LAHAINA — The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) native planting kit distribution began during the pandemic to get people involved with the organization’s restoration work from home.

If you received one of these kits, CORAL is ready to collect the plants and prepare them for out planting in field sites.

If you are interested in receiving an additional kit or you are new and looking to participate, e-mail Makayla Richmond at mrichmond@coral.org to reserve a kit.

Planting kit pick-up and drop-off is scheduled for Friday, April 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 16, from 8 a.m. to noon at the CORAL Greenhouse located at the sunflower fields. CORAL is on a mission to save the world’s coral reefs.

“We work with communities and partners around the world to keep coral reefs healthy so they can thrive for generations to come,” the group noted.

“Our current focus area is in Wahikuli, where we are working to restore degraded agricultural lands with natural solutions to trap sediment before it reaches our coral reefs.

“This nature-based solution is intended to restore the entire ahupua’a, from the degraded areas of the dryland forest to protecting our streams and nearshore coral reef habitats from sedimentation.”

In West Maui, CORAL’s work focuses on restoring natural filtration processes within watersheds to prevent land-based water pollution from degrading reefs.

High levels of sediment runoff can reduce corals’ access to sunlight by smothering them, negatively impacting reef health. High nutrients cause algal blooms that can overtake coral and promote coral disease.

“We take a ‘ridge to reef’ approach to restore the natural function of an ahupua’a (watershed) to filter stormwater and absorb nutrients, sediments and other chemicals,” CORAL explained.

Find out more about the Coral Reef Alliance’s work at coral.org.