2025-02-18 Jackson M. Bauer Testimony

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417. Consistently integrate public access development and maintenance into Parks and Recreation department priorities. 418. Support facility development for access management at access points and along trail corridors. ACTION 4.56 Establish a County of Hawai'i Public Access and Trail Program with sufficient staff and resources. Staff will be required to consult/consider recommendations of this program in all permit reviews. Elements of this program may include: a) A comprehensive access inventory; b) A public access rating system to help with prioritization; c) Comprehensive reviews of projects (on public or private lands) that will affect public accesses and trails; d) Inventory of ancient trails, cart roads, and old government roads in coordination with appropriate State agencies. e) Public outreach and coordination element. f) Identify agencies/groups to develop, administer, and maintain public accesses, including developing County capacity for this purpose; g) Identify funding sources to purchase and manage public access easement to priority areas; h) When public access goals will involve several landowners, acquire the public access incrementally as opportunities arise to do so; i) Public accesses that cross private land will be acquired and held until appropriate management of the accesses is in place; j) Collaborate with State and Federal agencies on public accesses that require multi- agency involvement; k) Develop a standardized template to promote consistency and comprehensiveness in the public access plans required by landowners; 1) Partner with community organizations capable of assisting with public access management; m) Work with State agencies (particularly with DOFAW) to coordinate, survey, develop, and manage public trails and roads leading to forest reserves; n) In co-sponsorship with the State when possible, acquire land for public access to historic sites and objects and to the shoreline where safe transit does not already exist; o) Reinstitute a Public Access Wayfinding program managed by the Planning Department to assist interested community groups in maintaining appropriate signage at public access points;