Pōhue Bay on Hawaiʻi Island sits adjacent to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park near the State Manukā Natural Area Reserve and Kaʻū Forest Reserve. Pōhue Bay and the surrounding area provide habitats for federally listed endangered Hawaiʻi animals such as the honuʻea (hawksbill sea turtle) and Hawaiian monk seal. Anchialine ponds at the Bay area are home to ʻōpae ʻula and frequented by native and migratory birds on the shoreline. The natural beauty of this area has led to it being threatened with rezoning and development since the 1980s with the most recent development proposal in 2008, which was faced with public opposition and denied by Hawaiʻi County. 

HACBED supported the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and National Park Service (NPS) in preparation of the transfer of a 16,451-acre parcel of Pōhue Bay to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park through the convening of various stakeholders to guide its management, protection, and preservation of the parcel. HACBED convened community engagement listening sessions surrounding updates tied to Pōhue Bay and the current process for NPS to manage the land. HACBED collected community feedback, concerns, and suggestions that focused around stewardship of and access to the area. HACBED gathered community feedback and concerns from key stakeholders, including residents near the Pōhue Bay property, Native Hawaiian individuals with historical connections to the land, Native Hawaiian organizations, and other Hawaiʻi Island stewardship organizations.