{"id":221104,"date":"2026-09-09T12:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T12:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/221104\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T12:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T12:32:12","slug":"mark-zuckerberg-and-priscilla-chan-gave-4-million-to-save-a-600-year-old-hawaiian-fishpond-from-development-now-the-102-acre-historic-site-will-remain-protected-for-the-community-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/221104\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan gave $4 million to save a 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond from development\u2014now the 102-acre historic site will remain protected for the community forever"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond<\/a> that once faced the possibility of development has been permanently protected, thanks in part to a $4 million charitable gift from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg<\/a> and Priscilla Chan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alakoko Fishpond<\/a>, also known as Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, covers 102 acres in Niumalu near L\u012bhu\u02bbe on Kaua\u02bbi<\/a>. The historic site features a remarkable 2,700-foot-long kuap\u0101, or fishpond wall, and is the largest remaining fishpond on Kaua\u02bbi. The 600-year-old Alakoko Fishpond, also known as the Menehune Fishpond, is located just outside Lihue.
The Trust for Public Land purchased the property in November 2021 before transferring it to the community-based nonprofit M\u0101lama Hul\u0113\u2018ia<\/a>. The deed ensures the land will remain dedicated to conservation, education and community purposes in perpetuity.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ:She memorized 200+ Taylor Swift songs: Now this 18-year-old Los Angeles girl has won $100,000 for her quantum physics research<\/a>A $4 million gift helped save the historic fishpondThe future of Alakoko became uncertain when the property was placed on the market in January 2021. Conservation groups and community members feared that the culturally important landscape could eventually be developed.
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The Trust for Public Land and M\u0101lama Hul\u0113\u2018ia had already been working to protect the site and were seeking public funding to purchase it. More than 5,500 people signed an online statement supporting permanent protection, while hundreds of residents and organisations submitted written testimony.
The Kaua\u02bbi County Open Space Commission unanimously supported the project in February 2021. But with the property already for sale, conservation groups also turned to private philanthropy.ALSO READ: In 1972, Florida dumped 2 million tires into the ocean to build the world\u2019s largest man-made reef; decades later, the military had to remove them<\/a><\/p>\n

Chan and Zuckerberg then committed $4 million through the Chan Zuckerberg Kaua\u02bbi Community Fund of the Hawai\u02bbi Community Foundation.<\/p>\n

The donation provided funding for the conservation purchase, transaction expenses and support for the work of the Trust for Public Land and M\u0101lama Hul\u0113\u2018ia, helping the acquisition move forward.<\/p>\n

A 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpondAlakoko is believed to date back roughly six centuries. It is a traditional Hawaiian loko kuap\u0101, a type of fishpond enclosed by a wall. Its 2,700-foot kuap\u0101 remains the defining feature of the site.\"Alakoko<\/p>\n

The future of Alakoko became uncertain when the property was placed on the market in January 2021<\/p>\n

The fishpond is also known as Menehune Fishpond because Hawaiian legends say the Menehune, described in traditional stories as skilled builders, constructed it. That story is part of the site’s cultural tradition rather than a literal archaeological account. A nonprofit called Malama Huleia had been taking care of the 102-acre property.<\/p>\n

For generations, Alakoko provided fish and limu, or seaweed, while representing a traditional Hawaiian approach to food production and natural-resource management.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Meta\u2019s free Muse AI app can do more than answer questions, and you can use it through WhatsApp too<\/a><\/p>\n

Years of neglect damaged the ecosystemThe fishpond deteriorated over decades as invasive mangroves spread through the area. The mangroves eventually covered parts of the fishpond and interfered with native ecosystems and species.<\/p>\n

Alakoko is located next to the Hul\u0113\u02bbia National Wildlife Refuge, forming part of a wider wetland and estuary environment that supports native fish, limu, coastal vegetation and endangered Hawaiian water birds.<\/p>\n

The site’s importance has been recognised for decades. Alakoko was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 2009, the Historic Hawai\u02bbi Foundation named it one of Hawai\u02bbi’s most endangered historic places because of environmental degradation and development concerns.<\/p>\n

The land is now under community stewardshipThe Trust for Public Land completed the purchase on November 17, 2021, before transferring the property to M\u0101lama Hul\u0113\u2018ia. Chan and Zuckerberg did not become owners of the fishpond. Their charitable contribution helped make it possible for the land to be acquired and placed under long-term community stewardship.\"Mark<\/p>\n

Alakoko Fishpond, also known as Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, covers 102 acres in Niumalu near L\u012bhu\u02bbe on Kaua\u02bbi<\/p>\n

M\u0101lama Hul\u0113\u2018ia had already spent years working with the community to restore the fishpond, surrounding wetlands and estuary. The organisation now plans to continue that work while preserving the area’s cultural significance.A working fishpond and outdoor classroomThe long-term vision is to restore Alakoko as a working fishpond, where fish and seafood can once again be raised and harvested.<\/p>\n

The site is also expected to become an outdoor classroom where students can learn about traditional Hawaiian aquaculture, native ecosystems, history and culture.<\/p>\n

The restoration will be a multi-generational effort. Rather than preserving Alakoko simply as an old landmark, M\u0101lama Hul\u0113\u2018ia wants future generations to actively learn from and care for the site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond that once faced the possibility of development has been permanently protected, thanks in part…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[154],"tags":[98984,98982,98954,98983,98981,45814,98958,618,7387],"class_list":["post-221104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mark-zuckerberg","tag-4-million-donation","tag-600-year-old-fishpond","tag-alakoko-fishpond","tag-hawaii-conservation","tag-hawaiian-fishpond","tag-kauai","tag-malama-huleia","tag-mark-zuckerberg","tag-priscilla-chan"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/117241102519318611","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}