RES 095 Draft 01 2024-2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ANTICIPATED USE • The properties are presently for sale by the current owners, Na'Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, a family trust based on Kaua'i. • Under the current landowners, the properties have been quietly and informally accessible for ocean access by the community. It will be a significant loss of one of the few remaining publicly accessible coastal areas in Hilo-Hamakua, should new landowners purchase the property and close off the informal access. • Should a PONC purchase occur here, an extremely rare opportunity would open to the public. Not only are there ample recreational and food gathering opportunities here that would need to be carefully managed, but the rare estuary and massive freshwater stream system offer educational and research opportunities that could greatly benefit local and statewide knowledge of Hawaiian aquatic ecosystems. SIGNIFICANCE AND MANAGEMENT • The Kawainui Makai estuary and associated stream system is quite possibly one of the best -preserved on the island, due to its size and relatively undeveloped surrounding lands. • Public acquisition would afford a rare opportunity to protect and study a unique ecosystem whose benefits to the state's aquatic resources are not fully understood. • Ocean accessibility is scarce in North and South Hilo and Hamakua Districts. Public acquisition of this Kawainui/Onomea property would prevent loss of another rare ocean access in these districts. SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACQUISITION AND/OR MANAGEMENT • The properties are for sale, and the landowner is aware of PONC's interest and open to discussion with the county. • Presently, there are no PONC - acquired properties in North and South Hilo Districts. In the north side of Hawai'i Island, only one property has been acquired so far: 1.8-acres in Hamakua District at the top of Waipi'o Valley's lookout. Island -wide, there are no other PONC- acquired properties with similar abundance of perennial stream, estuarine, and riparian resources, and the associated, scientific research potentials. • Public acquisition of these parcels would present the opportunity for community management of a beloved area, cherished for its spectacular beauty, accessibility to the ocean, and abundant natural resources. The Makahanaloa Fishing Association has proposed a stewardship plan which would engage the broader community and is willing to spearhead the stewardship effort. A petition of support for the acquisition signed by close to 50 local residents has been submitted. • The Hamakua Community Development Plan Action Committee has endorsed the proposal to acquire these properties. • The Hawai'i State Division of Aquatic Resources has submitted a letter of support for this citizen -led effort to preserve the Lower Kawainui River. • Letters of support have been received from present and former County Council persons and several nonprofit organizations. • Much of the land along the lower elevations of the Hilo-Hamakua coast has been affected by extensive, past sugar cane cultivation. Much of what remained of the earliest Native Hawaiian settlement, i.e., trails, house sites, agricultural plots, shrines, temples, etc. were sadly scraped away and plowed under in favor of sugar cultivation. Remnants of early settlements continue to exist in Kawainui Gulch. Understanding of Native Hawaiian cultural practices of this part of the island could be increased through archaeological study, oral histories, and cultural surveys, should the properties be publicly acquired. • The tropical hardwoods that have been planted on the properties present unique and wide-ranging possibilities. Stewardship groups, in consultation with the community, students, and forestry professionals, could collaborate on ideas for potential uses of the high -value hardwoods.