History

In the early 1990s, John and Tweetie Lind and Mike Minn began restoring ancient lo‘i at the Kapahu area of Kīpahulu near ‘Ohe‘o stream. In 1995, they established Kipahulu Ohana, Inc. as a vehicle to enter into a formal cooperative agreement with the Haleakala National Park for the management of Kapahu Living Farm. Since then Kipahulu Ohana has managed the farm and all of its agricultural and educational programs, hosting thousands of visitors and producing thousands of pounds of poi and other products for the community.

 

The organization has also developed other programs related to ahupua‘a management, including other agricultural operations, such as a 9-acre pasture and fruit orchard on state leased land. We manage a shared-use certified commercial kitchen and ag processing facility. We have installed feral animal control fencing and conducted invasive species removal in the native forest of Kīpahulu in an area known as Cable Ridge. And over the last few years we have developed and are implementing our Malama Ke Kai community-based marine management plan.