Hawaii Makaloa Project

KEYWORDS

constructed wetlands, Cyperus laevigatus, makaloa mats, Hawaiian crafts, wastewater reclamation, wastewater reuse, Hawaiian ethnobotany, Hawaiian wetlands, Hawaii Island, Maui Island

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

Hawaii, Islands of Hawaii and Maui

Synopsis

The Bishop Museum's Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden and BRD MESC-Denver are cooperating in a study of the feasibility of using constructed wastewater treatment wetlands to raise makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus) as weaving stock to support the revival of a traditional Hawaiian craft. Makaloa is a wetland sedge that was formerly used by Native Hawaiians to weave fine, flexible mats.

Both BRD and the Bishop Museum are concerned with the conservation and maintenance of native Hawaiian flora and ecosystems. More specifically, BRD MESC-Denver is interested in developing the functional utilization of constructed wetlands as a low-cost, relatively low-maintenance wastewater treatment alternative that simultaneously allows for control of coastal eutrophication and reclaims wastewater for freshwater habitat creation, restoration, and maintenance. The Bishop Museum's specific interest in the utilization of constructed wetlands is to insure a stable supply of makaloa, and other wetland plants, sufficient to support the revival of a traditional Hawaiian craft, and thus help maintain Hawaiian culture in general.

We hope that this partnership will lead to a multipurpose constructed wetland demonstration project on the arid Kona coast of the island of Hawaii, which will integrate wastewater treatment with waterfowl habitat enhancement, weaving stock production, and protection of near-shore marine ecosystems. In the meantime, BRD MESC-Denver is supporting the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden's investigations of the habitat and nutritional conditions required to produce weaving grade makaloa, with funding and technical assistance. The natural habitat study was completed in May 1996, and the second phase - nutritional studies using municipal wastewater from the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant - is now underway.

Contacts

Jim Sartoris, jsartoris@do.usbr.gov
303-236-6004, ext. 230
U.S. Geological Survey
D-8220, P.O. Box 25007
Denver, CO 80225

Joan Thullen, jthullen@ibr8gw80.usbr.gov
303-236-6004, ext. 244
U.S. Geological Survey
D-8220, P.O. Box 25007
Denver, CO 80225

Principal Investigators

Joan Thullen
Jim Sartoris

Related Publications

• Fetters, K.M., and P. Van Dyke. 1996. Analysis of environmental conditions that favor the vigorous growth of makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus). Bishop Museum, Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden, Captain Cook, Hawaii, 49 pages.

Related MESC Projects

• Eastern Municipal Water District Multipurpose Wetlands Project - Jim Sartoris and Joan Thullen, contacts

• See also: Hawaii Makaloa Project: A Study of the Feasibility of Using Constructed Wastewater Treatment Wetlands to Raise Makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus) as Weaving Stock to Support the Revival of a Traditional Hawaiian Craft (at Denver Field Station)

• RELATED Web Site: Hemet/San Jacinto Multipurpose Constructed Wetlands Project

For more information concerning page content, please contact: Jim Sartoris, jsartoris@do.usbr.gov