The Friends Forever 4-H Club hosted a county 4-H land restoration and beach cleanup volunteer workday at the Waihe’e Refuge on Monday, January 19, 2026.The 4-Hers transplanted Akulikuli from the fishpond and planted it on the beach near the shore to prevent coastal erosion. They learned that the Akulikuli plant is edible, but very salty. It grows well in sand and looks like long intertwined vines. Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT) manages the refuge and taught the 4-Hers the history of the sand dunes and wetlands along with the history of the rock walls that ancient Hawaiian built and how they engineered a fish trap to help them catch fish to eat. The 4-Hers also picked up debris along the beach that included old fishing lines, plastic pieces, rusted metal bits, and disposable paper products and utensils. The trash they collected filled 2 gallon buckets. After volunteering, they hiked to the Waihe’e Stream and swam. They also helped at Feed My Sheep that distributed food boxes to roughly 200 individuals.
The Lokahi Girls spent Valentine’s morning with Megin John, learning about scuba diving certifications, equipment and dive safety. They also helped collect 37 pounds of trash at Papawai lookout. Megin shared her scuba experiences here on Maui and even where she has found the ever cute sea slug known as the leaf sheep or sheep of the sea which can really only be enjoyed by taking a picture as its size ranges from 5-10 mm. Though Megin scuba dives as a hobby, she continues to help the Ocean Defenders Alliance Hawaii on Maui which collected 2000 pounds of debris in 2025. Thank you Megin for your efforts to help keep our oceans clean.
