Home / Environment / Ancient Hawaiian Fishpond Saved by $4M Gift
Ancient Hawaiian Fishpond Saved by $4M Gift
9 Sep
Summary
- A 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond is now a protected conservation site.
- A $4 million gift from Chan and Zuckerberg funded its acquisition.
- The site will serve community stewardship, education, and conservation.
A 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond, Alakoko, has been permanently secured as a community conservation site following a significant $4 million charitable contribution from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg. The Trust for Public Land acquired the 102-acre property near Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi, on November 17, 2021, and has since transferred it to the nonprofit Mālama Hulē'ia.
The deed guarantees the land will be preserved for conservation, education, and community use indefinitely. This protection effort gained urgency when the site, also known as Menehune Fishpond, was listed for sale in January 2021. Community support, including thousands of signatures and testimonies, bolstered the conservation initiative.
Alakoko is a traditional loko kuapā, a walled fishpond, with its defining 2,700-foot wall believed to be centuries old. Revered in Hawaiian legends as built by the Menehune, it historically served as a vital food source. Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, it was also recognized as endangered due to environmental threats.
Mālama Hulē'ia plans to continue restoring the fishpond and surrounding wetlands, aiming to re-establish it as a working aquaculture system and an outdoor educational space. This multi-generational effort seeks to preserve both a historic landmark and a living cultural practice for future generations on Kauaʻi.
