POLOLŪ STEWARDSHIP
Our Pololū stewards Sarah Pule-Fujii, Paul Ishikuro, and Ryan Lafferty protect Pololū with aloha day in and day out.
Since launching in 2021, our stewardship program continues to grow strong.
Photo: Jackson Bauer, Nā Ala Hele Trails (DLNR)
At the heart of Protect Pololū is a deep kuleana to care for this sacred valley and its people. Our Pololū Trail Stewardship Program is one way we practice that kuleana every day—by greeting visitors with aloha, sharing moʻolelo (stories), and guiding folks to walk respectfully on this ʻāina kūpuna (ancestral land).
Pololū Valley is a beautiful and powerful place—but with beauty comes responsibility.
As more people visit, we’ve seen:
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Overcrowded trails and unsafe hiking
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People walking through sacred burial areas
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Trash and damage to native plants
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Emergency rescues in dangerous ocean conditions
The Pololū Trail Stewardship Program was created in 2022 to protect Pololū, care for visitors, and uplift community voices. It’s not about keeping people out—it’s about helping them come in the right way, with respect and awareness.
This program is a collaboration between lineal descendants of Pololū, Makanikahiō, and neighboring ahupuaʻa, along with the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, KUPU, and Nā Ala Hele Trails and Access Program. With visitor numbers rising, our focus is on education and mālama ʻāina to protect this sacred place.
Our stewards are rooted in aloha for Pololū and are present daily to support both the ʻāina and those who come to visit. Help us continue this work.
Meet Pololu Stewards
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Pololu Visitor, March 2023
"This is a hearfelt thank you to Paul and Sarah and the EMTs out of Kapaa and all the volunteers at the trailhead for saving me from heat exhaustion and stroke. We have hiked and respectfully admired the valley on our visits for more than a decade of coming to the Big Island and had never experienced weather like that. Paul and Sarah were kind enough to call us that evening also. Paul also shared about the Protect Pololū mission and I edcuated myself further on the cultural and land use issues confronting your community, of which were were unaware. Your work is important. Thank you so so much!"