ʻIole Stewardship Center

The nonprofit organization Kohala Institute manages about 2,400 acres in North Kohala including one of the island’s few remaining intact ahupuaa, called Iole. Ahupuaa – traditional pie-shaped land divisions stretching from the mountain to the ocean – reflect balanced natural resource management practices employed by Hawaii’s indigenous peoples which enabled them to sustain their thriving communities. Having an entire ahupuaa with a single owner in today’s world, and being able to utilize its system of natural resources, is rare.