Mo'omomi
Encyclopedia
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
preserve located on the northwestern shore of Molakai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. This area is dry and hot, primarily denuded of soil due to overgrazing
Overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or by overpopulations of native or non-native wild animals.Overgrazing reduces the...
and poor land use practices over the last 150 years.
Moomomi preserve protects some of the very last intact coastal shrublands
Hawaiian tropical low shrublands
The Hawaiian tropical low shrublands are a tropical savanna ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. These shrublands cover an area of in the leeward lowlands of the main islands and most of the smaller islands, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The ecoregion includes both grasslands and...
in Hawaii. The Moomomi preserve contains sand dunes, lithified sand formations, rare endemic Hawaiian coastal plant species, nesting seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s and green sea turtle
Green Sea Turtle
The Green sea turtle or green turtle is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
s (Chelonia mydas), and the occasional Hawaiian monk seal
Hawaiian Monk Seal
The Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi, is an endangered species of earless seal in the Phocidae family that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands....
(Monachus schauinslandi).
Within the preserve, 22 native plant species can be found including akoko (Euphorbia skottsbergii
Euphorbia skottsbergii
Euphorbia skottsbergii is a rare species of flowering plant in the euphorb family known by the common names coastal sandmat and Skottsberg's broomspurge. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is found in coastal shrublands on Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Kahoolawe...
), nehe (Lipochaeta
Lipochaeta
Lipochaeta is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae.-Selected species:*Lipochaeta connata DC. – Nehe *Lipochaeta degeneri Sherff – Molokai Nehe...
integrifolia), Tetramolopium
Tetramolopium
Tetramolopium is a genus of plants in the composite family . About 25 species are native to New Guinea, eleven species are found in Hawaii, and one in the Cook Islands, with the island populations apparently representing a recent colonization...
rockii
Tetramolopium rockii
Tetramolopium rockii is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name dune tetramolopium. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Molokai. It is threatened by habitat destruction and degradation caused by deer, cattle, introduced species...
, hinahina kū kahakai (Heliotropium anomalum var. argenteum
Heliotropium anomalum
Heliotropium anomalum is a species of flowering shrub in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, Christmas Island, Saipan, Tinian, Wake Island and New Caledonia. Common names include Polynesian Heliotrope, Pacific Heliotrope and Hinahina kū kahakai . H. a. var...
), kolokolo kahakai (Vitex rotundifolia
Vitex rotundifolia
Vitex rotundifolia is a species of Vitex that is native to seashores throughout the Pacific. Its range includes continents and islands stretching from India east to Hawaii and from Korea south to Australia. This woody perennial plant typically grows approximately 1 m in height. It has a sprawling...
), pōhuehue (Ipomoea pes-caprae brasiliensis
Ipomoea pes-caprae
Ipomoea pes-caprae, also known as Beach Morning Glory or Goat's Foot, is a common pantropical creeping vine belonging to the family Convolvulaceae. It grows on the upper parts of beaches and endures salted air. It is one of the most common and most widely distributed salt tolerant plants and...
), pāūohiiaka (Jacquemontia ovalifolia sandwicensis), naupaka (Scaevola
Scaevola
Scaevola is a genus of flowering plants in the Goodenia family, Goodeniaceae. It consists of more than 130 tropical species, with the center of diversity being Australia and Polynesia, including Hawaii....
spp.), enaena (Pseudognaphalium
Pseudognaphalium
Pseudognaphalium is a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. Members of the genus are commonly known as cudweeds.Classification of a number of species is disputed between Pseudognaphalium and the related genus Gnaphalium....
sandwicensium var. molokaiense), and many others. Access to Moomoni Preserve is available during Nature Conservancy guided tours.
Further reading
omomi: Place of Mystery |journal=Maui Nō Ka Oi MagazineMaui No Ka 'Oi Magazine
Maui Nō Ka Oi Magazine is a bi-monthly regional magazine published by the Haynes Publishing Group in Wailuku, Hawaii.The phrase Maui nō ka ʻoi means "Maui is unparallel" in the Hawaiian language. Maui Nō Ka Oi Magazine features stories relating to the culture, art, dining, environmental issues,...
|volume=11 |issue=1 |month=January |year=2007}}