E aha ʻia ana?
What’s Happening?
Fall Semester ‘25
Kākau ʻia e Hulali Puʻuohau-Cabanilla
Lanakila Learning Center
Lanakila Learning Center is an Alternative Learning Program located at Hilo High School that supports students who thrive with alternative learning methods. Working with Hui Hoʻoleimaluō, Aunty Wendy Hamane and Uncle Weyland Galinato assist Juniors and Seniors from Hilo High School in research projects that go beyond the classroom at places like Kaumaui loko iʻa. This year, the program is focusing on two main research projects:
Project 1 - Genki Balls
Over-arching Question: Are Genki Balls a cost-effective method to reduce sedimentation and to improve water quality parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrate, and phosphate levels) in the Waiʻamaʻama loko at Kaumaui?
For their first project, students are testing the effectiveness of Genki Balls in a smaller pond in Kaumaui, in order to control the influence of outside factors like Myriophyllum, an invasive limu also known as hornwort. Once a month, genki balls are put into the pond and measurements of sediment depth and water quality are taken for data collection.
Project 2 - Myriophyllum
Over-arching Question: Is myriophyllum (with and without soil amendments) a good fertilizer for kalo growth?
In April, 2026, Lanakila Learning Center’s second project will focus on taking kalo leaf surface area measurements and weighing the corm size. This project uses myriophyllum that is removed from the greater pond and examines its use as fertilizer for kalo.
These projects, led by Aunty Wendy and Uncle Waylon, help students to create hands-on experiences outside of the classroom where they are not only able to gain valuable scientific experience but they are also contributing to the wellness of their surroundings and their community.
Figure 3: (Left) - Finished product of making Genki Balls Figure 4: (Right) - Final product of Genki Balls before being put into pond
Figure 1: (Left) - Student using a photometer to take water quality measurements Figure 2: (Right) - Kainalu Steward teaching students how to take conductivity measurements with the YSI
Figure 5: (Left), Beginning of myriophyllum project, measurements of myriophyllum put around kalo in planter boxes built by Lanakila Learning Center Figure 6: (Right), Most recent measurement of myriophyllum added to planter box
“We are super grateful for the opportunity to use Kaumaui as an outdoor laboratory for scientific inquiry!”- Aunty Wendy
Kau Hāʻulelau ‘25
Kākau ʻia e Puaʻena Estocado
Papa 6 ma Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo
Hōʻea ka papa ʻeono o Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo me Kumu Kainoa i Kaumaui kēlā me kēia pule ma nā Poʻakolu no kā lākou pāhana. He pāhana kēia e ʻimi ana i nā ʻano kiʻina hana e hemo ai ka iʻa tilapia mai ka loko wai o Kaumaui. Hoʻokolohua lākou me nā ʻano kiʻina hana o ka wā kāhiko a me nā ʻano hou o kēia wā e like me ka paipai, ka hoʻolei ʻūpena, ka mea hoʻonakeke i ka lima, a me nā ʻano hana ʻūmiʻi e hopu ai ka iʻa. Ma waho o kēia mau hana, ke hōaʻo pū nei lākou e ʻimi i ala hou e hemo a hopu kūpono i ka iʻa tilapia ma Kaumaui.
No kēia pāhana hoʻohui pū ʻia kā lākou ʻike i ka waiwai o nā iʻa komo ʻē ma ka loko iʻa, a ka hopena o kēia. Aʻo ʻia ka ʻanakomia me ke kālaimeaola o ka iʻa tilapia. Ke ʻimi nei lākou i nā ala o kēia wā e hemo ai kēia iʻa a i ala hou e hemo ai kēia iʻa no ka wā e hiki mai. Ma waho o kēia he mau kūleana kā lākou e mālama i ka loko iʻa o Kaumaui, ʻo ia ka hemo ʻana i nā ʻano ʻōpala me ka lepo mai ka loko wai.
Ke Ana Laʻahana
This school year, students from Ke Ana Laʻahana pcs (grades 7–12) are dedicating their weekly Papa Loko iʻan elective to a focused, hands-on sediment restoration project at Kaumaui. Each Wednesday, students use the fishpond as their living classroom to remove sediment from key areas of the loko iʻa, dry and sift it, and then prepare it to reuse in soil mixes for planting experiments.
Through this work, students learn how sediment buildup affects water flow, pond function, and fish habitat, while also discovering ways that sediment can be repurposed to support healthy plant growth. Their efforts directly contribute to ongoing restoration and provide valuable insight into how traditional loko iʻa management blends cultural practice and ecological problem-solving.
He ui a he nīnau…
A query, a question…
(Click the link to read “‘Ama‘ama Need to be Preserved” by Luke Nalu Mead & Brenda Asuncion)
Nā Pāhana Puaʻama
Kaumaui is a loko iʻa that consists of many different loko wai, due to the road blocking our connection to the kai there is no way for fish to come in or out of the loko. Due to this problem we have to out source our iʻan and bring them in ourselves, specifically ʻAmaʻama. These fish are very common within the loko iʻa system. For the past 3 years we have had many projects based around the growth and raising of Puaʻama - ‘Ama’ama fingerlings, in the loko iʻa of Kaumaui.
Building Fish Cages
The first ‘Ama’ama project was building pahu iʻa that would eventually be used to raise Puaʻama. This project was done in 2023 by students from Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo (10-12th grade). The focus of this project was building fish cages and experimenting with invasive fish like Tilapia, Mosquito-Fish, and Mexican Mollies to find the success rate of these cages.
Pāhana Puaʻama
Na e Puaʻena Estocado
Puaʻama
The second project was done in that summer led by Kumu Adrien Barnes along with two students who watched over this project - Puaʻena Estocado & Māhealani Figueroa-Lee. This project was a bit different, it included learning how to care for the fingerlings and how to best collect data. We learned how to properly measure, count, capture, and care for the Puaʻama. This later led to receiving our first batch of Puaʻama that we released directly into the loko.
Growth Rate of Puaʻama
The third project was done during the 2024-2025 school year by Puaʻena as her Senior Project at Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo. The focus of this project was the growth rate of Puaʻama in fish cages at Kaumaui. The fingerlings that were used for this project were from the second batch of Puaʻama received. This project consisted of maintenance of pahu iʻa, collecting data on their growth, feeding, and by the end of the project, releasing the Puaʻama into the loko iʻa. Now at Kaumaui our newest Puaʻama project has to do with monitoring Puaʻama as they grow into Kāhāhā size and eventually ʻAmaʻama. After being released, the loko is full of thriving with all sizes of Mullet - Puaʻama, Kāhāhā, ʻAmaʻama, and some ʻAnae. This project consists of diving in the pond to monitor fish behavior, feeding habits, count, and size.
Kau Kupulau ‘25
Kainalu Steward & Brianna Ninomoto two of our Community Partners are researchers dedicated to understanding the impacts of climate change on Hawaiʻi’s coastal heritage. Their work focuses on sea level rise and king tides, using projections and field research to explore how these changes may affect traditional loko iʻa. By blending modern science with cultural insight, they aim to protect these ancestral food systems and ensure their resilience for future generations.
Click the image to learn more about their research > > >
