Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 3, 1 March 2021 — OHA Determined to Restore its Wahiawā Lands [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA Determined to Restore its Wahiawā Lands

By Taylor Asao, OHA Legacy Land Specialist & Lori Walker, OHA lnterim Legacy Land Manager The birthing stones of Kūkaniloko are considered one of the most sanctified places in Hawai'i. Kūkaniloko is the piko of O'ahu where the highest ranking ali'i were born. The legacy of this site also includes decades of trauma from deforestation and degradation due to the sandalwood trade, ranching, and monocropping of pineapple. The property's more recent history is one of neglect, whieh has led to the dense overgrowth of invasive species. What was onee a healthy native forest is now an expanse of guinea grass. In 2012, OHA acquired the 511 acres surrounding Kūkaniloko to protect and preserve the site by providing a buffer against incompatible development and ensure that future uses of the area are consistent with Hawaiian cultural values. OHA is determined to regenerate and revitalize the land (ecologically, agriculturally and culturally) to mitigate the trauma that has taken plaee and continue the legacy started by the ali'i born at Kūkaniloko. In OHA's new strategic plan, 'āina is one of three foundations. Restoring the 511 acres surrounding Kūkaniloko aligns with the new plan in its intention to strengthen and elevate cultural resource management practices. This 2021 legislative session, OHA's Legacy Land Program submitted a capital improvement project (CIP) bill.

HB203 and SB309, requesting funds to return water back to these agricultural lands in Wahiawā, O'ahu. The funding will be utilized for the construction of a water storage tank and distribution system. This project is a crucial step towards implementing the community-driven Conceptual Master Plan (CMP) developed from 2016-2018 and approved by OHA's Board of Trustees in 2018. One of the three guiding values of the CMP is ho'oulu 'āina whieh speaks to growing and healing the land. OHA understands that the heahh of the land is intrinsically tied to the heahh of the lāhui. Through intensive soil remediation, native reforestation and diversified agriculture, OHA is committed to restoring these Wahiawā lands and contributing to Hawai'i's long-term food security and the overall heahh of its people. Pilot plots for native trees and food crops have been started at the Wahiawā property to initiate the restoration process for this wahi kūpuna. Efforts to expand, however, will eonhnue to be inhibited without the infrastructure needed to store and distribute water consistently. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many of Hawai'i's vulnerabilities, particularly its dependency on imported goods. Fortifying Hawai'i's agricultural systems has become ever more critical and OHA urges legislators to invest in infrastructure that supports these systems. ■

Kapuahuawa: The Chiefly Birthing Stones of Kukaniloko. - Photo: OHA Staff