Hawai‘i Island is a beloved place for many of us, our families, and our extended ‘ohana that includes ‘āina and all of its inhabitants. Our growing relationships with place, water, food, and people guide The Kohala Center in our mission to engage respectfully with the island as a model for communities across Hawai‘i and beyond. This is a journey that centers in Kohala and travels beyond and back along many pathways. The Leaflet is where we return to share some of our experiences, stories, and learnings from ancestral knowledge and new research in our work across four distinct yet interdependent ecosystems.
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Older issues
Coral bleaching: Six things we can do to help corals recover
The kinder we are to our reefs, the greater their chances of survival may be
October 18, 2019
Mahi‘ai a Ola: Supporting farmers and strengthening community food systems
Mahi‘ai means more than farmer
September 6, 2019
The Kohala Mountain Music Project: Saving heirloom songs
“Maybe there’s an old shoebox filled with scraps of paper, or a tūtū who remembers the lullaby her own grandmother hummed to her. What strains still survive of these faint, fleeting tunes?”
August 14, 2019
From ‘āina to ‘ai pono: Taking locally grown to the next level
Buy local seeds for summer and fall, and check out a quick and easy recipe for tomato salad with shoyu and basil
July 2, 2018
We want your coral-killing sunscreen
Drop off your chemical-based sunscreens in Kailua-Kona, Waimea, Hilo, and Hāwī. Find out where and when.
May 29, 2018
The Leaflet: Summer 2017 Newsletter
Placing Hawai‘i at the center
- Farmer owned, ‘āina grown: Co-op helps breadfruit make a comeback
- Engaging Hawai‘i’s watersheds to advance scientific and cultural learning
- Cultivating a sense of place through volunteering
- The Kohala Center awards doctoral fellowships to Native Hawaiian scientist and engineer
- Program News
- Upcoming Events
The Leaflet: Spring 2017 Newsletter
‘Āina-inspired leadership and opportunities
- Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui joins The Kohala Center as president and chief executive officer
- Farmer training programs advance careers of local food producers
- Adding a layer of contemporary science to expand ancestral wisdom
- Community partnership turns watershed restoration into economic opportunity
- Program News
- Upcoming Events
The Leaflet: Winter 2017 Newsletter
Engaging the ‘āina to grow healthy, confident keiki
- Kohala leads the way to more local food in Hawai‘i’s schools
- A new generation of global ocean stewards
- Ke Kumu ‘Āina fosters place-based learning
- A desire to “do something good for our home”
- Program News
- Upcoming Events
The Leaflet: Summer 2016 Newsletter
Food. Water. Place. People.
- The Kohala Center launches comprehensive school garden curriculum for Hawai‘i’s teachers
- Why wai? Understanding the sources (and limits) of Hawai‘i’s water
- Local effort, global impact: MIT partnership will test new, low-cost air quality sensors
- Intellectual leadership for Hawai‘i’s future: The 2016–2017 Mellon-Hawaii Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows
The Leaflet: October–December 2015 Newsletter
Leadership for Hawai‘i’s future
- Supporting kama‘āina intellectual leadership: The 2015–2016 cohort of Mellon-Hawai‘i Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows
- FoodCorps Hawai‘i: Connecting island keiki to healthy food, deeper learning, and place
- Gathering seeds and cultivating wisdom
- Waimea teen inspired to pursue environmental leadership
- Program news
The Leaflet: July/August 2015 Newsletter
The food issue
- A seat at the table: Representing Hawai‘i and the Pacific at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- From Hilo to the Heartland: Ag interns advance ancestral knowledge
- Mobile slaughter unit set to beef up local meat supply
- Charting a course for locally grown food in Hawai‘i’s schools
- Program news
The Leaflet: May/June 2015 Newsletter
The values of community-driven leadership
- Accolades for Kamana Beamer’s vision of “uniquely Hawaiian leadership”
- Keawe Liu named vice president of advancement and innovation
- Photography project to inspire reverence for native forests and water
- Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center blesses new home
- Hawai‘i represented at International Seed Libraries Forum
- Program news
The Leaflet: March/April 2015 Newsletter
How will you mālama honua this Earth Day?
- Six years of Earth Day planting on Kohala Mountain yields a growing forest
- School gardens bring taste of home to Mālama Honua voyage
- Promoting coexistence with Hawai‘i’s marine mammals
- New online tool matches crop varieties to Hawai‘i’s microclimates
- Program news
The Leaflet: January/February 2015 Newsletter
The dawn of new leadership
- “Leadership with aloha” that Hawai‘i deserves
- Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellows present their work
- Scholarships offered to summer leadership programs
- Health Impact Assessment receives international recognition
- Program news
The Leaflet: September/October 2014 Newsletter
Meeting aspirations with inspiration
- A landmark gift, a convergence of vision
- New Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellows address critical contemporary issues
- Planting the seeds of success
- The Food Basket launches fresh local food program for low-income island residents
- Hawai‘i Farm to School Conference propagates ideas and action
The Leaflet: July/August 2014 Newsletter
A summer of learning, leadership, and aloha ‘āina
- Summer fun in the sun grows youth leaders from mauka to makai
- Training and inspiring Hawai‘i’s future farmers
- Hawai‘i Farm to School Conference to address locally grown food in schools
- Fall Book Talks and Spring Nature Walks announced for Circle of Friends
- Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center exceeds fundraising goal
- Microloan program launched to support Hawai‘i Island food producers
The Leaflet: May/June 2014 Newsletter
I mua! Moving island communities forward
- Transit study examines the high costs of getting around
- Hawai‘i School Garden Symposium awakens the senses
- Banding together to combat an invasive menace
- Island youth expand their futures through university programs
- Telling our story: The Kohala Center launches new website and program logos
The Leaflet: March/April 2014 Newsletter (links to Archives)
Working together to achieve solutions
- An urgent call to upgrade Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center
- Ducks and fences: An allegory of watershed interconnectivity
- United Nations International Year of the Family Farm well timed for Hawai‘i
- A natural approach to increasing local food production
- Community leaders convene in Waimea to advance hope for Hawai‘i’s keiki
The Leaflet: January/February 2014 Newsletter (links to Archives)
Celebrating new beginnings
- Kahalu‘u Bay gets down to business
- FoodCorps Hawai‘i planting the seeds for its second year
- Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellowship Program funding renewed
- Public Seed Initiative keeps growing
- Boots on the ground to get hooves off the mountain
The Leaflet: November/December 2013 Newsletter (links to Archives)
- Keiki Fishing Derby hooks families on fun
- Sustenance at sea: Connecting school gardens with Mālama Honua
- Leaving a legacy of support
- ReefTeach comes to Puakō
- Pilina: The Hawai‘i Island Conservation Forum 2013
The Leaflet: September/October 2013 Newsletter (links to Archives)
- Connecting Hawai‘i’s kids to healthy, local food
- Puanani Burgess joins board of directors
- Keiki Fishing Derby and Family Fun Day at Kahalu‘u Bay
- It’s in the water: Maui Aquaponics Worker Cooperative
- Advancing Hawai‘i’s organic food industry
The Leaflet: July/August 2013 Newsletter (links to Archives)
- Inspired by creative and compassionate excellence in the Philippines
- The revival of Kahalu‘u Bay
- Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellowship Program welcomes sixth cohort of scholars
- An integrated and innovative approach to water issues
- Growing healthy keiki by growing school garden teachers
The Leaflet: May/June 2013 Newsletter (links to Archives)
- Laulima Center assists a unique, sustainable cooperative
- Cultivating the next generation of Hawai‘i farmers
- Waimea residents band together to combat coqui frogs
- High marks for HI-MOES
- A job well done: Kumu Pa‘a I Ka ‘Āina celebrates its ninth year in Hawai‘i
The Leaflet: March/April 2013 Newsletter (links to Archives)
- Mellon-Hawai‘i Fellows present their work
- A positive step to reduce overfishing
- Investigating “re-localization” on Moloka‘i and Hawai‘i Island
- Valerie Ossipoff joins Board of Directors
- School Learning Garden Symposium to be held in Waimea
- The Kohala Center selected as a 2013 Local Hero by Edible Hawaiian Islands readers!
The Leaflet: December 2012 Newsletter (links to Archives)
- A Magical 2012: Letter from the Executive Director
- Kahaluʻu Bay Education Center Celebrates First Anniversary
- Bee the Change: What is Happening to Our Honeybees?
- Seed Basics Workshops: The Root of Food Security
- BELL Hawai‘i Scholarship Opportunity Back Page
- HI-MOES: Take It Outside