plan and verify certifications. 🤿

We’ll have food, drinks, water, and snacks for everyone. After the cleanup, we’ll stick around to talk story, reflect on some of our favorite moments from the past 5 years, and show love to the volunteers who made it all possible. 🫶🏽

From starting with what we had to building an ocean plastic upcycling program, launching a coral nursery, and removing thousands of pounds of debris from our shorelines, this work has always been about community. And hosting our 5 year anniversary cleanup at the spot where we first started our cleanups in 2021 and research for our eventual coral restoration work that started late last year just felt right. 💫

Huge mahalo to our founding board members
Tim Leichliter, Michael Raithaus, and Mariah Opalek.
who pooled together what they had to bring Hoʻomalu Ke Kai to life. 🤙🏽🤙🏽

This community is everything.
Let’s keep showing up in mutualism for this place we all love.

Started with what we had. Built by community. #HoomaluKeKai
Let’s celebrate Honua every day 🌏🌍🌎 #EarthDayIsEveryDay

#OceanPlanet #ProtectHonua #ForTheNextGeneration

We had such an epic plastic upcycling workday at our repurposed workspace in the Old Kaumakani Sugar Mill this past weekend. So many amazing people from across our Kauaʻi community showed up, all ages, all backgrounds, with one thing in common — a passion to do small, meaningful things that add up to something bigger. 🔄💫🙌🏽

Even though our sheet press went down, the crew didn’t skip a beat. We fired up our plastic ID laser beam (infrared scanner by Matoha Science @matohascience) our original Version 1 Citizen Scientific Workshop (@citsciworkshop) plastic extruder, donated by Kauaʻi plastic upcycling pioneer Abe Kowtiz (@abekowitz), and got to work using his original molds to create 1x1s and flower pots. 🌱

This is what it’s all about — keeping plastic out of the landfill by any means safely possible and turning it into something that benefits our community. It’s all connected, and it all makes a difference.

We’re excited to keep growing this program with new molds and parts on the way, and we couldn’t do it without the support of this community. 🙏🏽

Mahalo nui to:
• County of Kauaʻi Solid Waste & Recycling
• Gay & Robinson
• Everyone who has supported this program physically and financially
• The positive coconut wireless across Kauaʻi and abroad

And a huge mahalo to Bethany Davis (@bethanytdavis), Sofia Saunders (@sofia.lana_) and her mom (Pam) for capturing and putting together such an awesome reel from the day 🙌🏽

Next Ocean Plastic Upcycling Community Workday (first Saturday of every month): May 2nd 🗓️

We’re also always open at the lab and could use extra hands anytime — if you’re interested in helping divert ocean plastic from Kekaha landfill and turning it into long-term resources for our community, reach out 🤙🏽

Stay tuned for a special feature of the HKK ocean plastic Upcycling lab by the County of Kaua‘i Solid Waste & Recycling Division 🎥

#Upcycling #OceanPlastic #GhostNets #HoomaluKeKai #ProtectTheOcean

4th Annual Ho‘olaule‘a No Ka Honua 🌎💙

We’re honored to be part of this year’s Earth Day celebration alongside so many amazing organizations working to mālama ʻāina, mālama kai, and mālama kākou here on Kauaʻi.

Come find us this Saturday and talk story with our team about the work happening through Hoʻomalu Ke Kai and the Kauaʻi Coral Restoration Nursery, from restoring our nearshore reefs to diverting ocean plastic and building community-driven solutions for our island.

Our ocean makes up over 70% of our honua, and protecting it starts with the choices we make every day. Whether it’s getting involved in hands-on restoration, reducing plastic use, or just learning more about what’s happening right here at home, there are so many ways to be part of this work.

🗓 Saturday, April 11
⏰ 10am–1pm
📍 Kauaʻi War Memorial Convention Hall

This event is free and open to the community. Come through, bring your ʻohana, and connect with the people and practices helping to shape a more sustainable future for Kauaʻi.

Let’s keep showing up for this place we all love 🤙

Mahalo nui to the County of Kauaʻi Office of Economic Development (@kuikauai) and all the partners bringing this event together.

#HoolauleaNoKaHonua #HoomaluKeKai #KauaiCoralRestoration #HoomaluKaHonua #ProtectWhatYouLove

Nōmilu is calling us back 💫🌱⛏️🐟💙

After having to cancel our last two workdays due to weather, we’re beyond grateful to be back out at this wahi pana with all of you.

We’re continuing these workdays alongside the ʻohana and community who have been caring for this place for generations, and it’s wild to reflect on how far things have come. Just a few years ago, the pond was lined with invasives, full of tilapia, and had no clams. Today, native fish are thriving, shellfish are returning, water quality has improved, and that impact is reaching our nearshore reefs.🪸🐠🔄

This is what consistent laulima looks like.

This is what happens when we show up together.

🗓 Saturday, April 11
⏰ 10am–2pm
📍 Nōmilu Loko Iʻa

We keep it to 20–30 people to mālama the space, so RSVP early if you like join. Potluck always welcome + bring your own drinks if you like.

Mahalo to the ʻohana who have protected this place for over a century and continue to guide this work. We’re grateful to be part of it and to share it with all of you.

Let’s keep it going 🤙🏽

#Nomilu #Onomilu #HoomaluKeKai #KauaiSeaFarm #Lokahi

We’re keeping the momentum going at Hanamā‘ulu with our monthly 3rd Sunday cleanup alongside Nā Kamaliʻi o Hanamā‘ulu 🫶🏽

🌊 3RD SUNDAY CLEANUP – HANAMĀ‘ULU BAY
📅 Sunday 2/15/2026
⏰ 10am–12pm

E hele mai kākou.

This place is special. It holds history, memories, and deep community roots — and it deserves consistent care and presence.

From keiki to kūpuna, when we gather for a shared purpose, we all win. And so does Kauaʻi.

✔ Shoreline cleanup
✔ Community connection
✔ Learning & mentorship
✔ Positive presence

🤿 Certified divers? Reach out if you’d like to assist underwater.

Let’s protect. Let’s mālama. Let’s restore.
See you Sunday 🤙🏽

#NaKamaliiOHanamaulu #HoomaluKeKai #KauaiCoralRestoration #Lokahi #ForTheNextGeneration

What an incredible way to kick off the first of a new series of monthly 3rd Sunday community cleanups at Hanamā‘ulu Beach and Ahukini Landing this past weekend 💙

The energy was full of aloha, and it was so inspiring to see so many both new and familiar faces show up to care for this special place—alongside our amazing partners Nā Kamaliʻi O Hanamā‘ulu, whose commitment to keiki leadership and community care continues to guide and uplift this work.🙌🏽

This cleanup was extra meaningful as we celebrated Neema’s 9th birthday with an awesome crew of keiki who care about the ocean and jumped right in—learning, laughing, and helping mālama the shoreline.🤙🏽

One moment really stuck with us: after spending so much time cleaning, one of the keiki from the crew, Keoni, cast his line out from the shoreline hoping to catch a fish to take home… and caught a plastic bag on the first cast. A powerful reminder for all of us—we’re doing this so future casts catch more fish than plastic, not just on the shore, but throughout the ocean.🌊🐟🔄

While our beach team (~20 strong) worked along the sand, an underwater crew of about 15 was out at Ahukini, where one of Kaua‘i Coral Restoration Nursery’s coral of opportunity source sites is located. Led by Kaua‘i Ocean Awareness and an incredible dive team, they removed hundreds of feet of fishing line, lead, and other marine debris from the reef—making a real difference below the surface.🪸

By the end of the morning, our combined efforts removed over 400 pounds of marine debris from land and sea. More than the numbers, though, it was the sense of connection—to this place, to each other, and to the fishing community that regularly uses Ahukini. We’re deeply grateful for the warm welcome and shared commitment to keeping Hanamā‘ulu healthy.🫶🏽

This is what consistent care, laulima, and aloha look like. Mahalo nui to everyone who showed up—we can’t wait to keep this momentum going all year long! 💪🏽💫

#Lokahi #HoomaluKeKai #NaKamaliiOHanamaulu #KauaiOceanAwareness #KauaiCoralRestorationNursey

We’re excited to officially welcome Hanamāʻulu Beach Cleanups as a monthly 2026 community workday, happening every 3rd Sunday from 10–12 alongside our amazing partners Nā Kamaliʻi o Hanamāʻulu 🌊🌱

These cleanups are all about community, keiki leadership, and caring for the shoreline that gives so much to us — from reef to beach to ʻohana. What happens on land directly impacts the health of Hanamāʻulu Bay and the nearshore waters we all depend on.🐟

This place is also deeply connected to our coral restoration work. Hanamāʻulu Bay — including Ahukini Landing on the southeast corner of the bay — is where our corals of opportunity come from, making shoreline care a vital part of protecting and restoring reef ecosystems. Everything is connected.🪸🔄

This cleanup will be extra special as we celebrate one of our youngest alakaʻi, who chose to spend her birthday cleaning up the beach with her friends and ʻohana 💙

Hauʻoli Lā Hānau, Neema (Makai)!🎉
Your love for ʻāina and ocean gives us so much hope for the future.🤙🏽

We are continually inspired by the drive of keiki today — doing good, learning together, and having fun while they do it.🙌🏽

🧤 All ages welcome
⏰ 10am–12pm
🤿 Underwater cleanup opportunities available for certified divers (DM us)

🔗 More info at hoomalukekai.com/volunteer

Mahalo piha to everyone who shows up, lends a hand, and helps mālama this special place 💙

#Hanamaulu #Ahukini #NaKamaliiOHanamaulu #HoomaluKeKai #KauaiCoralRestoration

Aloha kākou — our first Nōmilu community workday of 2026 was truly something special.🪨 We were honored to gather with so many incredible community members, ʻohana, and caretakers, alongside the teams from Hoʻomalu Ke Kai, Kauaʻi Sea Farm, and the Kauaʻi Coral Restoration Nursery, all coming together in laulima for this wahi pana.🙏🏽

This day also marked an important moment of reflection and intention as we continue to honor ʻOnomilu’s presence and the slow, thoughtful transition of stewardship for these community workdays. The details are still being shaped, and we genuinely want to hear from you — our volunteers and community — about the idea of two workday opportunities per month at Nōmilu. How do we best stay lokahi, uplift all perspectives and ʻike, and continue helping Nōmilu flourish back into its thriving state? Your manaʻo matters deeply as we move forward together.🙌🏽

Mahalo nui loa to the 40+ volunteers who helped rebuild the koele (fish pen within the fishpond) with Kalalena Lum Won and the Palama ʻOhana — powerful, grounding work rooted in care and continuity. Huge gratitude as well to everyone who got their hands dirty weeding and propagating ʻakulikuli, now growing out in trays inside the newly refurbished koele. 🐟🌱🔄🤙🏽

And of course, mahalo piha to Kauaʻi Sea Farm for nourishing everyone with an ono clam & shrimp stir fry and locally caught (or hit? 😄) boar — the fellowship and laughter shared around food is always one of the most special parts of these days.

So grateful for the diversity of people, stories, and skills that come together here — all united by care for place. Let’s keep this momentum rolling into 2026.🎉

Imua no Nōmilu 🤍

#Lokahi #Laulima #Onomilu #HoomaluKeKai #KauaiSeaFarm

@hoomalukekai @kauaiseafarm @kauaicoralrestoration

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Keep up with the latest

@HoomaluKeKai

The Talk Story Times Newsletter

In The News.

Read about our recent events and projects below

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Keep up with the latest

Become a part of the collaborative effort to Hoʻomalu Ke Kai on Kauaʻi:

The Talk Story Times Newsletter

In The News.

Read about our recent events and projects below

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

​

Keep up with the latest

Become a part of the collaborative effort to Hoʻomalu Ke Kai on Kauaʻi: