How a $4 million donation from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan, helped preserve a 600-year-old Hawaiian pond | Today’s news
Once, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg volunteered to save a 600-year-old pond in Hawaii. Alakoko Pond, also known as Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, was reportedly at risk of development until it became a permanent community conservation site thanks to a major $4 million donation from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiatives.
About Alakoko Pond
Covering 102 acres in Niumalu near Līhuʻe on Kauaʻi, the preserved pond has a 2,700-foot kuapa, or pond wall. It is said to be the largest remaining pond on Kauaʻi. The property was purchased by The Trust for Public Land on November 17, 2021 and then transferred to the community-based non-profit Mālama Hulē’ia for community and cultural stewardship.
Conservation efforts reportedly gained momentum after Alakoko and its surrounding 102 acres went on the market in January 2021. The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Mālama Hulē’ia joined forces to protect the area and seek public funding for its acquisition. More than 5,500 people are said to have signed up to support permanent protection. Community members and organizations also joined the movement. However, it was one gift that secured the future of the site
How did Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg help?
When the landowner offered to sell the property, TPL turned to private donors. That’s when Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg donated $4 million through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Foundation Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, Hawaii News Now reported.
Although the donation was made to purchase the property, a Hawaii news outlet reported that Zuckerberg-Chan does not own the pond.
Interestingly, the couple has an estate on the north shore of Kauai.
what’s next
According to a Times of India report, official documentation ensured that the land would be used for conservation, education and community purposes. The protected pond is also said to be part of Native Hawaiian history and traditional aquaculture.
Community-led restoration efforts are said to be aimed at reviving ecological health, strengthening cultural ties and providing opportunities for future generations to learn about the place’s significance.
Alakoko, around 600 years old, is said to have historically been used to produce fish and limu, or seaweed. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, it was named one of Hawaii’s Most Endangered Historic Sites in 2009 due to environmental degradation and development-related issues.
However, the pond has deteriorated over the years, mainly due to encroaching mangroves in the area. It is adjacent to the Hulēʻia National Wildlife Refuge, making it also part of a larger wetland ecosystem supporting Hawaii’s native species and endangered waterfowl.
The plan is said to be to restore Alakoko as a working pond and outdoor classroom.
