THE BIG ISLAND, HAWAI'Imaking it better
ride like you live here
When you ride Hawai‘i Island, you become part of this place, even if only for a little while.
This page highlights local nonprofits and community organizations working to protect the ʻāina, preserve Hawai‘i Island’s natural and cultural resources, and care for the landscapes we’re lucky to ride through. Learn more, get involved, and consider supporting the people doing the work to make Hawai‘i Island better.
Hui Aloha Kiholo
The mission of Hui Aloha Kiholo is to preserve Kīholo Bay, located within the greater Kīholo State Park Reserve in North Kona. Our Hoa ʻĀina (friends of the land) team has a physical presence on the ground, seven days a week. In collaboration with our partners, the Hoa ʻĀina team monitors and protects natural and cultural resources, engages with and educates visitors, and manages camping.
The Nature Conservancy — Hawai'i
The Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i works with federal, state, and private partners to protect more than 200,000 acres that shelter native species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. The Conservancy’s newest preserve, the 5,821-acre Kona Hema Preserve, protects part of an ancient koa & ohi`a forest that spans more than 100,000 acres along the leeward coast of the Island of Hawai`i. Here on the slopes of Mauna Loa fly the endangered Hawaiian hawk, or `io, the Hawaiian hoary bat, and globally unique native songbird species: the `apapane, `i`iwi, `elepaio, and `amakihi. The Conservancy is now working with neighboring landowners to create a model for achieving large-scale forest restoration along the entire Kona Coast.
Kohala Watershed Partnership is a coalition of private landowners and public land managers dedicated to restoring and protecting the native forested watersheds of Kohala Mountain. It is estimated that half of Hawai‘i’s forests have been lost to deforestation, with the remainder threatened by non-native plants and animals. Through fenced preserves, management of pigs and axis deer, control of invasive plants, and restoration native forests, the Partnership’s projects ensure that both native ecosystems and human communities in North Hawai‘i have an abundant supply of fresh water, and protect downslope coastal ecosystems.