Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 8, 1 August 1991 — Ka ʻIwi national park proposal debated [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ka ʻIwi national park proposal debated

By Christina Zarobe Assistant Editor A proposal to create a national park along Oahu's shoreline from Makapu'u to Koko Head drew praise last month from environmentalists and criticism from those who believe the stretch should not be turned over to the federal government. The plan, whieh was debated at a hearing, calls for establishing a l,600-acre national park on the East O'ahu coastline. The park would include land makai of Kalanianaole Highway but exclude Hawaiian Home Lands and ceded lands. Park fees would not be charged. The popular and scenic area features Makapu'u Point, Queen's and Sandy Beaches, the Halona Point Blow Hole, Hanauma Bay and Koko Head. The proposal was debated by environmental groups such as the Sandy Beach lnitiative Coalition and the Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter, who support the move, and opponents including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) and Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi. "Franklv, I think the people of Honolulu deserve a national park. Hawai'i opens its arms to nearly 7 million visitors eaeh year. Yet the island of O'ahu, where 80 percent of our population lives, has no national park to eall its own," said U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka who chaired the hearing. However, both The Kamehameha Schools/Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs rejected the proposal. Bishop Estate owns over 200 acres of the land under consideration. "We acknowledge the need for open space in Hawaii Kai and the Estate has shared its lands with Hawaii's citizens," said William S. Richardson, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, noting that 5,000 acres of Estate land has already been set aside for public use. Yet Honolulu City Councilman Steve Holmes, who worked as a National Park Ranger, argued that management of the stretch has "failed to adequately protect the threatened coastal plants and marine life. "Haunama Bay, for instance, has been treated more like an amusement park than a serious natural resource area," he said. Office of Hawaiian Affairs Vice-chairwoman Rowena Akana agreed that the land is ripe with recreational activities but advocated control to remain locally. "We (OHA) believe that preservation ean best be handled at a loeal level where the concerns and considerations of both the Hawaiian community and the general community are better understood," she said. Rather than turn over more land to the federal government OHA officials first want to settle the issue of the more than 1.8 million acres seized during the overthrow of the Hawaiian nation. "Hawai'i has had a long and bitter history with the federal government over Hawaiian land. Under these circumstances, we cannot justify the acquisition of more land by the federal government," Akana said. "We believe that adequate protection,

preservation and regulation of these culturally sensitive lands ean be achieved through proper state and county law ..." But Honolulu City Councilman John Henry Felix pointed to Puuhonua 'O Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island where "vestiges of ancient Hawaiian culture have been diligently restored, repaired and maintained" by the nahonal park service. Acting city Parks Director Steve Arashiro, who represented Mayor Frank Fasi by reading a statement, called the plan "unnecessary and a

waste of federal funds." Most of the coastline has been under the jurisdiction of the city and county since 1926 where the mayor believes the authority should remain. "The Ka 'Iwi shoreline is not as important to the nation as mueh as it is to the people of this state. This is a home rule issue that should be left ultimately to the loeal residents to resolve," he stated. Nationally, there have been 10 nahonal seashores established by Congress. A federal ?tudy on the Ka 'Iwi proposal is expected to be finished by next year.