Even though we had just done a streamwalk here on August 23, communit members expressed an interest in learning more about Kāne‘ohe Stream Mouth. So KBAC teamed up with the Windward Ahupua‘a Alliance and the Waikalua Loko Fishpond Preservation Society only a month later to participate in the "Waikalua Loko Fishpond Community Stewardship Day"!

During this event, more than 100 volunteers came together to help restore the fishpond by removing invasive mangroves and cleaning up shoreline debris. They also participated in education stations hosted by WLFPS and KBAC to learn more about fishponds, the cultural history of the area, and water quality.

At the KBAC education station, KBAC Community Coordinator Mike McMahon explained some of the threats to the water quality of Kane`ohe Stream and Waikalua Loko Fishpond, and led participants through KBAC's easy-to-use "Stream Awareness Survey".

The "Stream Awareness Survey" is a visual assessment tool that looks at 5 main characteristics of a stream to determine it's relative "health". By checking out:

1. The surrounding Land Use;
2. The condition of the stream's "Buffer Zone";
3. The condition of the Stream Channel;
4. Stream Life; and
5. The Clarity of the water

we can make a pretty good appraisal of the health of a stream.

You can judge for yourself by checking out all of the sites we have visited, or you can just jump straight to the data for this site.