Mālama Maunalua's Website: Thoughts & Reflections by Joanna Philippoff

Engagement

2025-08-27 07:35:51 UTC

Something I noticed over and over again throughout their website is their ability to engage with their audience. They have many opportunities for the audience to get involved in their efforts, including adopting a coral to support their coral restoration efforts and signing up for free rainwater assessments/downloading the "Follow the Drop" app to contribute to cleaner waters, as well as the option to donate money to financially support MM causes. Let alone the Get Involved tab that includes volunteer opportunities and additional means of engaging with their causes. Seeing how prominent this is throughout their website shows how much they care and value their communities' help and commitment to their cause, and it's refreshing to see how many ways I can contribute as a community member! Seeing how often engagement opportunities are throughout their website, I do wonder how often community members do engage with these. How often do people Adopt-A-Coral? How often do people donate money through Venmo and Paypal? How many people have downloaded the app and signed up for a free rainwater assessment? How many community members actually do care to engage in MM causes? I think MM has done a great job with their website to communicate their desire for community engagement, so I hope the community has really shown up for that! - Rachel Anderson

Community

2025-08-27 07:44:43 UTC

MM emphasizes their community. Their team is made up of devoted community members; they reach out to their community; they refer to themselves as the Maunalua community. Many of their efforts require their Maunalua community to help and get involved, whether that be through Huki's, donations, education, adopting corals, etc. Their mission involves the community to understand that Maunalua bay is in trouble, acknowledge that it needs help, and for that community to then drive the change needed for improvement. I strongly believe that engaging with MM and contributing to their science would feel like working with a huge family, all with the same goals, to make a difference in the place we all call home. It would be empowering to see all of these people with similar values who care about the things you do, and so deeply that they are out there trying to make a difference. I think getting involved with MM would mean joining a beautiful family of scientists, those who want to make the world a better place and leave the planet cleaner than the people before them left it. - Rachel Anderson

Exploration

kms39 — 2025-08-30 03:30:55 UTC

While going through the website, I found it interesting how they present everything. The way they break everything down and show even the interactive map makes you feel like you are part of the effort. Like in the science section, teh break down everything that has been done to the bay, why it is bad, and how they are working towards correcting it. I'll also admit my favorite part was exploring all the work that they are doing with the coral and everything they offer with the different donations levels. Even though coral was something I would grow up wanting to learn about, I find that the restoration and the science behind it is very fascinating. The idea of genetically making coral resislent to warmer waters is very cool, as well as when I have seen other research done that showed that the same coral that used to grow near the surface was foudn to have adapted to living deeper in the water, where it is cooler. While looking into different things, the only question I had was about the urchin research. While I understand how it works, what I wonder is how many urchins would be needed to truly beat the invasive algae, even with DLNR-DAR being the ones to grow the urchins.- Kayla S.

Community participation

2025-08-30 03:35:29 UTC

A large and reoccurring theme that MM stresses is the participation and engagement of the surrounding communities and the importance of their engagement. Another point that seems to be stressed is what the community can do outside of volunteering that can help their cause one example being the "adopt a plot" program which allows individuals to "adopt" a 10x10m plot to restore on their own time.. MM's engagement with the community is shown with their collaborations with companies such as their collaboration with aloha bags. MM's effort and connections with their community is really shown in their openness about their scientific findings and their vast number of volunteer programs and different stations and projects around the island that all contribute to their restoration project. They also make it very easy to find any information you might need. All in all MM's project is extremely inspiring and their dedication to restoring Mālama Maunalua is endless, finally their inclusion and openness with the community is incredible.

Involvement

2025-08-30 20:20:33 UTC

Malama Maunalua places a heavy emphasis on including the community in their efforts to restore and revitalize the bay. While many environmental non-profits tend to act rather detached from the community and are centered around "we're doing stuff that's good for the environment", that's not enough for the minds at MM. Their restoration efforts are all for the people of Hawaii-and to them, that means getting the people involved with the restoration efforts.

Their hukis are probably the single largest effort to get a community involved in restoration that I can remember being a part of. It's simple yet powerful-getting people of all ages into the water to remove invasive algae. Perhaps the best part of this is getting the involvement of kids-through these huki events the youth are entering the world of conservation and restoration early on. And this time, they're actively making a difference and improving the island they live on, a feeling they'll carry with them for a long time.

-Akul

Community Involvement

2025-08-31 23:36:02 UTC

When first looking at their website I initially noticed how involved they are with the community. I love how they encourage the help all the way from scientist to kids in order to create a better area. The biggest theme on the whole website was restoration which makes sense because it is known to be a poor water quality area. They gave very impactful numbers to back up their research and how specifically they have been restoring Maunalua Bay. The quote that stuck with me the most was “We believe it is all of our kuleana to work together towards a healthy, sustainable Maunalua Bay for our children and grandchildren.” I resonate with this because it is important to car of our Earth not just for the well being of all species but also for the children that come after us showing the importance of our dusty and outreach. Not only are they focused in the bay itself but they have taken to the actual land by planting trees and creating sediment traps to help slow the amount of water flow into the ocean. Because the island is connected so if we don't take care of the land our oceans will get ruined too. When looking at the restoration projects I did wonder how long it took to remove 4 million pounds of algae. Also when I saw Oyster Bioremediation I know that they are natural pollutant cleaners but i wonder how successful it was and how many are needed to make a significant difference. I know Laura said they all died but maybe we need to spawn more that are resilient in more polluted waters and maybe we need to plant a lot. As far as contribution I would want to find organisms that can help clean and filter the bay as we are cleaning it up. I like the idea of engineering the corals to be more heat tolerant as our ocean temperature is rising and maybe seeing how differing levels of sedate affect life living there. -Amanda T.

Community Outreach

2025-09-01 03:56:26 UTC

Malama Maunalua does an excellent job showcasing their efforts to connect with the local community of Oʻahu to educate, restore, and conserve natural resources. There are several methods presented on their website to get involved in their mission, such as the "Follow the Drop" app, Adopt-A-Coral, online/mobile donations, community workdays sign-ups, etc. Maunalua Bay has undergone significant changes within the last few decades, many of which have led to negative consequences. The bay is plagued by several sources of pollution, invasive algae species (Gracillaria salicornia) are choking out natives, and biodiversity overall is decreasing. These are common negative effects that can also be observed in other heavily populated areas of the island, such as Kaneʻohe Bay. My BIOL-301 lab cohort looked into the biodiversity levels at three locations on the island: Moku o Loe (in Kaneʻohe Bay), Maunalua Bay, and Kaiona Reef. Maunalua Bay was very closely behind Moku o Loe for the lowest biodiversity. The reason for this is negative anthropogenic impact in the area. A deeper insight into the consequences of anthropogenic activity in Maunlalua Bay is readily available on MMʻs website, as well as the solutions they are achieving. Not only are they restoring Maunalua Bay, but theyʻre involving the community and allowing everyone to be a part of the change. I wonder how much website traffic they get, and how many people on Oʻahu (visitors, locals, etc.) are aware of MM and their mission? If they did more online advertising (through social media, perhaps), would their mission reach more people who would be interested in getting involved? It seems many of us in the field of marine biology here at UH have at least heard of MM, but I wonder how their engagement transfers to the general public.

Adelaide Wilson

Accessibility

2025-09-01 06:05:45 UTC

After looking at the website, I noticed and enjoyed how accessible information is and how easy it is to find anything. On many websites you have to click many links to find the information you are looking for, but on this website everything was extremely detailed. I enjoyed seeing their impact numbers, it allows viewers to see that their volunteer work with them or their money did not go to waste. The website establishes that community participation is very important to make a positive impact. They have private and public events for people to get involved. Seeing the invasive algae made me think about when I took the BOT 480 course. I saw many algae that I either collected and/or looked at under a microscope. I think it would be really cool to get involved in this program, especially seeing the progression of less invasive species in the area. Other than Maunalua Bay being in danger, does the organization ever think about helping other areas in all the Hawaiian Islands that are also in risk. - Paulina Roque

Community and progress

2025-09-02 03:13:17 UTC

Of the presenters that are listed in the syllabus, Malama Maunalua is the one that I knew most about prior to this class. From the amount of outreach and education they do it's obvious why that's so. Their website show just how are highly engaged they are with the community and how much the educate them. I've been to 1-2 of their algae clean ups when I was in high school and seeing their progress is really cool. The number of algae they've cleared up must have taking a tremendous amount of work. During BOT 480 you learn how much of a problem invasive algae are so their efforts are admirable. - Loyd Bacalso

Dalton

2025-09-02 04:23:07 UTC

I think my favorite feature about this website is the map that they use to lay out flat what activities they have, where they are, and a general idea of what each one is, just by using the legend. I think the ease and convenience that this has makes people much more likely to engage because just seeing a whole list of activities, unorganized by type, location, skill set requirements etc. becomes very disengaging very quickly. I think this also adds to the idea that anyone can get involved depending on where you are on the island and your experience with marine-related activities and research. I imagine that being a part of these activities would be very fulfilling as an individual, and also supportive and praised by people more involved in the activity. This helps a lot because sometimes people can lose motivation to try something new to help the community due to their own anxiety and ignorance to the activity and what it will actually be like when you’re there. I feel like the way this lays out makes people feel more confident being a help going out, or engaging online through their shops or adopt-a-coral options, so that people can feel encouraged to help with less nervous feelings.

Logan Carlton

2025-09-02 05:53:22 UTC

What first struck my mind when going through the site was the fact that MM stresses community. But MM goes beyond the term “community” and stresses that the work being done and conservation of the bay is not limited to certain people or only certain efforts. I personally find it not just helpful but inspiring when conservational efforts are varied and diverse. In adding the map showing all the activity going on, and public education like Tree to Sea Camp MM makes you as a person feel like there’s more than one right way to do your part in your community, which is something I have noticed frequently when it comes to Hawaiian stewardship. Previous classes have given us choices of field trips and volunteer opportunities rather than just one to do our part here in Hawaii. I know there are already 10 current habitat restoration efforts, but I would love to know more about if MM is currently in the planning or brainstorming stages of any new restoration projects!

Mālama

2025-09-02 05:58:37 UTC

One of the most impactful things this website portrays to me is the importance of mālama ʻāina, I like how the history and transformation of Maunalua is included in teh website, because it emphasizes the importance of restoration for the bay as well as the importance of caring for a place that you call home. As well, a huge part of the website is the community engagement in both outreach and education as well as volunteering. I liked how they included aerial photos of he bay throughout the years to show the progress they have made, I think that is crucial to a restoration project to show the difference that is being made. I liked reading about the ridge to reef project because throughout my classes here a hug emphasis has been on how functional the ahupuaʻa system was before urbanization. And I have always been a firm believer that totruly restore you have to work at the source of the problem, so in order to restore a bay like Maunalua you have to make changes on the land because that is where the harmful runoff is coming from. The only question I had while reading the website was about the oysters because it said they were thriving, but I thought that Laura said the project didnʻt work that well. So I was curious about how that project has changed or if it is still being pursued - Molly Burton

Malama Maunalua

noemicav1 — 2025-09-02 09:17:13 UTC

Reading through Malama Maunalua's website I noticed that they highlight their Huki project to look for volunteers to remove invasive alien algae from the bay. Malama Maunalua was formed to restore the health of Maunalua Bay. The organization work is based on community involvement. Volunteers can join monthly Huki events, to the Adopt a Plot program and contribute to coral reef monitoring. Malama Maunalua’s main strategies are removing invasive alien algae, reducing pollution from sediments and increasing fish biomass in the bay. The organization successfully removed 4 million lbs of invasive algae from the bay. There are about 37 thousand volunteers and 21 thousand students are involved in the restoration efforts. I’m wondering about what kind of projects the interns are working on? I’m interested in being involved in restoration projects, such as joining a Huki event to pull invasive algae from a designated plot. It would also be interesting to monitor how fast invasive algae grow back after removal. Participating in coral reef restoration would be an interesting opportunity to observe and study thermal stress resistant corals. Noemi Cavinder

Conservation

2025-09-02 09:26:01 UTC

I liked reading through this website I found it easy to navigate and it was able to present a lot of information without feeling overwhelming. I appriciate how it is easy to understand from the perspective of a person who might not know much about Maunalua or conservation. It clearly lays out your goals. how your doing them and why they are important. I think this is a great resource for seeing what exactly the malama maunalua project is about. The first thing you see when you get on the website is a call to action to volunteer for a Huki. I like how this is set up because it catches peoples eye straight from the get go and gets people directly involved. There are sections about specific projects that are on going like adopt a thermal resistant coral or the huki projects and the rain garden. You guys make it easy to find resource to donate or volunteer which I know is very important for the project to continue. The accomplishments of the program like the amount of limu planted or invasives removed is very impressive. My favorite part was looking at the interactive projects map because Im a sucker for maps and its cool to see how big the bay actually is because its kinda hard to tell in person which all of the buildings and obstructions which have been built. One thing I wonder is how effective the coral adoption program has been so far are those thermally resistant corals surviving bleaching events? Im especially interested because stress resistant coral is something Im particularly interested in researching! -Jonah goldberg

Commitment

2025-09-02 14:58:27 UTC

I think what I appreciate the most about Malama Maunalua is their commitment not just to the community at large, but to the environment as a whole, from the mountains to the ocean. I was familiar with them and their work when I attended a small invasive algae clean-up event with the Marine Option Program. One thing that was not hard to see from the team was the passion they had for the work they do and the community they work alongside. Although I had this small introduction, I was not aware of just how much more involved they were until the presentation last week and going through their website. One of their projects that I found to be the most interesting was the Maunalua Bay Reef Restoration Project, or The Great Huki. I really enjoyed looking at their photos of the progress restoring the bay. I also liked that rather than disposing of the invasive algae that was cleaned, they repurposed these natural resources for local farmers. Their involvement paves the way for bringing people together to make a difference in the local community and is something that I would be interested in learning more about. - Gaetane Silva