Our Partners
County of Maui, Department of Water Supply
The mission of the Maui County Department of Water Supply (DWS) is to "Provide Clean Water Efficiently." The department is tasked with providing adequate freshwater source, storage, transmission, distribution, and fire protection flows to meet County needs. They serve approximately 35,000 customers on Maui and Molokai in compliance with all state and federal water quality standards.
State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources
The State of Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources, under its Division of Forestry and Wildife, holds over 21,000 acres of land in the Partnership through its Forest Reserve and Natural Area Reserve systems. We have four Natural Area Reserves--Kahakuloa, Honokowai, Pana'ewa, and Lihu'e--which are under the State's highest level of protection for lands. These lands contain rare native vegetation communities that are a testament to the quality of habitat that is found on Mauna Kahalawai. There are also seven sections of the West Maui Forest Reserve within the Partnership which are managed for watershed purposes. All of these lands provide significant ecological services to the people of Maui in the form of water, recreation, and aesthetic resources. Website
Kā'anapali Land Management Corp.
Kaanapali Land Management Corp. currently has 1,200 acres within the Partnership. "As a long-time Kama'aina company, we have seen Maui grow. We have witnessed and understand the opportunities and challenges to
preserve our island's quality of life and we have learned many lessons through the years. The most important of which is involving the community and working together to bring about a brighter future for Maui." With this understanding, KLMC galvanized its support of the Partnership by granting a conservation easement of its mauka lands to The Nature Conservancy, thereby ensuring the perpetual management of the watershed and the protection of its rare species.
Kahoma Land Company L.L.C.
Kahoma Land Company, LLC. is a hui (coalition) primarily made up of Maui residents. Formed in June 2000, this group acquired former sugar cane land adjacent to the Kahoma Valley. Their objective was the long term management and development of several large land tracts and various Land Commission Awards along the Kahoma Stream Channel just north of Lahaina. Kahoma Land Company has several active diversified agricultural enterprises, including a cattle ranch and ecotourism ventures. With more than 690 acres within the Partnership boundaries, Kahoma Land Company's mauka lands are nestled between Natural Area Reserves, providing a vital link for regional conservation efforts.
Wailuku Water Company, L.L.C.
Wailuku Water Company, LLC (WWC) is a successor company to Wailuku Sugar and Wailuku Agribusiness Co Inc., both subsidiaries of C. Brewer Co. Ltd. which have been working on Maui since 1826. Enterprises of old have included sugarcane, macadamia nuts and pineapple to name just a few. Today, WWC delivers water to Maui users for agriculture purposes and limited use by the Department of Water Supply, County of Maui. With over 13,166 acres of watershed land, the company appreciates the link between the native Hawaiian forest and the waters which emerge from it. Four principal streams including Waiheʻe, Waiehu, ʻĪao, and Waikapū run through the property. Collectively they are called Nā Wai ʻEhā, or the Four Great Waters.
Associate Partners
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Other Contributing Entities
Kamehameha Schools
Within MKWP, Kamehameha Schools owns an approximately 1,000-acre tract of land above Lahaina Town that stretches up to the summit of Puʻu Kukui. Waters from this area, known as Paunau, help support the Lahana community.
Established in 1887 by the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Paki Bishop, a direct descendent of Kamehameha the Great, the Bishop Estate is the largest private land holding in the State of Hawaiʻi. Income from the trust is used to operate a college preparatory program for students from preschool through the twelfth grade. Part of Kamehameha Schools’ mission includes protecting the environment and recognizing the significant cultural value of the land, the flora and the fauna.
Makila Land Company, L.L.C.
The Makila Land Co., LLC project area encompasses 4,500 acres of land stretching from the Honoapi'ilani Highway to the peaks of West Maui Mountains. Of the 4,500 acres, 2,000 acres are set aside for conservation and contain many endangered species and rare dry land forest communities. Other land holdings are designated for agriculture.
Existing agricultural projects include agricultural subdivisions and cattle operations. The Makila subdivisions have extensive hiking, horseback riding and cycling trail system that are interconnected to neighboring projects, Mahanalua Nui and Pu'unoa. Makila continues to explore long range plans to establish a small village within the Makila lands to serve the existing and future community.
All lots in Makila are served by the Launiupoko Water Company, Inc. and Launiupoko Irrigation Company, Inc., both of which are private water companies managed by West Maui Land Company and regulated by the Public Utilities Commission.
Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc.
Maui Land & Pineapple Company Inc. (ML&P) is a land holding and operating company primarily dedicated to agriculture and resort operations. ML&P owns approximately 21,903 acres in West Maui, on which it operates the Kapalua Resort community and cultivates and processes approximately 3,107 acres of pineapple. In West Maui, ML&P also owns and manages the 8,304 acre Pu'u Kukui Watershed Preserve, which is the largest private nature preserve in the state of Hawai'i. They also manage 3,307 of Makai Conservation lands (below Puʻu Kukui)
The ML&P vision is to create and manage holistic communities that integrate agriculture, wise stewardship of natural resources and eco-effective design principles to build a sustainable future for Maui.
The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. Here in West Maui, TNC manages the Kapunakea Preserve, a 1,263-acre tract of beautiful native forest. With 11 different native natural communities, Kapunakea exemplifies the extraordinary concentration of biological diversity that is Hawai'i. Though only a small piece in the MKWP puzzle of contiguous protected watershed forest, Kapunakea supports a wide array of communities ranging from dry lowland forest at around 1,000 feet to wet montane forests and bogs at 5,400 feet near the summit. Among these are the rare ʻōhiʻa mixed montane bog and lowland mesic forests.
