Limu Hui Coordinator

Overview

Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA) seeks a full time dedicated and passionate Limu Hui Coordinator to join our team. The Coordinator role combines a passion for environmental stewardship, community engagement, and cultural preservation with a focus on limu (native seaweed) and supporting a network of limu practitioners.

About KUA

“Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo” stands for “grassroots growing through shared responsibility,” and our acronym “KUA” means “backbone.” Our mission is to connect and empower communities to improve their quality of life together through the collective care for their biocultural (natural and cultural) heritage, serving as a “backbone organization” that supports creative, community-driven solutions to problems stemming from environmental degradation. Our shared vision is to once again experience what our kūpuna (ancestors) referred to as ʻĀINA MOMONA – abundant and healthy ecological systems that sustain our community resilience and well-being.

Currently KUA supports three major networks of:(1) over 40 mālama ʻāina (caring for our ʻāina or “that which feeds”) community groups collectively referred to as E Alu Pū (moving forward together); (2) over 60 loko iʻa (fishpond aquaculture systems unique to Hawaiʻi) and wai ‘ōpae (anchialine pool systems) sites in varying stages of restoration and development, with numerous caretakers, stakeholders, and volunteers known as the Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa (“caretakers of fishponds”);

and (3) the Limu Hui made up of over 50 loea (experts) and practitioners dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and revitalization of the knowledge, practice, and abundance of limu.

Community Engagement & Education

• Organize, facilitate and execute annual Limu Hui gatherings focused on perpetuating traditional and local knowledge and practices concerning limu, its cultural purposes and usage, and its restoration and conservation.
• Support and build partnerships that raise awareness of Native Hawaiian seaweed species and their ecological importance to all of Hawaiʻi with government, schools, local communities and organizations etc to support the Limu Hui and the perpetuation of limu knowledge and restoration efforts.
• Coordinate smaller Limu Hui or other network activities such as leadership groups, potential research or workdays and community exchanges.
• Develop relationships and partnerships that support empowering and educating KUA and the Limu Hui about contemporary issues and challenges regarding Limu and associated issues.

Project Management

• Select, plan and execute projects in collaboration with the Limu Hui and partners.
• Maintain project timelines and ensure deliverables are met within budget constraints
• Document project progress through reports, photography, and data collection
• Coordinate with regulatory agencies and other for necessary permits and compliance as necessary
• Integrate traditional Hawaiian knowledge (ʻike kupuna) with contemporary conservation practices
• Promote sustainable harvesting practices and traditional management protocols
• Support community-based resource management initiatives
• Advocate for environmental stewardship and conservation policies

Required

• Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university, with the major area of study such as Environmental Studies, Marine Biology, Biology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology or Hawaiian Studies; at least three years of related experience in the study of limu; or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience
  :
  An understanding of local communities in Hawai‘i as demonstrated through time working and living in Hawai‘i; knowledge of Hawaiian language, culture, and protocol strongly preferred.
• Mindset: willingness and ability to support, work with, and learn from team members to acquire working knowledge across disciplines, networks and other aspects of organizational needs.
• Strong communication skills in both English and Hawaiian (preferred)
• Working Knowledge of Hawaiian culture and traditional resource management practices
• Ability to work outdoors in marine environments and varying weather conditions

Preferred

• Experience with seaweed/algae use, identification and…