Trails across Hawaii Island will soon get an upgrade as the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is partnering with nonprofit Kupu to start work this fall to make improvements at several sites.

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Trails across Hawaii Island will soon get an upgrade as the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is partnering with nonprofit Kupu to start work this fall to make improvements at several sites.

A main focus of the work will be to modify trails to meet modern day best practices, which Jackson Bauer, the Hawaii Island program manager of the Na Ala Hele trail access program of DLNR, said many currently do not.

“A lot of the trails on this island were built in a different model, but today, there’s kind of this international standard called sustainable trail standards,” Bauer said. “In the end, if you build the trail right, the trail doesn’t require very much maintenance in the long run.”

Last year, DLNR brought in several experts to evaluate and provide recommendations for Big Island trails. Tony Boone, one of those experts, based in Colorado, and a longtime member of the Professional TrailBuilders Association, specializes in sustainable trail building.

“A sustainable trail is one that requires minimal maintenance over the long term, minimal impact to the flora and fauna, minimal soil erosion, and provides a high quality visitor experience,” Boone said.

He said this is especially important in environments like Hawaii.

“If you have a trail that’s not sustainable … it’s almost impossible to maintain it in Hawaii, just from the soils and the rain, it’s such a challenging climate there, and the topography — that makes it really essentially difficult,” Boone said. “And obviously, anytime you’re around the ocean and you have unsustainable trails and they get rutted and the soil runs off and goes into the ocean and covers marine life and coral, obviously, that’s not good.”

Among the trails Boone helped evaluate, which will be the focus of the upcoming work, are sections of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail as well as Kalopa and Makaula ‘O‘oma trails.

In addition to improving the island’s trail system, Bauer said DLNR hopes to foster outdoor recreation professionals by using this work as an opportunity for workforce development, which is where the partnership with the nonprofit Kupu comes in.

Under a contract for the work, which was awarded earlier this year, Kupu will hire, train and employ three crew members and a crew leader on Hawaii Island.

“One of the things that stood out in their proposal was their track record for that kind of workplace, workforce development,” Bauer said. “In Hawaii, we don’t really have a cadre of outdoor recreation professionals when it comes to trail workers and things like that … so, this is a good opportunity to start to develop that cadre and develop the workforce.”

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Kupu chief operating officer Matthew Bauer (no relation to Jackson) said the opportunity aligns closely with the organization’s mission of engaging young people in the state in environmental work.

“Conservation and natural resources creates a great access point for young people to engage in work that’s meaningful in Hawaii,” he said. “I think it’s really important for people that are here, and people who want to call Hawaii home long term, to have that opportunity to connect with the environment. And at the same time, you know, it’s a valuable career option here in Hawaii.”

As part of the trail crew, Matthew Bauer said participants will earn chainsaw certifications and be trained in using other tools as well as wilderness first aid, volunteer management and plant identification.

He said that while prior experience is a plus, it’s not necessary to be considered for the positions.

“It would be great if someone had trail experience, but I think probably more of a willingness to be outdoors and to work on trails is probably most important,” he said. “Trail work isn’t easy, it’s hard. … But it’s super rewarding because you get to see your work at the end of the day and what you were able to do.”

He said that Kupu is working on bringing Boone, the trail expert, back out to help train the new crew and share his expertise.

“Tony Boone is nationally recognized as one of the best sustainable trail builders in the U.S.,” Matthew Bauer said. “When we have him come in, he’s bringing like 40 years of trail experience and support.”

Boone said he is looking forward to the opportunity and hopes to use it to spread his passion for trail building and the outdoors with the next generation.

“Proper, sustainable trail planning, design, construction and a routine maintenance program is our best way to protect our cultural and natural resources for future generations,” he said. “And I also believe that it’s one of the best ways to get youth and new folks into the outdoors, so they also become stewards, and they also have a desire to protect Mother Earth, or in Hawaiian, Papahanaumoku.”

Applications for the trail crew positions are expected to be open in coming months, with work tentatively scheduled to begin in October and last for a period of eight months.

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Email Grace Inez Adams at [email protected].