A war is raging in beautiful, peaceful Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kauai's north coast.

Rather than guns and grenades, however, a small but determined group of conservationists is fighting fierce battles using trowels, rakes, hoes and weed whackers.

Their foes? Aggressive alien plants that are overwhelming maile, ohia lehua and other native species that once flourished in Limahuli Valley, where the 17-acre botanical garden and 985-acre wilderness preserve are located.

“;In the preserve are 12 plant species that are listed as threatened or endangered by the federal government, including mehamehame (Flueggea neowawraea), which, growing to 100 feet tall and 10 feet wide, rivaled koa to be the largest tree in the Hawaiian forest,”; said Kawika Winter, director of Limahuli Garden and Preserve. “;Nine others are 'Candidate' species, proposed for threatened or endangered status.”;

In 1998, the National Tropical Botanical Garden (http://www.ntbg.org), which owns and manages Limahuli, launched a campaign to uproot invasive species and re-establish a native ecosystem in the preserve.

“;The scope of the work is daunting, but we believe that success will come with perseverance and community involvement,”; Winter said.

  THIS ECOLOGICAL restoration program is based on the Hawaiians' ahupuaa system of resource management. Ahupuaa are vertical land divisions extending from the mountains to the sea that contain all the natural resources to sustain life.

Organizing the land into such vertical “;slices”; give the people living within them access to everything they require to survive while ensuring the precious resources are not depleted.

Archaeological evidence—including house sites, irrigation ditches, adzes and poi pounders—indicates Limahuli Valley was among Hawaii's earliest settlements; the ahupuaa system was in place there at least 1,000 years ago.

Limahuli translates as “;turning hands,”; referring to the Polynesian pioneers' agricultural accomplishments, including hundreds of lava rock terraces (loi) where they grew taro, their staple crop.

More than a dozen of these taro loi are thriving once again in Limahuli Garden, along with sweet potato, banana, sugar cane, turmeric, ti and other “;canoe plants”; that the voyagers brought with them for use as food, clothing, shelter and medicine.

The garden also showcases fruits and flowers that were introduced by Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Portuguese immigrants during Hawaii's plantation era starting in the mid-1800s. These include papaya, pineapple, mango, heliconia, plumeria and gardenia.

At Limahuli, cultural perpetuation goes hand in hand with conservation efforts.

“;In addition to our horticultural work, we have programs that empower our community to strengthen its connection with the traditions of the kupuna (ancestors) for the benefit of both the land and the people,”; Winter said. “;Not many botanical gardens have these dual scientific and cultural foundations.”;

One of his most influential teachers was the late John Kaimikaua, a respected kumu hula who often talked about the ancients' wise stewardship of natural resources. A few years ago, Winter spoke to his beloved mentor about the magnitude of his new job at Limahuli.

“;I told him I felt I needed to learn more to accomplish the things that needed to be done here,”; Winter said. “;He gave me a quizzical look and said, 'All you have to do is listen to the aina (land). It will tell you what it needs.'

“;So that's what I'm doing now, especially when I'm alone in the forest or beside the loi. As our kupuna did, I'm trying my best to listen to the land.”;