Hala (Pandanus tectorius) forests once thrived along Hawaiʻi’s coasts, offering vital ecosystem services and sustaining Kānaka Maoli cultural practices. Today, these forests face threats from climate change, invasive species, and the loss of intergenerational practice. This research centers the voices of cultural practitioners from Kauaʻi, Maui, and Oʻahu to explore how traditional and contemporary tending practices sustain hala health and cultural continuity. We carried out semi-structured interviews with 13 hala cultural practitioners. These revealed five recurring themes: (1) tending and gathering as inseparable acts of kilo (deep observation); (2) restricted access to groves and declining abundance; (3) decreasing lau (leaf) and ʻahuihala (fruit) quality linked to storms, pests, and ecological imbalance; (4) urgency to teach keiki (children) and ʻōpio (youth) through hands-on learning; and (5) visions for restoration rooted in genealogy and reciprocity. Practitioners also identified hala scale as a widespread threat affecting both ecology and craft. Observations at former grove sites, such as Kekele on Oʻahu, highlight ecological shifts and challenges in accessing materials for ulana lauhala (weaving) and lei hala (garlands). Grounded in Indigenous and local knowledge, this project honors heritage while fostering innovation in community-led conservation, contributing to global conversations on Indigenous stewardship and the regeneration of biocultural landscapes.