About us
Moku o Keawe Land Conservancy is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded to conserve land and water resources on Hawaiʻi Island.
Board Members
Janet Britt has worked in land conservation since 1974: beginning as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist; 20 years as land coordinator for the Wyoming’s Nature Conservancy; then until 2017 as Hawaiʻi Island Director for the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust. Janet was instrumental in obtaining $1,400,000 in grants for the purchase of the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden from Bishop Museum and has successfully written grant applications to the State of Hawaiʻi’s Legacy Land Conservation Program, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Community Forest Program, the County of Hawaiʻi Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Commission (PONC), Atherton Foundation, as well as several other foundations. She co-founded Moku o Keawe Land Conservancy in 2019, and is currently the chairman of the Forest Stewardship Advisory Committee, and a member of the mayor’s commission for PONC.
Alex Kelepolo was born and raised in Kailua-Kona and is a lifelong resident of Hawaiʻi island, now residing in Hilo. She has 27 years of combined land management experience working for the State (DLNR Land Division), County (Property Management Division) administering the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Program “PONC”, and currently HELCO Land & Rights of Way Division. Through PONC, Alex’s dedication, passion and love to protect our ‘āina and natural resources of Hawai‘i island for future generations continues today. She completed a five-year term on PONC and currently serves as a Commissioner on the State’s Legacy Land Conservation Commission, Board of Director for Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and E Mau Nā Ala Hele, Secretary and Committee Member for HELCO’s Toys for Tots and member of the Zonta Club of Hilo. She is an avid volunteer in the community serving alongside her ʻohana.
Megan Lamson Leatherman is a biologist and nonprofit manager that has been involved with coastal conservation activities along the Ka‘ū coastline since 2005. She has degrees in marine biology (B.Sc., UC Santa Cruz, 2005) and tropical conservation biology (M.Sc., UH Hilo, 2010) and over twenty years experience with coral reef fish ecology. Through her volunteerism and work endeavors, she has advocated for land protection and access through PONC since it was first a “2% Solution” ballot initiative. She is currently the President and Hawai‘i Program Director of Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund and the Secretary / Director with Ka ‘Ohana O Honu‘apo. She lives in Honalo mauka on a small farm with her husband, daughter, dog and flock of ducks, and enjoys being active out in nature.
Toni Withington was born on Oʻahu and worked as a reporter for the Honolulu Star Bulletin, focusing on politics, land use and the environment. She moved to Hawaiʻi Island in 1969. Her first years here, were spent in successfully fighting poorly planned development along the Kohala Coast and was an early advocate of the PONC fund and the state Legacy Land Fund. Toni has worked with governments, land trusts and several community nonprofits to conserve just shy of 1,200 acres of coastal land by raising $51 million from a variety of sources. She is a founder of Kohala Lihikai and has served on the advisory board for Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT).
Cayla (La) Crivello was raised by the lands of ʻĀlele in Kailua, Oʻahu and resides in Waikōloa, Kohala Waho of Hawaiʻi Island. Her ʻohana trace back their pilina ʻāina to Kaʻū, Kona, and Kohala of Hawaiʻi Island, where she continues to build her own relationships and pilina ʻāina today. These pilina are the driving force behind her work and the varying roles she has taken on in her
community. La holds a B.S. in Applied Ecology with a minor in Geographic Information Science (GIS). Through her work, she applies geospatial science and applied ecology to support communities, combining technical expertise with a deep commitment to place-based stewardship. Her current work is as a Spatial Scientist and Historic Preservation Specialist for Huliauapaʻa. Beyond her professional role, La has served her community as Chair for the Hawaiʻi Island Burial Council and as a Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources (PONC) Preservation Commissioner. In these leadership positions, she has served as a bridge at the intersection of cultural protection, land stewardship, and community advocacy. The driving force behind her work is relationships – the understanding that meaningful connections are what sustain communities and ensure our resilience as a people. This is rooted in her work experiences with the ancient and historic trail systems, where she learned firsthand that pathways are more than physical routes; they are living networks that connect generations, landscapes, and stories.