HONOLULU (HI Now) - What happens mauka always reaches makai, and in Hawaiʻi that connection can decide the health of our reefs, fishponds, wetlands, and communities. At Heʻeia, research is not something done to a place, it is built with the people who care for it every day. That community engaged approach is at the heart of the work featured with the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve, with support from the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly.
Shimi Rii, Ph.D., assistant specialist faculty at HIMB and research coordinator at Heʻeia NERR, is helping answer the real questions that ʻāina stewards are asking. How does water move through the ahupuaʻa, what is in it, and how fast is it changing? Her team tracks water quality in Kāneʻohe Bay using sensors that record key health signals over time, giving insight after storms and flooding, and helping us understand long term shifts like sea level rise and ocean acidification. They also collect samples like environmental DNA to identify which species are present across the watershed and nearshore waters.
What makes this work stand out is the relationship. Before research begins, students and scientists show up for stewardship, putting in sweat equity to build pilina with the land, water, and people. The result is shared learning, shared access, and research that builds year after year, blending high tech monitoring with place based, Indigenous led knowledge. That same science is also shaping the bigger picture, informing statewide strategies that connect streams, beaches, and coastal waters, and supporting efforts to return more flow to Heʻeia Stream for wetlands, loʻi kalo, fishpond practices, and climate resilience.
Learn more about Heʻeia NERR and join a workday at heeianerr.org and to explore HIMB and sign up for updates, visit himb.hawaii.edu.
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