Sugg. 25-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Attachment E - PONC 2025 - Kumukahi 1. How would this proposed acquisition or project benefit the general public? This Kumukahi acquisition would protect Hawai'i's most culturally and ecologically significant landscapes through community-based management, ensuring the continuation of traditional practices, sustainable fishing by lawai'a, responsible community and visitor access, education, and environmental stewardship. Securing Kumukahi as a PONC site would safeguard this wahi pang and protect its historical and spiritual significance for the Hawaiian people. Lineal descendants of iwi kupuna in this area would retain guaranteed access in perpetuity for familial and ceremonial purposes, ensuring cultural continuity and the respectful treatment of ancestral remains. Hawaiian practitioners - including lawai'a, gatherers, and those who engage in traditional worship- would have their rights protected, allowing them to continue their practices without disruption. By unifying properties, this would enable the development of a comprehensive area management and stewardship plan, clearly defining kuleana for various community partners. This would ensure active local involvement in decisions and actions affecting the 'aina and kai, reinforcing intergenerational stewardship. Cultural programming for youth, residents, and visitors would perpetuate fishing traditions, traditional archaeology, astronomy, Hawaiian cosmology, wayfinding, cultural literacy, and place-based learning. Oral history programs and mapping initiatives would document and share Kumukahi's stories and knowledge over time. Given Kumukahi's majestic beauty, cultural significance, and newly formed coastline - created by the 2018 Kilauea eruption that reshaped the landscape and covered the communities of Kapoho and Vacationland - make it a major draw for visitors and residents, especially given the limited recreational resources in the area. Currently, people venture into the region, often crossing private property to reach the ocean, which risks disturbing cultural artifacts and iwi kupuna. In some cases, first responders have been deployed to rescue individuals swept from shore. Establishing managed access would ensure that the public can experience Kumukahi's natural and cultural heritage in a way that is both safe and respectful.