The Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative was formed in 2011 to steward the 275 acres of remnant lowland dry forest known as the Waikoloa Dry Forest Recovery Project.

History

In 2003, members of the Waikoloa Village Outdoor Circle (WVOC) took action when they learned that the Waikoloa Village Association (WVA) authorized the removal of one of its mature, native Hawaiian Wiliwili trees for relocation to a North Kona resort.

The majestic, endemic Wiliwili tree, which had likely weathered more than four hundred summers of drought, heat, and wind, died shortly after the transplant — one native tree lost to Waikoloa. A second sale and subsequent removal followed.

Recognizing the plight of the heritage Wiliwili trees, and of other native co–inhabitants, including a remnant stand of endangered, endemic Hawaiian Uhiuhi trees, the group persuaded the WVA to end the transactions. They negotiated a lease of 275 acres of land owned by the WVA for the preservation of Waikoloa’s dry forest. The habitat stood a chance.

Their pursuits evolved in the establishment of a special WVOC program — Waikoloa Dry Forest Recovery Project (WDFRP). The WVOC entered into cost–share contracts, based on a Final Environmental Assessment, with the Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) and the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). The funds are collaboratively matched to community contributions, volunteerism, grants, and donations, to help to cover the high costs associated with the effort.

Now, in 2011, a core of the original WVOC have teamed with newer members of the Waikoloa Village community to establish Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative (WDFI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The WDFI has assumed management of the restoration project and operates independently.