Talk Story with Jill Wirt
Jill Wirt is the Program Director at MNMRC and manages the Reef-Friendly Landscaping (RFL) and Coral Restoration programs. Since 2015 Jill has worked with many local environmental organizations, including MNMRC, which she joined in 2021. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from San Diego State University and her Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Management from U.C. Santa Barbara.
Tell us about your background and connection to Maui.
In 7th grade I had the chance to participate in an all-girls science camp held at Stanford University through an organization called TechTrek, sponsored by the American Association of University Women. The camp offered different science classes each day, with topics like robotics, microbiology, and marine biology. We went out on a boat for our marine biology lesson and from that moment on I knew I was a science girl.
I took AP environmental science in high school and knew at that time it was going to be my path. I ended up getting my BS in environmental science at San Diego State. In 2013, I did an internship with the Pacific Whale Foundation here on Maui during undergrad and it helped direct me to the marine conservation side of things. After that, I did everything in my power to come back to Maui after graduation. I officially made the move in 2015 and worked in ecotourism on snorkel and whale watching boats along with working in hospitality as part of a naturalist program at the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua. A few years later, I decided to pursue graduate studies in environmental science and management, specializing in coastal and marine resource management at UC Santa Barbara.

Jill is part of the MNMRC dive team that checks in on the health of reefs around Maui throughout the year. (Photo Credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council)
What inspires you most about the organization?
I interned with MNMRC during grad school. My first projects included water quality monitoring via kayak with John Starmer and helping Ekolu Lindsey give talks to students about marine debris at his family’s property in Polanui. I also worked on updating and installing educational beach signs across different public beaches, with tips about protecting Maui’s reefs, things like using reef-friendly sunscreen, not stepping on coral or touching wildlife. Once I graduated, I moved back to Maui and eventually had the opportunity to join MNMRC full-time in September 2021.
What inspires you most about the organization?
At MNMRC, we all care very deeply about this special place we call home – and there’s this deep belief that when we take care of the land and the ocean, it will take care of us. That awareness comes from listening and slowing down, feeling that connection to the landscape. The community is so tight-knit, and so strong here, if you show up and help where there is a need, it can really make a difference. Being immersed in the local community here at MNMRC is such a big part of why we can do what we do. We truly try to always come from a supportive, open-minded, solutions-centered place, we want to help solve problems, whatever that may look like.

Jill working to reattach corals of opportunity during a training in O’ahu with Kuleana Coral in 2024. SAP #2024-09 (Photo Credit: Kuleana Coral)
Is there a current project you’re kicking off that will extend into the next year?
In 2023, Kuleana Coral Restoration, an organization based on Oʻahu, was looking to expand into Maui and bring alongside a local partner for their coral restoration work. We began working alongside them, looking into grants and locating sites across the island that could be viable for coral restoration work. We’ve also been working with community members for the past few years to locate the most ideal sites, and landed in Māʻalaea Bay offshore of Kihei and Kula Moku where there are some decent, patchy reef areas.
We look for areas that have a pavement-type substrate and for what we call ‘corals of opportunity’ (COO) that can be reattached to bare or exposed areas of the reef. COO are pieces of coral that have been dislodged, broken off, or turned over from the reef, and we take those and reattach them to bare areas of the reef, which hopefully will give them a better chance at life to reestablish coral cover and provide fish habitat. We are careful not to move corals from where we source them, always trying to keep them in one spot. With that in mind, all of the work is done on the boat or in the water directly above the site, we don’t transfer any of these corals to a lab or coral nursery on land. All of this work is done under permitting with Kuleana Coral Restoration who have shown success with these methods on Oʻahu.
Our priority is to focus on areas that are heavily impacted by land-based activities, restoring reefs to positively impact fish populations and improve overall reef health. These are small-scale efforts right now, with maybe 100 corals of opportunity that we will monitor over the next year. With the monitoring, we will look for variations due to temperature changes and storm swells, for example, assessing how the corals are doing over time. Kuleana Coral obtained a Special Activities Permit to perform this work on Maui, adding an amendment for the sites here. Moving forward, the goal is for us to obtain our own permit here at MNMRC so we can train community groups locally on Maui to continue with this important work.

Through MNMRC’s Reef-Friendly Landscaping test plot program, Maui Gold Pineapple setup a soil amendment brewer at their farm in November 2024. The brewer will allow Maui Gold to produce the environmentally friendly product used on their RFL test plot.(Photo Credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council)
You head up MNMRC’s Reef-Friendly Landscaping program. How can new volunteers get involved with upcoming work?
Kahoma Village, a residential community in Lahaina, lost four buildings during the 2023 wildfires. They approached us to help restore their green space, which acts like a detention basin and fills up with standing water, and they get invasive cane toads as a result. We tried to figure out trees and plants that could be planted to alleviate the flooding or ponding. As we started talking, we realized there was an opportunity to apply for a grant from the Division of Forestry and Wildlife to transform the green space into a true community gathering place filled with flowering trees, fruit trees, native shrubs, and groundcovers.
We now have grant funding through April 2027, with the first phase of planting taking place this Spring. On April 26, we will be kicking off the project with a community work day, coming together to plant mango, avocado, lychee, breadfruit, and plumeria trees as well as native palms and shrubs. We will do some prep beforehand so that on the community work day, we can all gather together to plant and learn and share more about the project.
We will be collaborating with the landscapers at Kahoma Village to develop a plan to continue the use of environmentally-friendly techniques and practices moving forward throughout the property after the planting is complete. We are incorporating reef-friendly landscaping techniques, targeting problem areas and adjusting practices at the site, such as reducing water use, eliminating pesticides, and using locally-made soil amendments. These alternatives will have less negative impacts on the downstream environment and support local businesses to implement reef-friendly landscaping practices at scale.
We will be looking for volunteers to help us plant. Keep an eye out for a registration link as April 26th approaches, we would love to see you there.

Jill meets with residents of Kahoma Village in Lahaina where MNMRC is helping the community install native trees and plants as a part of their wildfire recovery plans. (Photo Credit: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council)
When you’re not busy working with MNMRC, where do you spend your time?
I love hiking, snorkeling, and playing beach volleyball. I like to take beach walks in the morning, and one of my favorite spots is Kapukaulua (Baldwin Beach) on the North Shore in Pāʻia. I love the way the beach changes throughout the seasons. In the summer, sand moves down to one end of the beach, where there is a shallow lagoon, and at low tide, it closes off the connection to the ocean. Sometimes you’ll see multiple turtles trapped in this little lagoon, and then in the winter, the sand moves down to the other end of the beach. I also love the energy of the North Shore during the winter.
What do you enjoy most about living and working in this amazing place?
The ocean, of course! The immensity of the landscape. It’s so easy to feel connected to the environment here, and when it gives so much to us – peace, healing, humility, I think it makes it even more motivating to protect it. Especially here, the community relies on this precious environment and land. During my time here, I’ve seen that some of the best conservation projects begin with a small-scale project, or sharing food and coming together, and taking the time to slow down. It is crucial to know your local area, your neighbors, and your community’s needs.
What opportunities do you see on the horizon for the field of conservation?
There’s a lot of pressure to make individual changes, and those are important, but there is so much opportunity and growth for larger companies to step in and commit to making lasting changes in their business practices. I see more community-based work that is grounded in kilo (observation and learning) and mālama ʻāina (caring for the land) because the community members will be the ones who will support, manage, and continue generational learning in conservation. Being a part of MNMRC, we feel lucky to support that work and have it inform so many of the projects we do. The more that all of us, industries and individuals alike, can come together, the more impactful the results will be.
What’s your favorite island dessert? Any favorite food stops?
Roselani Kona Mud Pie Ice Cream! I am a big fan of Thai Mee Up (panang curry or pad thai with veggies and tofu) or Tin Roof’s mochiko chicken!
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