On a sunny January morning, the Blue'Aina team assembled with the Hawaiian Paddle Sports crew to help clean the reef at Mala Wharf in Lahaina. Mala is one of our favorite sites to clean since the rivermouth provides a constant stream of debris, and it's always great to scour the reef and return with a bag full of trash. 

Aside from the river mouth and the small boat harbor, Mala is also home to one of the nicest surf breaks on the West Side of Maui. As the corporate sponsor of this Blue'Aina event, Hawaiian Paddle Sports donated $500 to the folks at Surfrider Maui and $500 to the West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership. In addition to organizing beach cleanups and events, Surfrider is involved in the Rise Above Plastics campaign and has a parallel goal of combating marine debris. Meanwhile, the West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership is heavily focused on natural resource management and protecting the watershed that rises above the shoreline. Representatives from both organizations were on board to talk about their projects, and it was an inspiring morning of like-minded activism towards protecting our reefs and shorelines.

Mahalo to all of our dedicated volunteers who continue to make the cleanups a success, and be sure to check out these other organizations that are making a difference on Maui. Aloha, and a hui hou...