Ed Olson, Honored by The Nature Conservancy

Edmund C. Olson

Ka'u Landowner, Philanthropist, and Ka'u Coffee Mill Founder Ed Olson has donated $500,000 to The Nature Conservancy to protect native forests of Ka'u and South Kona, which provide critical habitat for many of the island’s endangered forest birds. The Nature Conservancy hailed Olson as “quietly becoming one of the state’s leading conservationists.” In 2009, Olson helped acquire 6,500 acres in the Waianae Mountains on O`ahu from the James Campbell Company to keep the land in agricultural and preservation. Olson gave part of this land to the state to create the Honouliuli Forest Reserve.

He also put more than 900 acres mauka of Honu'apo into permanent conservation easements to prevent development, including multiple residences, commercial structures, roads or power lines, The Nature Conservancy statement says. The easements also safeguard the property’s numerous cultural sites and pockets of healthy wildlife habitats. They are managed by the Hawai'i Islands Land Trust.

This was the second time Olson has helped preservation interests in the Honu'apo ahupua'a. In 2006, he donated $50,000 through the Trust for Public Land to protect the area’s historic fishponds and acquire lands around Honu'apo to be put into public ownership.

Olson also supports the macadamia and coffee industries and leases out land to farmers for diversified agriculture.