Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 8, 1 ʻAukake 2013 — Creating a 'greenprint' for preserving lands [ARTICLE]

Creating a 'greenprint' for preserving lands

By Garett Kamemoto \ li / here are the places on O'ahu 1 /l / that need to be preserved? That \ / \ I is a question

\/ \/ the Trust for V V Public Land and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are asking. The trust and OHA are producing what is known as a "Greenprint," sort of a blueprint for conservation. On the North Shore of O'ahu, a Greenprint was completed in 2012 that identifies resources important to the people of the area. "It was a areat proiect for us,"

said Doug Cole, executive director of the North Shore Community Land Trust. "I think it really gave the connnunity a ehanee to share what was important for them and also gave our organization an opportunity to understand what was important to people." Infonnation shared by residents and visitors was translated into a list of values including agriculture, cultural heritage, water and beaches. Then land areas that met those values were mapped out for possible preservation. Cole said that means when his organization is asked about a particular pieee of land they already have the data available, "rather than scramble to figure out whether a pieee of property is rare or worth conserving."

The Trust for Public Land and OHA are in the data-gathering stage for a Greenprint for the entire island of O'ahu. Lea Hong, Trust for Public Land state director, said the organization is reaching out to the public

at various events around the island. "We go to a eommunity event where we know a large sector of the community is going to gather." At a booth set up at the Hawai'i Book and Music Lestival in May, more than 200 people filled out surveys asking whieh values are most important to them and about places that should remain as they are but could be threatened.

Hong said so far, the response has been good. "People do care about where they live and the future of the island, and I think a lot of folks are concerned about what remains developed and what the future is." The survey ean also be filled out online. (See box.) The trust says it is hoping to reach as many members of the community as possible. Hong said conservation efforts are not only aimed at rural lands but also land in urban areas. The Greenprint will not require preservation, but will help direct efforts. "It's not a regulatory tool," Hong said, "It is an awareness raising and informational tool and it helps us identify the

highest priority lands for the community." Cole said the effort has worked in his eommunity and feels everyone should have the opportunity to weigh in on land conservation. In some cases, the land ean be purchased from the landowner and then preserved; in other cases, landowners who need to sell their land but want to protect it from development ean plaee a eonservation easement on the property, Cole said one benefit of the Greenprint is it ean help identify partnerships that will ehip in money to purchase a pieee of property. "Because of the nature of this particular landscape of a particular parcel, it might lend itself to the Anny being a partner because it is close to a military installation or there might be a fanning group out there that may be a potential partner," he said. The Greenprint will produce color-coded maps to showcase connnunity priorities that would be protected if a parcel of land were to be preserved. It will allow organizations and agencies to coordinate planning and pursue the projects that bring the best conservation value for the buck. At Turtle Bay, on the mauka side of Kamehameha Highway, the Trust for Public Land is working with the North Shore Connnunity Land Trust to pennanently dedicate the land for agricultural uses. The project is designed to protect the land from development while promoting sustainable fanning practices. Cole said the Greenprint helped verify the project was important to the community. "Lanning is important," he said. "We're far from where we need to be for food security." ■

How to get involved Get more information anel followthe linksto fill outthe Greenprint online survey at • www.oha.org/greenprint or • http://bit.ly/ldwjP5Y Learn about the North Shore Greenprint • http://bit.ly/13fKazy