The monumental task of removing invasive California grass from the ponds at Richardson’s Ocean Park is underway.
The monumental task of removing invasive California grass from the ponds at Richardson’s Ocean Park is underway.
Dozens of community volunteers, youth groups and prison workers all are contributing their “muscle power,” and the Leleiwi Community Association has purchased pizza for the hard-working crews cleaning the ponds.
The ponds in Keaukaha are known as anchialine ponds that are unique ecosystems.
The anchialine ponds are home to many endemic species such as ‘opae ‘ula shrimp, Hawaiian damselflies and other rare, endangered species.
The community’s goal is to protect the aina by physically removing the grass in this effort to control the invasive weeds, rather than applying chemical herbicides to an already threatened ecosystem.