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Stephanie Salmons

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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Maunalua in 2017, coming from a career with 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

“I wanted to be more on the ground and restoration was high on my to-do list,” he told Aloha State Daily.

Harper said he oversees an annual budget of $3.5 million, leading a team of six full-time and 14 part time staff members, in addition to thousands of volunteers and contractors, all working to restore more than 20 acres of Maunalua Bay on O’ahu.

“Our work is rooted in aloha ʻāina and powered by people," he said, adding that marine conservation, coral research and restoration is "about community, culture and legacy.”

Since 2005, the organization has achieved many milestones including:

When ASD spoke with Harper last week, he had just received an email from one of his federal contacts that a grant for the nonprofit’s nearshore restoration project, 

, had been cut. The program supports large-scale community events for removing invasive algae.

“It’s not the first time, unfortunately,” he said. “We rely heavily on private donors, and we have been fortunate in receiving federal funding in the past, but now there’s a lot of uncertainty.”

Harper added, “When we have a line of funding cut, our federal contact will let us know either that the funding has been frozen, or it’ll be outright, 'We don’t have the money anymore, consider this gone.’”

He said from there, it’s about “doing a hard look” at the scope of the project to keep “moving it forward on a shoestring budget, while also looking for those private and local government funders to help cover some of the gap.”

When asked what the organization’s biggest need is now, Harper said funding and volunteer support.

“Because the programs that are showing success are having to be pulled back or outright cut, that is a major concern. Having individuals, nonprofit foundations and local government step up is really important, so that all the resources that have been committed to us already, are not wasted." 

His advice to someone new to the conservation field? “Be willing to listen – it’s a willingness to recognize that there are lots of different viewpoints and interests, and they aren’t necessarily less valid because they’re not yours.”

Leaving a legacy of impact in this neighborhood and beyond is Harper’s long-term goal for Mālama Maunalua.

“It’s been a very successful 20 years. We’ve gone from a concept that was hatched literally on a person’s lanai of the need to restore Maunalua Bay to a multi-million-dollar organization … as one of the leaders in conservation implementing cutting edge science.  

“My hope is that people can mimic what our organization is doing in other regions to affect positive change.”

 to learn more, and follow Mālama Maunalua on 

June is National Ocean Month. Know of other local ocean conservation nonprofits making a difference in their communities? Email kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.

Malama Maunalua team

<title>🚧 Nonprofit persists in ocean conservation work despite federal funding cuts</title>

Mālama Maunalua Executive Director Doug Harper shares with ASD about the organization’s ongoing initiatives to restore Maunalua Bay. During the interview, he received word that a grant from the federal government supporting invasive algae removal would not be awarded — and that wasn’t the first time.

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Stephanie Salmons

Senior Reporter

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Here's a test article for Stephanie

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