The Fix for Baldwin Beach Has Been Growing at the Lower Pāʻia End Since 2013

This summer Kapukaʻulua, also called H.A. Baldwin Beach Park, picked up flush-cut ironwood stumps, barriers around new planting areas near the main entrance and signs asking beachgoers to keep out of marked zones. The County of Maui's Department of Parks and Recreation laid this out as a phased schedule from late July into September, with one last phase to be scheduled after bird-nesting season in November. The plan for that work was tested at the east end of the park, near the Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center. Low vines and grasses planted there years ago built the sand up high enough that waves no longer reach into the park. Each change around the main beach this fall is an attempt to repeat that result along the rest of the shore.

The proof is at Lower Pāʻia Park

According to Maui Now's January 2026 report, local dune planting at the Pāʻia Youth & Cultural Center began in 2013. The ʻakiʻaki grass planted there helped the ground gain height, and the waves stopped washing into the park. Owens of UH Sea Grant, who is working on the Baldwin project, told The Maui News this July that the youth center site is the model for everything that comes after it.

"It's a good model for what we hope the endpoint would be for all of Kapukaʻulua. We've gained a lot of elevation there, and now the waves don't wash into the park."

Three plants did that work, and they are the same three now going into the ground around the main beach. Pōhuehue is beach morning glory, ʻakulikuli is a low succulent ground cover, and ʻakiʻaki is a grass. All are native vines and grasses adapted to the shoreline. They hold the dunes in place and catch sand as it blows across the beach. The project prefers planted ground cover to sand fencing because over time it needs less upkeep.

Why the ironwoods are coming down

The ironwoods behind Baldwin have shaded the sand for as long as most people can remember, so their removal is the most visible change. The reasoning is simple. Owens told The Maui News that some of the trees were close to falling, and that their fallen needles keep plants from growing underneath. Without those plants, no dune can form. Her own summary was blunt: "Basically, they're destructive."

The project's restoration strategy names ironwood and other invasive trees for phased removal. It also calls for clearing hau and concrete rubble in Zone 1. The project's implementation FAQ estimates that about 80 standing and fallen invasive trees may be removed.

The stumps are cut flat for a reason. The County release says the trees are being cut to ground level, with no digging or grinding, to limit environmental and cultural impacts. The County's Department of ʻŌiwi Resources leads cultural and archaeological monitoring under a plan reviewed by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and approved by the State Historic Preservation Division. Biologists also check that no species of concern are present while work is underway.

Sand that leaves the beach doesn't come back on its own

The trees are only part of it. UH Sea Grant's Maui Dune Program says Kapukaʻulua has some of the highest erosion rates on Maui. It traces the cause to a history of sand mining, invasive plants, changing coastal conditions and a lack of targeted management. All of these have disrupted the natural sand movement that dunes need to grow.

The Maui News report pins down where along the beach this happens. The old lime kiln and the wall beside it reflect wave energy and stop the dunes from moving naturally. Owens explained that rock revetment boulders block sand that would otherwise travel from east to west, leaving a shortage of sand at that spot. The same erosion led the County to remove the former pavilion two summers before that July 2026 article. In October 2024, Surfrider Foundation's Maui Chapter brought 40 volunteers to plant 1,000 native plants on the old pavilion footprint.

That is why the marked footpaths matter. Part of the plan is to route beach access around the roped-off planting areas. Project materials say set paths protect the dune plants and keep foot traffic from opening channels that carry wind-blown sand off the beach.

Timing makes all of this matter more now. The Maui News noted that Baldwin is near its widest in spring and summer and starts to narrow around September. By early October, a morning walk covers the thinner beach of the year, and the young plantings face their first full winter season.

The plan also changed after people spoke up. Owens said the team has met with community members and cultural advisors since 2018. After feedback from the Maui Burial Council, a proposal to reshape a bank of exposed clay was dropped. A proposal to move sand from the top of a dune blowout near Maui Country Club back to the main park was paused after community discomfort. The team decided to stay with what she called "plants, pathways and perimeters."

The summer schedule, matched to where you walk

The County published its schedule on July 15, 2026, and marked it as subject to change with the weather. Neither the County nor the project's StoryMap has confirmed whether each phase finished on time. Read the dates below as the plan.

The project's conceptual plan covers much more than the summer work. Its zones run west from Lower Pāʻia Park and Kinney Beach, through the main beach, the ironwood forest and the dune blowouts, to Wawau Point at Baby Beach. At Baby Beach, the existing restoration area is in the monitoring and oversight stage. Hawaiʻi Sea Grant leads the project with the County Parks Department, working from seven restoration zones. A National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant from its National Coastal Resilience Fund pays for it. The County release also names the Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter as a collaborator. The Maui News also lists Eco Management and Design Services as a partner.

What's still on the calendar this fall

Volunteer counts show how the work adds up. On Oct. 20, 2025, the County and UH Sea Grant invited volunteers to plant 750 pōhuehue, ʻakiʻaki and ʻakulikuli at Lower Pāʻia Park. The implementation FAQ puts the total so far at nearly 2,000 native plants at the youth center and Baldwin, with about 3,000 more planned for the restoration pockets. The fenced pockets at the entrance are meant to hold far more plants than they do today.

Here is what's still ahead:

1. The final tree work. Pruning and flush cutting in areas where sensitive species may be present is held until after bird-nesting season in November. As of the County's July release, it had no date.
2. A planting celebration with an unconfirmed date. Sea Grant's Maui Dune Program page lists a Two-Year Planting Celebration and Stewardship Showcase on Oct. 24, 2026. The project's StoryMap lists the same event on Nov. 13, 2026. Neither page gives a time or meeting place, so the date is best confirmed through the project email list.
3. Monthly observation meetings. Community members and project partners meet once a month to record seasonal changes along the shoreline, and those notes help shape each phase.
4. Volunteer days. Surfrider Maui's events page requires sign-up for each event. When checked, it showed no Baldwin workdays posted for the rest of 2026.

Sea Grant posted a recording of its March 2026 "Talk Story" implementation update and links its email sign-up from the same page. That list is the most direct way to learn the final-phase dates and the celebration details once they are set. Our earlier posts on the Twin Falls resident rules and the Paia gym redesign follow other North Shore projects with their own public calendars.

We'll keep following the dune work at Kapukaʻulua as the final phase gets a date. If you'd like to talk about the North Shore, from the Baldwin shoreline to the streets around Paia Town, Kate and Wendy Peterson are happy to meet you on the North Shore. Visit our North Shore and Paia neighborhood page or reach out to schedule a showing.