An army of volunteers, nonprofit groups and state and federal agencies mobilized this summer to remove 16 tons of marine debris from a 22-mile stretch of Molokai’s north shore.

That’s the equivalent of 30 dump trucks of rubbish gathered along nearly one-fourth of Molokai’s coastline.

State Department of Land and Natural Resources officials said Tuesday that they are looking to do more of these projects to help keep Hawaii’s wild shorelines and Natural Area Reserves clear of debris.

This summer’s effort was a project of the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Kalaupapa National Historical Park and DLNR’s Natural Area Reserves System. Two of the state’s natural area reserves — Olokui and Puu Alii — are situated along Molokai’s rugged and remote northeast shore.

“We were overwhelmed with the amount of marine debris out there,” said Emma Yuen, acting manager of DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife Native Ecosystems Program and Management. “There was all sorts of random stuff we found.”

Yuen spoke at a Tuesday news conference highlighting DLNR’s conservation efforts in conjunction with the World Conservation Congress, the premier conference of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, being held Sept. 1-10 in Honolulu.

Yuen said the summer’s marine debris mission started off with short trips to the north shore by Nature Conservancy, Kalaupapa Historical Park and Youth Conservation Corps interns and volunteers covering 11 miles of the coast at Moomomi, Kalaupapa and the remote valleys of Waikolu and Wailau.

In addition, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii staged its third annual coastal cleanup along 3.5 miles in Moomomi, loading up a 40-foot container.

In late July DLNR staffers and members of the East Molokai Watershed Partnership tackled the rugged northeast shore from Halawa to Waikolu, one of the most remote coastlines in Hawaii.

Yuen said the project, funded by a state appropriation to DLNR to respond to marine debris, called for careful logistical planning to prepare for the hazards of working amid the crashing surf, sea cliffs and boulder shorelines. Support from helicopters and personal watercraft was essential.

The largest piece of debris — an enormous tractor tire — almost exceeded the helicopters’ 1,000-pound carrying capacity, she said.

All trash collected was flown to Kalaupapa National Historical Park, where members of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii separated what was going to be recycled from what was going to be burned for energy on Oahu. None of it went to the landfill.

There are 21 natural area reserves on five islands ranging from high mountain forests to coral reefs. The purpose of the reserves is to protect Hawaii’s most pristine and wild places.

DLNR officials say they battle a wide range of threats to protect these places, with the main focus on invasive species removal.

“We too depend on these NARs, not just as a scenic places or tourist attractions,” DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case said in a news release. “The forests supply and purify our fresh water. The reefs are nurseries for fish. These places perpetuate Hawaii’s cultural connection with nature. These places make Hawaii, Hawaii.”