A Benefactor level gift of $20 per month will provide filters for the KIRCʻs reverse osmosis system which is used to make fresh potable water from sea water.

A Sustainer level gift of $50 will buy 10 native plants that can be re-introduced on Kaho'olawe.

A Benefactor level gift of $100 will support monthly KIRC Base Camp operations.

A Patron level gift of $500 will directly support monthly volunteer accesses by powering one leg of transportation between Maui and Kaho'olawe.

Fundraisers

Reaching the goal of $1,000 runs one round trip between Maui and Kaho'olawe on the 'Ohua.

Reaching our goal of $10,000 gives the Ocean Program with a year's supply of 'aki'aki to outplant in Honokanai'a.

Reaching our goal of $100,000 covers the cost of live-streaming video from Kaho'olawe.

Reaching our goal of $500,000 operates the KIRC Base Camp for one year.

Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission, sponsored by Pacific American Foundation

Your donation here will go towards the KIRC's 2025 restoration efforts to help prevent runoff from choking reefs, stabilize sand dunes & cultural sites, and help create habitats for endangered species for rebirth and renewal. 

Kaho'olawe is the smallest of the eight main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. Eleven miles long, seven miles wide and comprised of 28,800 acres, the island is of volcanic origin with the highest elevation at 1,477 feet. Its slopes are fissured with gulches 50 to 200 feet deep and formidable cliffs dominate the east and south coast. After 200 years of uncontrolled grazing by goats, sheep and cattle, and another 50 years of misuse as a live-fire training and bombing range by the U.S. Navy, approximately 30% of the island is barren due to severe erosion and a large proportion of its vegetation is alien invasive species.

A decades-long struggle by the people of Hawai'i, particularly the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana (PKO), succeeded in stopping the bombing of Kaho'olawe and helped to spark the rebirth and spread of Native Hawaiian culture and values. A 1993 act of Congress conveyed Kaho`olawe back to the State of Hawai`i, but allowed the Navy to retain control of the island through 2003 while it conducted a 10-year cleanup of unexploded ordnance (UXO) Those efforts resulted in roughly 75% of the island being surface cleared (yellow areas in the map to the right), and 10% of that area being subsurface cleared to a depth of four feet (green areas), leaving 25% uncleared (red areas). UXO is still present and continues to pose a threat to the safety of anyone accessing the island or its waters.

A treasured resource for all of Hawai'i's people, Kaho'olawe is of tremendous significance to the Native Hawaiian people. In recognition of the special cultural and historic status of Kaho'olawe, the island and the waters within 2 nautical miles of its shores were designated a Reserve by the State of Hawai`i, to allow for the preservation of traditional Native Hawaiian cultural, spiritual and subsistence purposes, rights and practices. In 1994, the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) was established under the Hawai'i Revised Statutes, Chapter 6K, to manage Kaho'olawe, its surrounding waters, and its resources, in trust for the general public and for a future Native Hawaiian sovereign entity.