At 808 Cleanups, we put volunteers in the pilot seat. Our goal is to empower and instill a sense of stewardship, supporting them as they initiate and organize their own cleanups and environmental efforts.

 

Reese Liggett played a pivotal role in convincing the city to protect and recover the natural and cultural features of Wāwāmalu Beach, an undeveloped city park land near Sandy Beach Park. He designed a boulder barrier system to keep off-road vehicles away from the land and worked with District 4 council member Tommy Waters and local officials to bring his vision to reality. 

 

There were thousands of boulders leftover from when Henry Kaiser developed Hawaii Kai, stored nearby across the highway from the Hawaii Kai golf course on state land. In January 2022, Mayor Blangiardi presided at a Hawaiian blessing after the city moved the boulders into place.

 

Now that trucks no longer cruise the area, nature has taken over and native plants are spreading throughout the dune section. Volunteers from Sierra Club and 808 Cleanups have worked tirelessly to remove invasive species such as buffel grass and koa haole. With the removal of invasive species, native plants have space to thrive. 

 

Join Reese and other volunteers every Tuesday from 4-6 at the 808 Cleanups site “Kaiwi and Irma's Restoration” or join a Sierra Club Outing on the third Sunday of the month.