HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm 25-028 re Sugg. 25-06 Comm.25-028
July 11, 2025
Sent Via Email: ponctestimony@hawaiicouonty.gov
Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1401
Hilo, HI 96720
Re: Testimony in Support of PONC Meeting, Agenda Item V(1)(f)
Sugg. 25-06, Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii.
TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 & 008
Aloha Chair Rosam and PONC Commissioners,
Trust for Public Land ("TPL") is a non-profit land conservation organization and
our mission is to protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for
generations to come. For 50 years we've worked to protect over 77,000 acres and 52
special places across Hawaii. Our Aloha Ana Program protects lands that perpetuate
Hawaiian culture and returns these lands to Native Hawaiian organizations for
community and cultural stewardship. Our Sustainable Hawaii Program conserves lands
that support local food production, our forests and their native species, and clean water
sources with the goal of improving Hawai`i's self-sufficiency and food security.
Scoring Criterion 1. Property's resource values meet the purposes of the
PONC Fund: Trust for Public Land is assisting nonprofit Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui to
protect and purchase Kokua Kealakekua for community and cultural stewardship. This
strategic property sits just mauka of the Ka`awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook Monument
Trail) and will become a managed gateway to accessing Kealakekua Bay State Historic
Park and its vast cultural and natural resources. Kealakekua Bay is threatened by
unmanaged tourism, habit degradation, overuse, and desecration. Protecting and
acquiring Kokua Kealakekua will enable HKN and the community to manage and protect
Kealakekua's precious resources, reconnect lineal descendant `ohana, create a cultural
and interpretive center, a native plant nursery, mala, implement healthy carrying capacity
limits, and serve as a kipuka for restoration and cultural and educational programs for
descendants, locals, and visitors alike. (See attached presentation and Kealakekua Bay
Community Action Plan for more information.)
The property itself will provide the only managed cultural, educational and
recreational access to the trail and coastline, and enable the protection of the diverse
resources throughout the 537-acre State Historical Park and Marine Life Conservation
District. This effort will also enable the protection of cultural and natural resources on the
property itself. For centuries the property itself was part of the renowned Kona
agricultural field system and contains State Historic Site#7253. It is also the location of
two ka`ao detailed in our PONC application, home to ceremonial `awa hiwa gardens
growing from `iliahi groves, and home to abundant fields of kalo (taro) and hapu`u ferns.
Both ka`ao provide powerful `ike about pono land and resource management and
leadership. HKN will use these ka`ao as foundations for a restored vision for the property
itself and the larger ahupua`a of Ka`awalaoa.
M1,UIf IIf I. c_J-UZ0
Scoring Criterion 2A. Strong Community Support: Protecting Kokua Kealakekua is strategically
aligned with the 2022 Community Action Plan (CAP) (See attached) and is part of the South Kona community's
longstanding vision to steward and restore the natural and cultural landscape of Kealakekua Bay. Please see
the enclosed: 24 Letters of Support from a wide range of nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, elected
officials, and community members, and 48 Petition signatures that overwhelmingly support the protection of
Kokua Kealakekua.
1. Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, National Park Service (Aric Arakaki)
2. Conservation International Hawaii (Moans Ulu Ching)
3. Councilmember Michelle M. Galimba (Hawai`i County Council, District 6)
4. Department of Land and Natural Resources — Division of State Parks (Curt Cottrell)
5. Hawai`i Wildlife Fund (Megan Lamson Leatherman, Bill Gilmartin, Hannah Bernard)
6. Hokuli`a Park & Cultural Sites Association (Mike Vitousek)
7. Kahalu`u Kuahewa (Jesse Kekoa Kaho`onei)
8. Kai Kuleana Network
a. Kalanihale (Ka`imi Kaupiko)
b. Kohanaiki (Reggie Lee)
c. Puako Community Association
d. Conservation International (Moans Ulu Ching)
e. Moana `Ohana (Mike Nakachi)
f. Hui Aloha Kiholo (Charles Wiggins)
g. KUPA Friends of Ho`okena Beach Park (Charles Young)
h. Kipapa `Ohana (Malia Kipapa)
i. Jeffery K. Coakley (Kauhola, North Kohala)
j. Isabel Kalaau-Catrett (Kailapa community member)
k. Diane and Roger Kanealii Jr. (Kawaihae)
9. Kona Historical Society (Lisa Greenwell Hummel)
10. Kulaiwi Archaeology, LLC (Solomon H. Kailihiwa)
11. Lomi Pono (Momi Nobriga)
12. Na Hoa Ulul5'au o Kalamawai`awa`awa (Dernie Waikiki)
13. Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (Scott Laursen)
14. Protect Kaho`olawe `Ohana (Davianna Pomaika`i McGregor)
15. Protect Pololu Project (Kaylen Taomia)
16. Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha (Senator. 3rd Senatorial District)
17. Terraformation (Becky Hary)
18. The Healy Foundation (Usha Kilpatrick)
19. The Nature Conservancy (Emily Fielding)
20. University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program (Darren T. Lerner)
21. Amber Datta
22. Dennis and Anne Klimke
23. Dr. Kaliko Baker (Mo`o Lono, Kanaloha Kaho`olawe)
24. Keoki George Schattauer Jr.
Scoring Criterion 2B. Identified Management Partners: This is unlike the majority of PONC
acquisitions where the County would be the fee simple property owner and carry the financial and staffing
burden of ownership and management, and would need to identify stewardship partners. The benefit of this
project is that nonprofit Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui (HKN) is the proposed fee simple owner and steward of the
property with the County holding a Conservation Easement (CE) over the property to protect its resources in
perpetuity. This only requires the County to monitor the CE, relieving it of the risks, liability, and costs of
owning land. The CE project structure is a win-win public private partnership for PONC.
HKN is a trusted, experienced, and proven leader and steward in Kealakekua. Since 2016 HKN has
held an Adopt of Park/ Curatorship Agreement with State Parks. In 2022 HKN partnered with 14 nonprofits,
businesses, and public agencies to develop the Kealakekua Bay Community Action Plan (CAP). In 2023, State
Parks adopted the CAP in its Master Plan for Kealakekua Bay and is now partnering with HKN on
implementation. HKN is already engaged in: co-stewardship of the state park and trail, makai watch, coral
restoration, caring for Hikiau Heiau, Wailokoali`i pond, Ka`awaloa, and hosting volunteer community workdays.
Scoring Criterion 3A. Acquisition is feasible (Private Loan & Matching Funds Secured): TPL &
HKN applied for Legacy Land Conservation Program funding in October 2024. In January 2025, the Legacy
Land Commission recommended $700,000 in funding for Kokua Kealakekua. In April 2025, the Board of Land
and Natural Lands approved the Commission's recommendation. The majority of funds are now secured (65%)
and PONC's estimated $385,000 contribution (35%) is all that is needed to protect Kokua Kealakekua.
Scoring Criterion 3B. Property and Conservation Easement are available for acquisition: There is
a high level of urgency for the acquisition. The property is being actively listed for sale and the landowners
have received firm offers on the property. The landowners are under severe financial pressure to sell the
property as quickly as possible. The landowners signed a Willing Seller Letter which expresses their
willingness to participate in a conservation sale to TPL if an agreement can be reached on price and terms.
TPL secured approval from a private foundation for a loan to buy and hold the property while we work to
secure public funding. TPL very rarely does buy and hold transactions to step in as a bridge landowner and
only does so in the most dire and compelling circumstances. In order to be able to take on the risks of a buy
and hold, TPL needs to know that all of the public funds are secured for the purchase. TPL is currently in the
final stages of negotiating a Purchase Agreement and securing PONC funding is the critical piece we need to
be able to put the property under contract.
We are now humbly asking for the PONC Commission's priority ranking for the County of Hawaii to
purchase a Conservation Easement over Kokua Kealakekua with the goal of returning this precious `aina and
the rest of Kealakekua Bay to community-led cultural stewardship for generations to come.
Mahalo nui Ioa,
iM GF
Reyna Ramolete Hayashi
Aloha `Aina Project Manager
Trust for Public Land
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2022
KealaLeLua Say Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
KEALAKE KUA BAY
COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN
OUR VISION
Kealakekua Bay is a living, spiritual place. It is a vibrant ecosystem interwoven with
traditional knowledge and practices, honored and cultivated through understanding
and reverence of this wahi pana (sacred place).
OUR VALUES
Ho'ihi
Sacred,majestic,
dignified,treated
with respect
Ho'olokahi 'Imi
Unity. na'auao
agreement. To seek
harmony knowledge or
education
Malama
'aina 'Ghana
To take care of
land and what Family,relative
feeds us
Vaha.'Ioa 2-
• Be respectful of village CODE OF CONDUCT • Treat this sacred place with
residents and private
� reverence
property . Keep distance from wildlife
• Be observant(kilo) d& • Coral is a living animal -Please
VA
• Quiet hours 5 pm-8 am
• Tread lightly ` sofloat above and don't step on it
�'�
• Relationship building with 1 • Safety first-when in doubt,
visitors Pono Behavior r 'Aina Activities don't go out
• Compliance of the rules on • Bring plenty of water
signage • Pack out what you pack in
• Show respect and
reverence for cultural and Harvest for the table,not the
archeological sites and freezer
their practitioners Share your catch
• Stay on trails • Respect traditional fishing
• Refrain from entering Spiritual and Lawai'a Pono practices
archeological and Cultural Sites (fishing) Respect local fishing rules
spiritual areas
2
KealaLeLua 5a� Communit�Action Plan Comm.25-028
WHAT WE WANT TO MALAMA IMPACTS ON WHAT WE WILL MALAMA
CURRENT HEALTH STATUS CURRENT SEVERITY RANKING
•
Fishing and Gathering ,�!_ Disrespectful Human Behavior
° POOR /1 VERY HIGH
Terrestrial Resources " Climate Change t�-
POOR L`J{� VERY HIGH
kux i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i f i i i
Kai Ola Kanaloa o 0 o p
Exceeding Carrying Capacity
(The life in the ocean realm)
FAIR
HIGH
Cultural Sites E213==11Human Waste1
FAIR HIGH
--"7L_:1 -
°� Non-Pono Fishin
Ono
Community Well-being o 9
® FAIR 0 MEDIUM
i iii iiiiiiiii iiiiiiii iiiii , .... •„
Protected Species Non-Native Species
FAIR ��,-- --- MEDIUM
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i No i i i i
FAIR GOOD VI11GHl HIGH MEDIUM
'More localized
+ Requires lots of Issues with Some im acts Natives species Very widespread Widespread Very localized
p p Resources will be. Seriously Moderately
effort to manage abundance&healthy. Functioning in thriving y degraded Slightly
ecosystem Fixable mp
properly ecos acceptable • Natural cycles eliminated degraded impaired
P range g y
• Will lose target Some species May need human unimpacted Not fixable Fixable(costly) Easily fixable
within 10 years if depleted/absent intervention Sustainable (reasonable)
no action is taken harvesting Threats ranked based on scope,severity,and irreversibility
NIHO (STRATEGIES)
The three niho reflect the foundational
goal of adaptive community-led E malama `oukou is makou,
stewardship for Kealakekua,meant to a malama makou is 'oe
strengthen reciprocal pilina
(relationships,connections)among 0 4% U:� x 0 Q.N. r*, Nam;,, 061 .--�
people,place,and nature. Kealakekua is respected,
peaceful,and stewardship
Community is led by the community.
Ikawamamua, Ika
wa ma hope I ola `oe,
Piling i ola makou nei
'Ike kupuna (elder knowledge)
Is the foundation that ISM a xis
integrated into education = The ecosystems are
programs,outreach,and Heritage Environment healthy, resilient and
research activities. abundant with native
species for all to
benefit.
3
KealaLeLua bad Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
OBJECTIVES
• Healthy human carrying capacity limits
determined and management actions
implemented(including rest day closures)to
manage commercial and visitor use by 2027.
Objective
• • •
Outreach and education campaigns
implemented for residents and visitors 1 .2
guided by the mo'olelo of Kealakekua by 2023. Objective
Community
Ho'ala Kealakekua'sorganizational capacity
1 .3 built to successfully co-manage stewardship
objectiveof Kealakekua in partnerships with the
government agencies by 2023.
r ■ The'ike kupuna and mo'olelo of
Kealakekua integrated into management
actions,outreach and education for
bjective residents and non-residents by 2024,
A cultural landscape preservation and 2.2
stewardship partnership program
established by2025. Ob`ec#i 'I A
Heritage
Hikiau Heiau is a center of learning
that drives development of
bjective community programs by 2023.
3.1 Past and present ecological conditions
understood and management actions
implemented to restore Kealakekua's
Objective coral reefs by 2023.
Baseline water quality conditions
3.2
assessed and actions implemented
to improve water quality by 2025. Objective
Invasive species reduced by 50%
f in priority areas and native species
Objective abundance increased by 2027.
Environment
11
��� Current MLCD rules evaluated and 3.4
fishing rules modified as appropriate
by 2023. Objective
3.5 Violations of marine wildlife rules
Objective decreased by 50%by 2024.
4
Kealakekua Bay Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Mo'olelo and 01i
Ka'ao O Ke Ala Ke Kua...............................................................................................................................9
Na Ao Kupaianaha a Kealakekua ................................................................................................................12
Famed Fresh Water Sources of Kealakekua Bay ....................................................................................... 16
NaKaiaulu o Kapukapu...............................................................................................................................17
OliKomo no Kua .........................................................................................................................................18
'Awa o Manu'a............................................................................................................................................25
UaLu'ulu'u Kai Nei....................................................................................................................................50
Contents
Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................................... 6
Context.........................................................................................................................................................J
Purposeand Need....................................................................................................................................... 11
Kealakekua Community Action Plan Process..............................................................................................12
Participants.............................................................................................................................................12
OurVision and Values.............................................................................................................................I+
FocusArea..............................................................................................................................................15
Community Action Plan Outcomes..............................................................................................................18
Targets:What We Want to MAlama...........................................................................................................18
Target Viability (Health Rankings) ........................................................................................................20
Threats: Impacts on What We Want to MAlama.........................................................................................21
VoluntaryCode of Conduct..................................................................................................................24
Niho (Strategie5) ....................................................................................................................................2-5
Appendix A:G655ary and Acronyms .........................................................................................................31
Appendix 5:Capacity Needs Assessment..................................................................................................55
Appendix C: Indigenous Rights, Right-holders and Stakeholders,and the Application of the Paoakalani
Declaration.................................................................................................................................................59
Appendix D:Community-Based Participatory Research-Data Management and Collection .................+0
5
KealaLeLua 5a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
acknowledgements
Our gratitude to the wahi pana (storied place) of Kealakekua Bay,
which has held the community in its embrace for generations and
continues to nurture, feed, and inspire us to listen to what it needs.
The Community Action Planning partnership is committed to
honoring the rich history and traditions of Kealakekua with thoughtful
collaborations to malama `aina (care for that which feeds us). We .
are humbled to join the long line of stewards of this wahi pana and m
to uphold our place in that line of succession by bringing our highest
selves and our collective strength to carry our kuleana (privileged
responsibility) with grace, wisdom, and perseverance. ;;"?a;
The collective effort to create a Community Action Plan (CAP)for
Kealakekua would not be possible without the thoughtful intentions ?
of the community members who are the stewards of the `ike kupuna
(elder knowledge) and mo`olelo (stories of place). Mahalo piha Courtesy Leslie `Ohana,
(wholehearted gratitude) to Uncle Chuckie Leslie and his partner Bishop Museum
Krista Johnson for bringing us together to build this partnership.
Mahalo to the planning committee for thoughtfully outlining the process to make this plan inclusive and
collaborative. Through the traditions and customs of transferring traditional knowledge from one
generation to the next, mahalo to Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen for his inclusive approach to build the
knowledge of the planning participants in the mo`olelo and oli(chant) of Kealakekua Bay to ensure that
our foundation is grounded in place-based knowledge systems.
Each person and organization that joined this community action planning process brought their full
selves to chart our path forward, committing to our relationships to Kealakekua and each other first. As
a result, this plan reflects the participants' personal connections to place, professional expertise, and
resources to share the kuleana. The implementation of the Community Action Plan is intended to be
adaptive to the changing conditions of the
future, while rooted in the collective intention
to malama Kealakekua Bay through active
stewardship and partnerships that honor the
history and cultural practices and traditional
philosophies of this wahi pana.
4 .ry
Mahalo piha to each of the planning
participants. We are hopeful for the future,
s r while acknowledging the hana (work) ahead
- y of us. There is great comfort in knowing that
the hana is made much more joyous and
lighter through the shared kuleana and
laulima (cooperation), as many hands make
light work.
Courtesy Leslie `Ohana
6
Kcalakckua Ba ) Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Context
l 4 �
IRK
r
y5•" F 4 :�:. ,��k�. Y�}ri+: L Mii �l"'o,t y• f"r�"�1 k�- •,�+ � .y� ,,i - �!'��r
r
1
View of Kealakekua Bay, 1864 by Rufus Anderson, Bishop Museum, Courtesy Leslie `Ohana
Located within the district of Kona Hema (South Kona) on the Moku o Keawe (Island of Hawaii) is the
pulsating wahi pana (storied place) of Kealakekua Bay (including the traditional place name of
Kapukapu Bay). It is a location of great importance to the history of the Hawaiian people and continues
to be cherished by all that reach its shores today. The lands and waters of Kealakekua have shaped
the mo`olelo (stories of place), the origins of place names, the interactions between the people and the
akua (gods, natural phenomenon), and the reverence that people continue to hold for the mana
(energetic forces) of Kealakekua Bay.
The bay was likely populated between 900-1300 A.D., eventually becoming a ruling center for the Kona
coast. Determined by the abundance of i`a (marine animals), such as `opelu (mackerel scad) and akule
(bigeye scad), Kealakekua Bay became the home of a thriving community for centuries. The
abundance and health of the fishery was closely tied to the konohiki system, an adaptive, self-
sustaining and holistic method of land and resource stewardship that administered and enforced kapu
(taboo, prohibition) and kanawai (law, code, rule). Kilo (observations) of seasonal cycles allowed for
guiding adjustments to ensure food security for the kanaka maoli(Hawaiian people). While scarce in
surface water resources, Kealakekua Bay relies on the natural and seasonal rain cycles and has
significant puna wai (freshwater springs)that the kanaka maoli relied upon for drinking, bathing, and
7
KealaUua Bay Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
traditional aquaculture, such as lokowai(anchialine pools) and loko (ponds). These cooling freshwater
sources are essential for the communities and for the ecological conditions shaped by the nutrient-rich
waters.
Pivotal historical events at Kealakekua Bay fill
volumes, including the arrival of Captain Cook
and his men to the shores at Kealakekua in
1779. During the late 1700s, the great ali`i —_-
(chief) King Kamehameha established a royal i ri
residence and naval yard for his warships at
Napo`opo`o (southeast area of the bay). In the
late 1800s, the population center shifted from ;_y
Ka`awaloa to Napo`opo`o as new missionaries
arrived and established a whaling port here.
From the late 1800s through the mid 1900s, � _ e�
many changes took place at Kealakekua Bay
with different commercial enterprises growing Wharf at Ka`awaloa, ca. 1880, Courtesy Leslie `Ohana
and then dwindling. Immigrants joined the
community as laborers for various agricultural and cattle enterprises. World Wars shaped the villagers'
way of life, and railroads became established in the region. In the mid to late 1900s, another significant
shift occurred in the bay with major commercial operations closing, except fishing, and the population
moving from makai(toward the sea) to mauka (toward the
mountain) areas.
For several decades and more prevalent from the early
1990s, stewardship of Kealakekua Bay was heavily focused
on providing access and infrastructure for tourism and
recreational users, which continues to attract a growing
-. number of visitors — both residents and non-residents —each
year. The recreational and commercial activities that attract
these visitors, including kayaking, snorkeling, diving, hiking,
boating, and short term vacation rentals, have degraded
g� g
traditional uses and the natural and cultural resources.
v - These impacts have dramatically diminished the quality of
r life for the Kealakekua Bay community and have led to
kNO
- ongoing user conflicts and displacement of lineal families.
_ While numerous efforts have been made to discuss and find
= solutions to the conflicts, these efforts have had limited
Ka`awaloa, Courtesy Leslie `Ohana impact or success.
Through all the changes at Kealakekua Bay, the cultural traditions of this wahi pana persevere. Rooted
in deep knowledge of place, these traditions weave together both the physical and spiritual realms
through everyday practices. The traditions and mo`olelo serve to guide its stewardship, ensuring that
which is best for Kealakekua Bay perseveres.
8
KealaLeLua I)a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Ka`ao O Ke Ala Ke Kua
"There was a story about how Kealakekua came about. Perhaps
this is where the name came into use. Sometimes 1 wonder why
they said it is the pathway of the gods. Is it named for the belief of
the people and their gods of the past and where they worshipped,
or was it named for a particular god as the story states? Only the
people of the past know."
Aunty Mona Kapule Kahele
Clouds of Memories
Ke-ala-ke-Kua (The path of Kua)
It is unknown of the exact date when Kua arrived in Kealakekua Bay. We know he
appears in our genealogies around the same time the Pele Clan arrives to the
islands. Kua was a chief from Ka'u and was known for his frequent travels
throughout the entire Pacific Ocean. He returned with new concepts, objects, and
people that he acquired on his journeys.
After a long expedition from the Pacific Northwest, Kua sighted Kapukapu Bay. A
humble and kind man, he was welcomed by the villagers with lots of Aloha. He
shared his expeditions that took him to cold and rainy regions. He would share his
journeys under the night sky and during daylight hours, Kua was eager and open to
learn their style of fishing, farming, canoe building, and participated in familial
ceremonies specific to this area. Kua learned quickly and his humbled nature
allowed him to be trusted and part of the 'ohana and was no longer treated as a
visitor.
Eventually, after gaining respect from the people to accept his knowledge, Kua
began to share the characteristics of the seasons he observed at Kapukapu and how
it could help them recover from the famish times they were experiencing. One day he
overheard a few farmers from Piele complaining about the lack of soil that was
recently flushed due to flooding and the lack of surface water. Kua had the
opportunity to share a technique called maka'ili, by planting 'uala and kalo in rock
beds. They no longer suffered and if they did, it was for a brief time.
MOM
KealaLeLua I)a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
One day after coming down from Manua and Kuapehu, he perched on Pali'ula'ula
above Kalepeamoa and observed the nai'a swimming through the large schools of
halalu, and months later the 'opelu, then akule. He then proceeds to construct ko'a
and teaches the people how to grow and increase their fish population in the open
ocean. As time went by, they established the right time to harvest in large quantifies.
With the abundance of food after the harvest, the fires of the cook house were
readied. Kua then introduces the method of keeping heated coals lighted just
enough so the people could cook their food more frequently providing a variation of
processing food for consumption.
The day arrived when Kua announced that he had to return to his own people.
Everyone was heartbroken because they were now losing a member of their'ohana.
They begged him to stay, but he thanked them and said, "I enjoyed my stay and all
of you have treated me as a relative and not a visitor. Someday, I will return until
then, when the sun is bright and the horizon is red and gold, I will be here, and even
if I am not here physically, you will always be safe within the boundaries of this bay.
Continue the practices I shared with you and this will be true for your generations to
come."
The people were confused because as Kua stepped into the water, he bent down
and cupped his hand to his mouth and chanted a booming voice that only his mouth
knew. Suddenly, two dark lines on the sea appeared from the horizon to the shore
as Kua stood still watching this formation.
The people murmured as Kua chanted over the water and the lines appeared, "he
must be an ali'i", those lines were his canoes approaching him. As the lines touched
the shore, the people's voices resounded in awe, "aue! He must be a god!" He stood
in the center of the lines as he turned and gave his last farewell and dove into the
water and reappeared as a shark swimming between two rows of sharks towards the
setting sun. They were then certain that Kua was the great king of sharks.
In remembering this occasion, the people constructed a ko'a on the land and called
the waters Kai-a-ke-Kua, the sea water of Kua, and this is where the Napo'opo'o
wharf stands today. The people kept their promise to Kua by following the ways of
his teachings, and Kua has kept his promise to protect them and the generations to
come, hence, Kapukapu recognizes the kapu of Kua.
Mo'olelo provided by Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen
10
KealaLeLua 5a� Communit�Action Plan Comm.25-028
Purpose and Need
Kealakekua Bay faces severe challenges due to habitat
degradation, overuse, and tourism that are an ever-growing
concern across Hawaii nei(beloved Hawai`i), with many toina
communities facing similar challenges. During the global How we will work together
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, our community witnessed
and experienced the positive effects of a pause in tourism, •A`ohe hana nui ke alu'ia
which reminded many of us of times long ago, inspiring us to No task is too big when done
work together to care for Kealakekua Bay. Our efforts center on together by all
pursuing a more balanced and sustainable relationship with """"""""`.`"""""'
each other and the resources that fosters community well- A°ohe pau ka Ike l ka halau
being. This improved and sustainable management of natural hookahi
All knowledge is not taught in the
resources will provide a more enriching experience for all. same school,one can learn from
Through the integration and perpetuation of mo`olelo and `ike many sources
kupuna, we will improve the health of the bay's cultural and ............................
natural resources for the akua, people, and wildlife that depend KafaPiNna
on it. We will strive to learn, educate, and care for Kealakekua using process to work out our
decisions,and owning them
Bay with a deeper understanding of this wahi pana, and through afterwards
our actions, serve as a model for community management to ............................
inspire others to care for their wahi. Put place-based knowledge first
The desire to create a Community Action Plan (CAP)was Be kind to each other,but tough
inspired by other communities that have applied similar on the issues
approaches to overcoming these challenges. Our plan focuses .•.T.•,w I•.•µ.I
on establishing community capacity for co-management of Listen for understanding
natural and cultural resources with the county, state and federal a.•.•...••--
government agencies and building diverse partnerships among Everyone's ideas are valued
stakeholders and rights-holders with the interest, expertise, and
resources to collectively address challenges. rave fun
Together, challenges will be met by the collaborative
partnerships while upholding our loina (code; see sidebar). This
loina reflects our respect for place and for each other and
directs the manner in which we work together.
11
Kcalakckua Ba ) Communit)Action Plan Comm.25-028
Na A o Kupaianana a Kealakekua
'01ii kanaenae o Ualedani•a-Kane The Pilihala wind bears the rain called Haleu'ole
i=K.Inehoalani a Hey Kanehoalani(the heat element)
E Lono-noha-i-ka-wai Hey Lono-noho-i-ka-wai(the charging element in the water)
O bo'rilu'oe,6 inana 'oe,fro inana i ke ola Inspire,animate,and give life
Pcinohunotw ke kualau a Kine The kualau rains of Kane spread wide and long.
Halr'hali'ta i ka rnakanf a Pilihala Collected and moved by the Pilihala wind
Kokolo aku'o Haleu'ole The creeping HAleu'ole rains
ua kupu`ua lain ua loal sprout!Multiply!Expand!
ua 'aol ua M v of Bud!Branch outward!
'U luna. -o lalo, 'o uka, 'o kai a Everything above,below,upland and in the sea.
Ua 'Ikea I`see'you and experiencing it!
Alai pa'a i ka leo My voice is my affirmation-'I do declare`
Haku 'ra do nrnposed by).Shane Akoni Palacal-Nelsen, 1999,rev, 2019
Kealakekua Community Action Plan Process
Our planning group developed the Kealakekua Bay CAP to define and structure our actions to protect
the natural and cultural resources and nurture relationships to improve community well-being in
Kealakekua Bay. Between August 2021 and July 2022, we held 14 meetings via Zoom and one in-
person to develop the CAP to guide our work. Our meetings were facilitated by The Nature
Conservancy (TNC) local staff, who have led numerous Hawaii communities through the CAP process.
The plan, grounded in our love of place and our deep respect for past and future generations, guides
the work we undertake to ensure Kealakekua Bay is healthy, respected, and allowed to thrive.
Participants
Our planning group, referred to as CAP participants,
represents multiple stakeholders and rights-holders ,`
engaged in using and caring for Kealakekua Bay,
including community members, government agencies
(county, state, and federal), nonprofit organizations,
researchers, and ecotourism companies (Table 1). .,
We continue to enlist additional members with
complementary expertise, resources, and skillsets `
(Appendix B) to help implement the CAP strategies
outlined in this plan. Kealakekua Bay CAP Participants,
April 2022 workshop
12
KealaLcLua Ba ) Communty)Action Plan Comm.25-028
Table 1. CAP Participants ( * = Steering Committee Members)
Community Partners
Chuck Leslie* Kupuna, Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory`Ohana, Community member
Krista Johnson* Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory`Ohana, Community Member
Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen* Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory`Ohana, Community Member;
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Mary Crispi Ho`ala Kealakekua
Alayna DeBina* Ho`ala Kealakekua; Community Member
Scott Neish* Ho`ala Kealakekua
Usha Kilpatrick* Community Member; The Healy Foundation
Bill Morris Community Member
Government Partners
Aric Arakaki* Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, National Park Service
Tanya Souza* Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, National Park Service
Curt Cottrell DLNR Division of State Parks
John Kahiapo DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources
Megan Lamson DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources; Hawaii Wildlife Fund
Nikki Smith DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources
Chris Teague* DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources
Tracy Tam Sing* DLNR Division of State Parks
Martha Yent* DLNR Division of State Parks
Maile David* Hawaii County Council
Cameron Dabney National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration,
Hawaii Island Cetacean Response Coordinator
Adam Kurtz National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Non-Governmental Organizations
Manuel Mejia* Coral Reef Alliance
Erica Perez Coral Reef Alliance
Ulu Ching Conservation International
Scott Laursen* University of Hawaii, Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center
Rebecca Most* The Nature Conservancy
Julia Rose The Nature Conservancy
Leah Keller The Nature Conservancy
Barbara Seidel The Nature Conservancy
Cecile Walsh The Nature Conservancy
Ecotourism Partners
Mendy Dant Fairwinds Cruises
Adam Dant* Fairwinds Cruises
Frank Carpenter Kona Boys Kayak Company
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KealaLeLua 5a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Our vision drives all of the work that we do, and our values shape the way we interact with each other,
with the broader community, and with the environment. They reflect our core beliefs and serve as the
guiding principles for how we conduct ourselves in the shared hana to care for Kealakekua Bay.
OUR VISION
Kealakekua Bay is a living, spiritual place. it is a vibrant ecosystem interwoven with
traditional knowledge and practices, honored and cultivated through understanding
and reverence of this wahi pana (sacred place).
fii {;;?rrir 2?t l\,ds4(tttttt{;,d111111111\111..", ,,;;,1,,,,, � H 6'I h I
Sacred, majestic.
dignified, treated
with respect
Ho'olokahi '!mi
Unity, na'aUaa
agreement, To seek
harmony „ knowledge or
2
education
Malama
`aina 'Ohana
To take care of
land and what Family, relative
feeds us
11
14
Kcalakckua Ba ) Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Focus Area
The CAP focus area is located in the South Kona District where partners will implement actions to care
for the bay across the ahupua`a (traditional land divisions)from Keopuka in the north to Kahauloa 2 in
the south. It is important to consider this ahupua`a approach to stewardship since areas adjacent to the
focus area (mauka and makai) are connected to and impact the things we want to malama (care for).
The focus area encompasses three protected areas and a coastal village:
• The 537-acre Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park, which includes the sacred cliffs of Pali-
poko-a-Manuahi and Hikiau Heiau, a significant spiritual site still used for cultural practices;
• The Kealakekua Bay Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD), which includes a shallow coral
reef ecosystem and deeper sandy habitat that extends to a depth of 120 feet;
• A portion of the 175-mile Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail corridor; and
• Napo`opo`o Village, which includes the wharf, Manini Beach Park, large landholdings mauka of
the bay, and the surrounding residential community, home to both short-term visitors staying in
a growing number of vacation rentals and long-term residents, some of whom are lineal
descendants of Kealakekua.
o r
Ke6puka
Kilo,
y rw
I it
J
FOCUS AREA
FocusCAP
Kealakekua State Park
IL 0
Manne Life ConservationKahauloa
15
KealaUua Bay Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
.haa
l
Ka`awaloa Ahupua`a
Awili, mixture of kai and wai currents
Flali'ilua: naturally purified, physical and spiritual cleansing
KealakekuaJK7oa Ahupua'a
Waiulu: spring forth, gushing, used for growth, great source of potable water
WaiakekeualWaiakeakua: sacred water, deified
Waipuna`ulafKalamakumu/Kalama`umi/Kalamakowali Ahupua`a
Wai'awa`awa: murky water, appears like the water in a kanoa (kava bowl)
Wai'ula. caused by the abundance of limu kohu that grew in the area
Kalamakapala/Kalamawai'awa'awa Ahupua`a
Waiamau: constant steady flowing water source
Waile`a: soothing, pleasing, healing
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KealaLeLua 5a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Na Kaiaulu o Kapukapu
I ka lewa nu'u 'o Makah'i'ea High above is Makali'i
Hanau ka Makahiki i ka liko hou 'ea The season of Makahiki emerges in a new era
I ka moans a wao nahele 'ea From the horizon to the forest spaces
E ale heiefima o Kalama 'ea The fingers of Kalama are extended
E Kblou a Maluhia `ea K61ou and Maluhia
Noho mai i ka lae o Palemano 'ea You reside at Paiemano
Eo a ke one o Ke'ei'ea' Respond to the sands of Ke'ei
Owili i ke 'are he'e nalu 'ea The tumbling surf
Ke lu'u nei o Lelekawa 'ea Lelekawa a favorite leaping spat
Wela nui'o Keawaiki'ea Keaweiki is hot
Pane mai a Kahauloa 'ea Kahauloa answers
Ho'olohe 'o Kapahukapu 'ea Now listen for Kapahukapu
tllana mo'olelo a mau a mau 'ea Weaving the stones of the past
bhilihi kai nui pa'akai'ea The creeping ocean provides the salt
Pala'a pahe'e a ua nui'ea The rains arrive and the limo pahe'e spreads
A inu kuhikuhi o Waiamau 'ea We drink the sweet water from Waiamau
Aia 'o Kua ka mano 'ea There is Kua our'aumakua
Ho'ohiht no manu no Kekua 'ea The masses of Kekua are intertwined
Eia ke ko'a a Kekua 'ea Here is the shrine of Kekua
Halihafi pu na Pa 'ea The fish gathers in abundance
E kipa mai a Waipuna'ula 'ea Waipuna'ula welcomes you
A ho'iha i e Kapukapu 'ea Return to Kapukapu
Aia i Ke Ala Ke Kua 'ea There is the Path of Kua
Hanohano 'ia 'o Hikiau 'ea Glorifying at Hikiau
Ku a`e I ka pali a Kaloa 'ea There is the pah of Kaloa
Kau I ka hanohano 'ea A glorifying place
Aia ka pali o Kekua 'eai ka la'i o ka There is the Pali of Kekua
Lepemoa 'ea In the calm of Kalepeamoa
Ho'akoakoa a Hali'dua 'ea Hali`ilua gathers
He wahine kapu i ka wai'ea The water is reserved for ranking women.
Hoapili We a Kane me Kanaloa The companions Kine and Kanakaa
Ke ola ka wai ulu a Wakea 'ea The unifying water of Wakea lives on.
This chant honors place names of Kapukapu
Haku 'ia(composed and choreographed by):
Shane Akoni Polecat-Nelsen,Kukulu hulahula 'o Kanani Enos
17
KealaLeLua 15a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Community Action Plan Outcomes
Targets- Wh,,lt Win Want to
CAP participants identified six natural and cultural resource priorities to malama (Table 2). The priorities
are referred to as targets in CAP terminology and throughout this plan.
Participants then ranked the health or viability of each target based on the key attributes of the target
and what a good or healthy target looks like (Table 3). The ranking or"current status" is based on the
standard CAP system, defined as:
Heavily impacted or depleted, ecosystem function impaired,
'.. requires lots of effort to manage properly, will lose target
within 10 years if no action is taken
Issues with abundance and ecosystem function, some
species depleted or absent
Some impacts observed but functioning in an acceptable
range, may need human intervention
Native species are thriving, natural cycles are not impacted,
harvest is sustainable
n!i Komo no Kua
I ka waha ko`u noho At the mouth I await your arrival
He `ele`ele,he uliuli, he kala, he lipoa ka moena A black,dark, yellowish and sea greenish bed
Mai hele a noho i ka moana nui,moana iki In the vast ocean,the small ocean
E Uli noho i ke alohilani, The goddess Uli is dwelling in the glistening light,
auau i ke ponaha ke one vibrating in the swirling sand
E kulia I ka naenae a Kanaloa Striving to the peak of Kanaloa's breath
E na kini a ke akua,na hoa o ka papa The multitude of gods are the companions of the reefs
Ka papa kaha kua kea o Lono The white reefs of Lon❑
0 tono ka pao The interjecting Lon❑
Ola ke au a Kanaloa The thriving currents of Kanaloa
Composed by Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen
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Kcalakckua Ba ) Communty)Action Plan Comm.25-028
Table 2. CAP Targets and Definitions
Defi,,nitioT,
Fishing and gathering is the practice of harvesting marine and terrestrial resources for
subsistence and/or cultural reasons. Harvesting through traditional practices and
ensuring access to resources are crucial components of fishing and gathering.
Fishing and Kealakekua's traditional practices include akule surrounds, `opelu fishing, pole and
Gathering line fishing, and gathering hala plants and plumeria flowers for weaving and lei-
making. Food resources commonly harvested at Kealakekua include limu kohu
(Asparagopsis taxiformis), limu pahe`e (Porphyra sp.), akule (bigeye scad), kole
(Goldring surgeonfish), paku`iku`i (Achilles tang), ula (lobster), and wana (sea urchin).
Educated fishers and sustainable catch per unit effort (CPUE) help to secure the
abundance of these resources for generations.
Terrestrial resources are natural elements (biotic and abiotic)found in land-based
ecosystems. These resources include flora, fauna, freshwater ecosystems (such as
Terrestrial anchialine pools), and geological features such as the pali(cliffs). Terrestrial
Resources resources are considered most healthy when native species have high biodiversity,
invasive species abundance is low, and wai(freshwater) resources are abundant and
free of pollutants.
Kai Ola Kanaloa refers to all life in the ocean realm. This includes coral, fish, limu
(algae), and invertebrates, such as he'e (octopus), ula (lobster), snails, crustaceans,
Kai Ola `opihi(limpet), and wana (sea urchin). Water quality, rugosity (structural complexity) of
Kanaloa reefs, herbivore biomass, number of people in the water, and the resiliency and
genetic diversity of coral and other organisms all interact to determine the health of the
ocean ecosystem and marine life.
Kealakekua's cultural sites include archeological and natural features that hold rich
Living heritage and history. Hikiau Heiau is considered one of the most important heiau in the
Cultural District of Kona and had an important role in the annual Makahiki. Other significant
Sites sites include trails, dry-stack walls, lokowai(anchialine pools), Wailokoali`i a loko wai
(ponds), birthing sites, house sites, and burial grounds.
Community well-being is the combination of social, spiritual, economic, environmental,
cultural, and political conditions that are essential for communities to thrive. This is
Community achieved through feelings of connectedness, livability, and equity. A thriving
Well-Being residential community that includes lineal descendants and their families, harmonious
resident and visitor interactions, respect of place, and opportunities for cultural
succession are important aspects that contribute to community well-being.
Protected species are those designated under the Marine Mammal Protect Act and/or
Protected the Endangered Species Act. Some of these species include nai`a (spinner dolphins),
kohola and palaoa (humpback and sperm whales), honu (green sea turtles),
Species `7ioholoikauaua (monk seals), mano (sharks), hahalua (manta rays) and ope`ape`a
(Hawaiian hoary bat).
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Kcalakckua Bach Communit,9 Action Plan Comm.25-028
Target Viability (Health Rankings)
Table 3. Targets, Key Attributes, and Current Status
. .- KpX Attributes What Good Looks
NEW' Status
Harvest using Abundance of food and natural resources (akule, limu
Fishing traditional practices, kohu, lauhala, and plumeria), access to favorite fishing
and access to food spots (`opelu ko`a), ability to do akule surrounds, akule --Poo
Gathering resources, gathering present at wharf and can be hooked off the pier, taste of
for customary uses. food is `ono (delicious), trees are healthy
Abundant freshwater
M available and free of Public awareness and advocacy for freshwater resources,
Terrestrial pollutants, diversity of low human waste (sewage and trash), absence of invasive off
Resources native plants, low species and abundance of native species, minimized
invasive flora and upslope erosion and pollution
fauna.
Clean water, structure
M intact (non-living High abundance and biomass of fish, high coral cover,
habitat), healthy
Kai Ola herbivore biomass, abundant predators, return of the fish species that used to
Kanaloa more coral than algae, be here, return of edible limu abundance, clean and clear
coral and genetic water (can see the bottom)
diversity and resilience
Heiau, trails, burials, Cultural sites are intact, undamaged, and actively and
Cultural dry-stack walls appropriately cared for, people have access to sites and
Sites (including walls around trails based on Native Hawaiian traditional and customary
loko and lokowai) rights, practices and religious purposes, and the community
has rights to implement restrictions
Tourism is well managed (controlled, sustainable,
regenerative, and community-guided), culturally appropriate
outreach materials are shared with visitors, residents have
access to parking, there is a calm atmosphere in the
village; thriving residential community that includes lineal
Residents, youth, descendants and their families; commuity has access and
Community soundscape, parking are comfortable practicing ceremonies at cultural sites,
Well-Being access, traditions traditional practies are occuring, place names are used and
actively practiced honored, `ike kupuna is respected, protocols are followed,
and stories are shared and preserved; community is co-
managing natural and cultural resources with government,
there is clear and frequent communication between the
community and partners, and the local workforce is
engaged in management
Dolphins, whales, Protected species are free of harrassment, dolphins
Protected green and hawksbill engage in normal behavior and are visible during the day
Species turtles, sharks, mantas, and throughout the week, the water is clean and free of
Hawaiian hoary bats disease (toxoplasmosis) and other pollutants, wide variety
L of native algae in the bay
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Kcalakckua Ba ) Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Threats: Impacts on What We Want to Malama
CAP participants identified six critical threats impacting our targets (Table 4).
We then ranked the level of each threat based on the scope, severity, and irreversibility each has on
our targets (Table 5). This process helped us identify which threats were having the greatest impact on
the most targets, so we could develop strategies and actions to mitigate the threats and maintain and/or
improve target health. The overall threat ranking is based on the standard CAP system, defined as:
Very widespread throughout focus area, resources will be
eliminated without intervention, nearly unfixable
Widespread in focus area, serious degradation occurring, fixable
(but may be expensive)
_ More localized within focus area, moderate degradation
occurring, fixable (reasonable cost)
Very localized within focus area, slight impairment to targets,
easily fixable
Wildlife harassment at Kealakekua Bay, Courtesy of the Leslie `Ohana.
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Kcalakckua Ba ) Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Table 4. CAP Threats and Definitions
ri4
Definitiw
Behavior that diminishes target health, intentionally or unintentionally, such as general
Disrespectful disrespect towards residents and natural and cultural resources; illegal activity,
Human including extracting pohaku (rocks) and trespassing on private lands and historic
Behavior trails; commercialization; and social media posts and other promotions that contribute
to exceeding Kealakekua's carrying capacity and result in traffic congestion and
parking problems in the small village.
Climate Impacts of climate change— including periodic marine heatwaves that cause coral
change bleaching, ocean acidification, increased drought, rising sea levels, and increased
storm damage—degrade target health and are expected to increase in severity.
Carrying capacity refers to the maximum population — residents and visitors —that an
Exceeding environment can support sustainably. Exceeding that level leads to the degradation of
Carrying the environment and impacts to traditional and cultural practices and community
Capacity quality of life with many factors contributing, including too many people, boats,
kayaks, cars, and vacation rentals.
Point and non-point sources of pollution that can enter an ecosystem and be a vector
Human for disease, algae blooms, and physiological impairments to marine wildlife (e.g.,
Waste coral health and reproduction). Human waste includes marine debris (e.g., derelict
fishing gear, litter, fishing line), trash, and sewage (including from cesspool and septic
tanks).
Pono fishing is the sustainable harvest of marine resources. Non-pono fishing
Non-Pono includes the depletion of food resources through illegal and unsustainable fishing
Fishing activities. Non-pono fishing was identified as a threat because it greatly impacts food
security and, therefore, community well-being. It also diminishes the relationship
between people and nature that is a key aspect of Hawaiian culture.
Aquatic and terrestrial species that are not native to a particular area often displace
Non-Native native species and become invasive. Non-native aquatic species include ta`ape
Species (bluestripe snapper), to`au (blacktail snapper), roi(peacock grouper), guppies,
mollies, and tilapia. Non-native terrestrial species include goats, plants, rats, and
mongoose.
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able 5. Threat Rankine
Targets Fishing Terrestrial Kai Ola Cultural Community Protected Overall
and[Threats Gathering Resources Kanaloa Sites Well-Being Species Threat Ranking
Disrespectful
Human
Behavior •
Climate
Change •
Exceeding
Carrying
Capacity
Human
Waste
Non-Pono
Fishing
Non-Native
Species
We identified disrespectful human behavior and climate change (ranked as Very High) as the
threats having the greatest impacts (in terms of scope, severity, and irreversibility), followed by
exceeding carrying capacity and human waste (ranked as High). Non-pono fishing and non-native
species were ranked Medium. As we work to address all six threats, the rankings will help guide
management efforts in terms of the resources (funding, time, staffing) needed to improve the health of
each target.
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Voluntary Code of Conduct
As a first step toward improving people-to-people and people-to-nature pilina (relationships) in the focal
area, CAP partners developed a voluntary code of conduct. Based on the area's cultural traditions, it is
a guide for proper behavior when living in or visiting the bay.
When followed, the code of conduct is a summary of actions that will improve the quality of life for all in
Kealakekua Bay. Encouragement to respect this voluntary code of conduct will be shared online and
through signage, brochures, and direct engagement to help educate visitors as to how to respectfully
interact with the natural and cultural landscape. The goal is to reduce the negative impacts of overuse
and disrespectful, unsustainable behaviors.
Promoting the code of conduct through outreach activities is key to helping people understand the ways
they can individually contribute to preserving the villagers' lifestyle, improving habitat for native species,
perpetuating cultural traditions, and improving everyone's relationship with the bay.
• Be respectful of village CODE O F CONDUCT • Treat this sacred place with
residents and private
reverence
property • Keep distance from wildlife
• Be observant(kilo)
• Coral is a living aniimal -- Please
• Tread lightly
float above and don't step on it
• Quiet hours 5 pm -8 am
• Relationship building with I • Safety first-When in doubt,
visitors Pono Behavior 'Aina Activities don't go out
• compliance of the rules on f • Bring plenty of water
signage ' • Pack out what you pack in
• Show respect and
reverence for cultural and Harvest for the table,not the
archeological sites and freezer
their practitioners • Share your catch
• Stay on trails • Respect traditional fishing
'Spiritual and ' Lawaia Pona
• Refrain from entering P practices
archeological and Cultural Sites f (fishing) • Respect local fishing rules
spiritual areas
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`Awa o Manu`a
Eia ka `ai e Kahulipapahonua Here is the food source from Kahulipapahonua(earthly realms)
Ke akua i ke alo i ka `dpu o Lono The god is in my presence,and I am filled(bloated)like the water that
fills the gourd of Lono
E ho i e Mihakalani Mihakalani (tranquillmesmerizing state of mind)is intensified
E ala a Pelehonuamea Pelehonuamea(peppery heat)arises(creeps up/sneaky)
E ala a ke kumu o Hulinu`u I am on the path to the source of Hulinu`u (the highest heavens)
0 Hulinu`u Kealohiloa i ka lua e... The elongated splendor likened to Hulinu'u
This chant honors the place names of Manua, Kawa`aloa for their potency
and favored by the high-ranking chiefs of Kapukapu and neighboring districts.
Excerpt from:Ke Ka'ao Ho`oniva Pu`uwai no Kamiki a Maka`iole
(The Heart Stirring Story of Kamiki and Maka'iole)
i
Niho (Stratorlior-
To revive a culture of community-driven stewardship that is inherently adaptive, resilient, and
sustainable, our plan centers on three Niho—Community (people), Heritage (place), and Environment
(nature). Like the niho (foundation stone) in traditional dry-stack masonry, they provide the foundation
our plan is built upon with the aspirational goal for each reflected in the sentiments of `olelo no'eau
(Hawaiian proverbs). We will nurture and strengthen the pitina (relationships) among these niho within
the Kealakekua Bay wahi pana in our actions, words, and embodiment of our values.
CAP partners developed SMARTIE (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, inclusive,
and equitable) objectives and specific actions for each niho. The actions will be implemented through
collaborative management involving the community, government agencies, private businesses,
landowners, and nonprofit organizations. We do not view the niho as separate, but rather three prongs
of the same spear. As such, we will supportively elevate our collective efforts to reach our aspirational
goals.
The actions we identified focus on improving community connectivity, cultural understanding, and visitor
engagement through place-based `ike (knowledge)with a central focus stemming from the current
practices, philosophies, traditions, and customs from Hikiau Heiau to enhance residents' and visitors'
relationships to place, reduce violations and threats to natural and cultural resources, and ensure
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KealaLeLua 5a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Kealakekua is healthy, respected, and cared for. Our community strives to protect the interest of
indigenous knowledge by upholding the Paoakalani Declaration (Appendix C) and the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and will use these principles to develop a process to
properly engage and consult with traditional knowledge holders through the Kealakekua Bay Cultural
Advisory 'Ohana, and ensure that Hikiau Heiau is a center for learning and the traditional practices are
perpetuated.
We will meet to share progress and advance our work. As we implement the plan, we intend to be
flexible and nimble to changing situations and address new opportunities and challenges as they arise.
To that end, the CAP plan will be revisited and revised periodically (every 5 years) to reflect the
changes needed to achieve the niho. To foster increased and long-term engagement in this effort, CAP
partners will develop and host community discussions, bi-annual workshops, and other events that
feature local kupuna and youth leaders; that honor place-based traditions with local cultural practitioner
networks; and that strengthen person-to-person and person-to-nature pilina, fostering collective actions.
Relationality (Kinship)
Cross-Cutting Theme
In support of strengthening adaptive, resilient, sustainable, and community-led stewardship of
Kealakekua's resources,the Kealakekua community will perpetually engage, interconnect, and
strengthen long-term person-to-person and person-to-nature relationships rooted within the
Kealakekua wahi pana to, thereby,facilitate and root broader community connectivity, awareness,
understanding, communication processes, and visitor engagement through a place-based vantage
maintained by long-term relationships locally.
Together we will develop long-term frameworks for community discussion and connection to ensure
adaptive and resilient communication forums in perpetuity(e.g., inclusive of Ho'ala Kealakekua, the
Cultural Advisory'Ohana, CAP Participants, and regularly seeking out additional Kealakekua
community members wishing to participate). Such regular local engagement frameworks will allow
community members to express challenges that arise in addressing CAP objectives and actions,
discuss solutions, and then work together to put collaborative solutions into practice. Such
framework and regular support of person-to-person and person-to-nature long-term relationships
will root collective actions and broader community engagement in diverse knowledge forms,trust,
and honor place-based knowledge within local practitioner networks on the ground (i.e., `ike
kupuna). Long-term relationships will additionally maintain the CAP as a living document that is
iterative and adaptive to needs that evolve in the future. Novel approaches can, thereby, be piloted
within such long-term communal processes in support of this cross-cutting theme, strengthening
adaptive capacities through time at a local level.
Scott Laursen
Community Action Plan Steering Committee Member
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Kcalakckua Bach Communit,9 Action Plan Comm.25-028
bukou ia m5kou, • •-
Goal Kealakekua is respected, peaceful, a,
You care for us, we care for you
Ilk
a. Design and implement carrying capacity studies relating to ocean, trails,
land, roads, and short-term rentals by the end of 2023.
b. Establish a reservation system with a parking lot (payment for non-
Objective 1.1: residents) and shuttle for visitors at the Gasper Coffee Mill location (above
Healthy human Hikiau Heiau) and establish parking zones in Napo'opo'o village with
carrying capacity access given to residents by the end of 2027.
limits determined c. Conduct outreach to local commercial operators, residents, and visitor
and management industry to see if they will voluntarily participate in rest day closures rather
actions implemented than be subject to top-down regulation.
(including rest day d. Consult `ike kupuna, researchers, and findings from carrying capacity
closures) to manage studies to design an effective management plan and ecological closure
commercial and plan (by area, time, season, etc.).
visitor use by 2027. e. Work with government agencies to develop a rest day(s) closure process,
rules, and management plan for the bay.
f. Implement management plan and access rules in collaboration with
enforcement agencies.
Objective 1.2: a. Create and display appropriate outreach materials (signage, social media,
Outreach and TV, and websites)for compliance with the Code of Conduct; evaluate and
education reassess on an annual basis. (See Action 2.1)
campaigns b. Create ongoing certification process for commercial operators (including
implemented for short-term rentals) to keep mo`olelo (stories) narrative consistent and
residents and accurate and increase compliance with Code of Conduct by summer 2023.
visitors guided by c. Implement a Makai Watch program and collaborate with DOCARE and
the mo`olelo of NOAA enforcement officers to observe and gather data and increase
Kealakekua by compliance with rules and community Code of Conduct.
2023.
Objective 1.3: a. Staff Ho'ala Kealakekua with paid positions; hire at least one staff by the
Ho'ala Kealakekua's end of 2022 and two more by mid-2023.
organizational b. Increase the membership and initiate capacity-building training for Ho'ala
capacity built to Kealakekua Board of Directors to guide successful implementation of
successfully co- mission.
manage stewardship c. Develop a 5-year strategic plan and implement funding strategy (grants,
of Kealakekua in donations, parking and reservation fees, and concession stands) to
partnership with support Ho'ala Kealakekua by the end of 2023.
government
agencies by 2023.
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KealaLeLua 5a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
d. Develop and implement volunteer engagement strategy that incorporates
voluntourism programs to generate revenue and build Ho`ala Kealakekua's
capacity to achieve its mission.
• •-
HERITAGE
To seek the future, we must look deeply to the past
Ike k0puna is the foundation that is integrated into education programs,
outreach, research, and management
Objective 2.1: a. Create a list of people to interview including village `ohana, historical
The `ike kupuna and researchers, and pili(close) people by December 2023.
mo`olelo of b. Complete an ethnographic study in collaboration with Ho`ala Kealakekua
Kealakekua and the Cultural Advisory `Ohana to collect, securely store, and determine
integrated into appropriate mo`olelo to be used for education and outreach by the end of
management 2024.
actions, outreach, c. Create place-based oli and/or mele to be incorporated into outreach,
and education for education, and malama `aina activities by the summer of 2023.
residents and non-
residents by 2024.
Objective 2.2: a. Complete an Archaeological Inventory Survey and Preservation Plan by the
A cultural landscape end of 2025.
preservation and b. Conduct cultural landscape monitoring and enforcement to protect and
stewardship preserve archaeological sites.
partnership program
established by 2025.
Objective 2.3: a. Implement the philosophies of heiau protocols with community (e.g.,
Hikiau Heiau is a through closures that are aligned with cultural philosophies of
center of learning management).
that drives b. Identify active `ohana practitioners to help formalize heiau protocols and
development of capture their mana`o (thoughts) in writing, art, music, mele (song, chant), or
community programs videos to be incorporated into outreach and education programs.
by 2023.
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Kcalakckua Bach Communitq Action Plan Comm.25-028
' • i
•. The ecosystems • abundant
species for • benefit
Objective Actions
am WPM*
Objective 3.1: a. Compile existing research of marine, coastal, and terrestrial habitats by
Past and present the end of 2023.
ecological conditions b. Develop capacity and implement coral restoration through collaborations
understood and with DAR, researchers, and non-profit organizations by the end of 2022.
management actions
implemented to restore
Kealakekua's coral
reefs by 2023.
Objective 3.2: a. Identify water quality pollution sources and extent in collaboration with
Baseline water quality researchers by the end of 2024.
conditions assessed b. Identify short-term and long-term management actions that would
and actions improve water quality by the end of 2024.
implemented to c. Implement water quality improvement plan for Kealakekua Bay by the
improve water quality end of 2025.
by 2025.
a. Identify priority restoration areas and management actions to remove
Objective 3.3: invasive species (flora and fauna).
Invasive species b. With volunteer support, remove invasive plant species in priority areas
reduced by 50% in and replant with native species sourced from the region by the end of
priority areas and 2027.
native species c. Reduce feral ungulates by 50% in collaboration with landowners through
abundance increased fencing and removal.
by 2027. d. Reduce invasive aquatic species by 50% within priority restoration areas.
e. Restore loko (pond) habitat quality by the end of 2025.
Objective 3.4: a. Document and discuss historical fishing practices with village kupuna,
Current MLCD rules long-time fishers, and community members by the end of 2023.
evaluated and fishing b. Determine which pono practices are still appropriate to reestablish, as
rules modified as guided by `ike kupuna by the end of 2023.
appropriate by 2023. c. Develop a fisheries management plan for the MLCD in collaboration with
DAR and revise the rules as needed.
Objective 3.5: a. Increase frequency and number of DLNR and NOAA enforcement
Violations of marine agents routinely visiting the bay by the end of 2022 and work in
wildlife rules decreased collaboration with Kealakekua Makai Watch.
by 50% by 2024. b. Increase monitoring and data collection on dolphin behavior by
partnering with researchers, citizen scientists, and others by the summer
of 2023.
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Ua Lu`ulu`u Kai Nei
Beneath The Ocean
Ua lu'ulu'u kai nei ka uku ako`akoa The coral polyp dives beneath the sea.
Mai ka wai hung o Lononuiakea From the hidden waters of Lononuiakea
Ohua ka ohua ma ka pa`akea ahua. The young fry fish sliding around the swelling reef.
Hi`ipoi is ka ho`olu`upa`akai'o Hinakamalama and Hinahele,tend to the salt baskets
Hinakamalama 'o Hinahele
Ua puka The coral emerges k
Ua eli It digs in;takes root
Ua uku a is It renumerates
0 ka'Ale'ale`a,o ka leho, o ke kualakai, o These are the sea snail,cowry snail,sea slug,and octopus
kahe`e —all familial god forms that scrub,rub, crawl and burrow on
the reef and are crucial to maintaining its ecological balance
Mai hiki hapapa a hiki kohola From the Shoal waters to the reef flats
E waiho kuanaka l ke au o Lono pau The hard coral is placed in the currents of Lono pao
Ua ikea It is being known, it is being expressed, it is happening now
Mai pa`a ka leo The profoundness is proclaimed.Which makes it wisdom
This chant was developed as the opening protocol for coral restoration work on the Kealakua reef.
Haku `ia (composed by) 'o Kahaka`io Ravenscraft, 2022
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Appendix A: Translations, Glossary, and Acronyms
Translations
Akua Gods; natural phenomenon
Akule Bigeye scad mackerel
Ali`i Chief
Aloha An action that requires reciprocation; greetings, love, affection, and respect
Aue Oh! Alas! Goodness! Really!; action of"matter of fact" (used to express
wonder, fear, scorn, pity, affection)
Hahalua Manta ray
Hana Work
HalaI0 Juvenile akule
He'e Octopus
Heiau Place of worship, altar
I`a Marine fish
`Ike/ `ike kupuna Knowledge, wisdom of respected elders that is transmitted generationally
`Ilioholoikauaua Monk seal
Ka`ao Transcendental novels, myths, or legends. Stories that are passed down
about how or why something came to be; or stories designed to teach a
lesson about a real person in history, with a few facts dramatically changed.
Kahakai Area near the sea, beach
Kaheka Tidal pool area
Kai Sea, sea water, area near the sea I
Kai ola a Kanaloa All life in the ocean realm
Kalo Taro i
Kanaka Maoli An individual whose ancestors were natives of the area which consists of the
Hawaiian Islands prior to 1778 (42 U.S. Code, § 3057k—"Native Hawaiian"
defined)
Kanawai Law, code, rule
Kapu Taboo, prohibition
Kilo Observations
Ko`a Shrine, often consisting of circular piles of coral or stone, built along the
shore or by ponds or streams, used in ceremonies as to make fish multiply
Kohola Humpback Whale
Kohola Reef flats, bare reef, the first law a chief promulgates.
Kole Goldring surgeonfish
Konohiki Sub-chief; land agent for a chief; landlord agent. Headman of an ahupua`a
land division under the chief/self-sustaining and holistic methods of land and
resource stewardship
Konohiki System A partial definition of"The Ancient Hawaiian Land System" which legally
defines stewardship for right-holders within a specific region. (10-JUL Haw.
B.J. 46, Hawaii Bar Journal, July 2006, Hon. Jon J. Chinen (ret.), copyright
2006
Kuleana Prerogative; privledged responsibility; assignment; land division act of 1850.
Kupuna/kupuna Respected elder, grandparent, ancestor/plural of kupuna,
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Lauhala Leaves of the hala tree (Pandanus tectorius)
Laulima Cooperation
Limu Algae
Limu kohu Asparagopsis taxiformis
Limu pahe`e Porphyra sp.
Loina Rule, custom, manners, code
Loko Ponds
Lokowai Anchialine pools
Mahalo/Mahalo piha Thank you/wholehearted gratitude
Maka`ili Rocky patches where sweet potato and kalo were cultivated
Makai Towards the ocean, seaward
Malama/Malama `aina To care for/To care for that which feeds us
Maria Power
Mana`o Thought, idea, belief, opinion
Mano Shark
Mauka Toward the mountains, inland, upland
Mele Song, anthem, or chant of any kind; poem, poetry
Mo`olelo Stories of place
Nai`a Porpoise, dolphin
Niho Foundation stone in dry-stack masonry
Niuhi Carnivorous shark
`Ohana Family
Oli Chant
`Olelo no`eau Hawaiian proverbs
Ope`ape`a Hawaiian hoary bat
`Opelu Mackerel scad
`Opihi Limpet
Paku`iku`i Achilles tang
Palaoa Sperm whale; lei palaoa, makau palaoa - tusk used from the palaoa. Highly
prized as a gift from Kanaloa. An indication or metaphor for abundance.
Pali Cliffs
Pili Close
Pilina Relationships
Pohaku Rocks
Pono Moral, righteous
Puna wai Freshwater springs
Roi Peacock grouper
Ta`ape Bluestripe snapper
To`au Blacktail snapper
`Uala Sweet potatoes
Ula Lobster
Wahi pana Storied place
Wai Water other than sea water
Wana Sea urchin
32
KealaLeLua F)a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Glossary
Actions In the context of a Community Action Plan, the activities or interventions that explain
how objectives will be accomplished
Adaptive Adjusting your actions based on what you learn from implementing and monitoring
management
Area-based The integrated, sustainable management of the full suite of human activities occurring
management in large, spatially defined areas, which take into account biophysical, socioeconomic,
and jurisdictional considerations, wherein no-impact and low-use areas may be
necessary elements of biodiversity protection
Community Residents, families, and people who come together from across a wider geography to
care about a place from many perspectives—anyone who cares enough, steps up
and helps take care of and lift up a place is part of the community
Community-led Natural resource stewardship regime in which a community comprised of an
stewardship/ organized group of people with an ancestral, residential, and/or use-based
Community- relationship with a place is empowered through agreement, policy, or legal ownership
based to inform decision-making about how that place's resources are used, managed, and
management conserved. This includes a range of governance conditions, from a community
playing a formal advisory role to a government agency, a community exercising
exclusive collective ownership, or a hybrid set-up within this spectrum. The advisory
type of community-based management is currently the most commonly practiced in
contemporary Hawaii.
Collaborative Occurs when two or more parties within the collaboration share decision making
or Co- authority over common-pool resources (Berkes et al. 1991). The 1996 World
management Conservation Congress states via Resolution 1.42 that co-management is a
"partnership in which government agencies, local communities and resource users,
non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders negotiate, as appropriate to
each context, the authority and responsibility for the management of a specific area
or set of resources."
Goals A simple phrase that succinctly communicates your aim or desired result
Herbivore/ An animal/fish that feeds on plants
Herbivorous
fish
Objectives In the context of a Community Action Plan, the outcomes you hope to achieve that
answer the questions what, where, by how much, and in what time frame
Resource/ In the context of a Community Action Plan, something the community wants to
Resource protect. Typically, a plant, animal, or habitat of biological, social, cultural, and/or
species economic significance
Stakeholder(s) In the context of a Community Action Plan, individual or group with interest in the
geographic area/resources your group is working to protect
SMARTIE Objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and
objectives equitable
Target In the context of a Community Action Plan, resources your group is working to protect
Threat In the context of a Community Action Plan, people or things putting pressure on the
resources your group is working to protect
Viable/viability Capable of survival
33
KealaLeLua bay Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Vision In the context of a Community Action Plan, conveys what your resources, place, or
community will look like once you achieve your mission
Acronyms
CORAL Coral Reef Alliance
DAR DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources
DLNR Hawaii Department of Natural Resources
DOCARE DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement
HWF Hawaii Wildlife Fund
MLCD Marine Life Conservation District
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NPS National Park Service
TNC The Nature Conservancy
UH University of Hawaii
34
KealaLeLua 5a� Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
�ppendix 6: rapacity Needs Assessment
The CAP participants brainstormed an initial list of potential collaborators, resources, and opportunities
for support to implement CAP actions. We will expand upon the list as the CAP is implemented and
new information and relationships develop.
1'
o-
You care for us, we care for you
Kealakekua is respected, peaceful, and stewardship is led by
the community.
• Friends of Hanauma Bay
• Kamuela Plunkett
Objective 1.1: • DLNR Division of Boating and Recreation
Healthy human carrying . UH Manoa DURP Program
capacity limits determined . Pupukea Carrying Capacity Study
and management actions . Ha'ena and Hapuna Beach State Parks
implemented (including rest Hawaii Tourism Authority Destination Management Action
day closures) to manage Plans
commercial and visitor use
by 2027. Other ecotourism operators (e.g., at Molokini)
• The Kohala Center
• Fair Wind Cruises
• Kona Boys Kayak Co.
Objective 1.2:
Outreach and education • Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
campaigns implemented for • Frecia Cevallos (Hawai'i County)
residents and visitors • Caroline Anderson (Hawai'i Tourism Authority)
guided by the mo`olelo of • Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL)
Kealakekua by 2023.
Objective 1.3: • The Nature Conservancy
Ho'ala Kealakekua's • Hui Maka'ainana o Makana
organizational capacity built • Hui Aloha Kiholo
to successfully co-manage • Hawai'i Community Foundation
stewardship of Kealakekua • Hawai'i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations
in partnership with • State Parks
government agencies by • Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory 'Ohana
2023.
35
Kcalakckua Ba ) Communit)Action Plan Comm.25-028
• •-
To seek the future, we must look deeply to the past
'Ike k0puna is the foundation that is integrated into education
programs, outreach, • management
• Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory `Ohana
• Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation
• Uncle Chuckie Leslie
• Kona Historical Society
Objective o E Ala PO Network, Kua`aina Ulu `Auamo
The `ike fpuaa and University of Hawaii at Hilo's Heritage Management Program
mo`olelo of Kealakekua integrated into management Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, NPS
actions, outreach and Halau Ohia
education for residents and Kamuela Plunkett
non-residents by 2024. Kumu Pono
• Daviana McGregor
Hawaii Tourism Authority
• Kepa Maly (2004) resource
• Hawai`i Community Foundation
• Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory `Ohana
• Division of State Parks, DLNR
• Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, NPS
Objective 2.2: Huliaupa`a
A cultural landscape Hawaiian Civic Club
preservation and Big Island Hiking Club
stewardship partnership Dennis Klimke
program established by Local Educators
2025. Kumu Hula
• University of Hawaii at Hilo Heritage Management Program
• Halau Ohia
• Kamuela Plunkett
36
Kcalakckua Ba ) Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
• Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelson
• Kealakekua Bay Cultural Advisory `Ohana
• Ku-A-Kanaka, Aunty Ku Kakahakalau ma
• Local Educators
Objective 2.3: • Kumu Hula
Hikiau Heiau is a center of • University of Hawaii at Hilo Heritage Management Program
learning that drives • Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
development of community • Halau `Ohia
programs by 2023. • Kamuela Plunkett
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs
• Office of Hawaiian Education
• Native Hawaiian Educational Grants
• Kokua Hawaii Foundation
ENVIRONMENT
NVIRONMENT
hen
When you thrive, we thrive
•. • • abundant
•- • • benefit
Objective 3.1:
Past and present ecological Dr. John Burns (University of Hawaii at Hilo)
conditions understood and Arizona State University
management actions Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation
implemented to restore Manuel Mejia (Coral Reef Alliance)
Kealakekua's coral reefs by Cultural Advisory `Ohana
2023.
• Erica Perez (Coral Reef Alliance)
• Tracy Wiegner (University of Hawaii at Hilo)
• Pam Madden (Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority)
Objective 3.2: Rebecca Most (The Nature Conservancy)
Baseline water quality Rick Bennett or Rae Chandler-`lao
conditions assessed and (Kona Water Keepers)
actions implemented to Hawaii Wai Ola
improve water quality by Stuart Coleman (Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations)
2025. Craig Downs (Haereticus Environmental Laboratory)
• Greg Asner (Arizona State University)
• Representative Nicole Lowen
• NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program grants
Hokuli`a Water Quality Reports
37
Kcalakckua Bay Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
• Fair Wind Water Quality results (Dear Ocean collaboration)
• The Nature Conservancy
• Hui Loko network
• Steve Hess (USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research
Center, retired)
Objective 3.3: • South Kohala Coastal Partnership
Invasive species reduced by • Three Mountain Alliance
50% in priority areas and • Local hunting and fishing groups
native species abundance • Hiki Ola
increased by 2027. • University of Hawaii at Hilo
• Terraformation
• Hawai`i Wildlife Fund
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Division of Forestry and Wildlife
• Stacia Marcoux (Division of Aquatic Resources)
• Keali`i Sagum (Division of Aquatic Resources)
Objective 3.4: Ka Huli Ao
Current MLCD rules CBSFA communities
evaluated and fishing rules NO CRISES research group
modified as appropriate by Hannah Springer (Ka`upulehu Marine Life Advisory
2023. Committee)
• TNC FishPath
• Department of Land and Natural Resources
• David Aku Carruthers (NOAA Office of Law Enforcement)
Objective 3.5: Cammy Dabney (NOAA)
Violations of marine wildlife Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement
rules decreased by 50% by (DOCARE) Kona Officers
2024. Hawaii County Police Department
• Hawai`i County Planning Office
• Hawai`i Tourism Authority
38
Kcalakckua Ba ) Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Appendix C: Indigenous Rights, Right-holders and
Stakeholders, and the Application of the Paoakalani
Declaration
In October 2003, Kanaka Maoli of Ka Pae `Aina Hawaii gathered at the Ka `Aha Pono— Native
Hawaiian Intellectual Property Rights Conference— and united to express our collective right of self-
determination to perpetuate our culture under threat of theft and commercialization of the tradtional
knowledge of Kanaka Maoli, our wahi pana, and na mea Hawaii.
The Kealakekua Bay CAP acknowledges the unique legal status of the indigenous residents of
Kealakekua Bay, generally referred to as Mauliauhonua, generational residents or Native Hawaiians,
and urges to protect and continue to create abundance for their traditions, customs, and spiritual
lifestyle, not limited to but, afforded by the County of Hawaii, State of Hawaii, U.S. Federal, and
International governments. The Kealakekua Bay CAP also recognizes place-based knowledge holders
to navigate traditions, customs, and spiritual lifestyles within the jurisdiction of the Kealakekua Bay
CAP.
The Paoakalani Declaration can be found on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs website at this link:
https://www.oha.org/ne ws/statement-on-the-aloha-poke-controversy/paoakalani-declaration/
39
Kcalakckua Ba ) Community Action Plan Comm.25-028
Appendix D: Community-Based Participatory Research -
Data Management and Collection
Community-based participatory research is an approach to research that involves collective, reflective
and systemic inquiry in which researchers and community stakeholders and right-holders engage as
equal partners in all steps of the research process with the goals of education, improving practice, or
bringing about social change. This approach to research is recognized as particularly useful when
working with populations that experience marginalization, such as Indigenous communities, because it
supports the establishment of respectful relationships and the sharing of control over individual and
group health and social conditions.
The purpose of this appraoch is to recognize the value of `ike kupuna, community place-based
knowleldge holders, and academic researchers and to set up a framework to address the need for
improved transdiciplinary and intervention research methods.
The Kealakekua Bay CAP will design an appropriate framework for all stakeholders and right-holders to
facilitate and prioritize the increase and evolution of all knowledge sources and understanding of a
given akua (phenomenon) and to integrate the knowledge gained with interventions for policy and
social change benefiting the community and natural and cultural resources the Kealakekua Bay CAP
serves.
An optional template for research and data sharing agreements can be found on page 184 of the
created by the Maui Nui Makai Network.
40
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5-028
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail
73-4786 Kanalani St., 414
Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740
Tel: (808) 217-0307
Fax: (808) 329-2597
January 15, 2025
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawai'i 96750
Subject: Support for Acquisition in Fee of TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008)
at Ka'awaloa, South Kona, Hawai'i Island
Aloha,
Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, NPS strongly supports Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui's, and Trust for
Public Land's efforts to purchase "Kokua Kealakekua", composed of a total of 1.26 acres at
Ka'awaloa, South Kona, Hawai'i Island.
The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail's (NHT) 175-mile corridor was designated in 2000 to
administer the management, preservation, protection and interpretation of a system of ancient
and historic trails from Upolu Point around South Point and into Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park. It is the policy of this NHT to support and build capacity for descendant-led, community
based/driven trail management based on traditional ahupua'a land and marine management
and values in a manner that is inclusive of all members of the community.
Ala Kahakai staff has been in close collaboration with the Kealakekua community and
associated organizations, including State Parks, on several initiatives consistent with the above
stated policy. Being aware of the carrying capacity issue at Ka'awaloa, we have deployed trail
user counters on the trail and provide this data monthly to HKN and other government and
NGO collaborators. The Ka'awaloa trail remains unmanaged. Most trail users enter
unprepared for the elevation change, heat, lack of hydration, and proper PPE attire. Parking at
trail head is inadequate and not managed.
Working is close collaboration with State Parks, we are poised to initiate the stabilization and
restoration of a causeway, on a section of the Ka'awaloa trail. The collapse was caused by the
2006 earthquake. Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui and another Kealakekua non-profit, Ike Lawai'a are
involved in the planning and will be partnering with us on community engagement and
education for this project. This project will begin in June of this year.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka'awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Comm.25-028
NIPS LOS Kokua Kealakekua
January 15, 2025
Page 2 of 2
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawai'i, Kealakekua faces severe
challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit Ho'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and
natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an
interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs.
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of
the whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active management,
outreach and education.
The acquisition of the subject property will provide an opportunity to properly manage the
above cited carrying capacity and trail user safety issues. It will also provide opportunities for
trail and community-based co-management of the state park; opportunities for interpretive
displays, guided hikes, etc.; and a means to build community resiliency around the celebration
of the history, culture and residents of Kealakekua and adjacent ahupua'a.
We remain committed to supporting and offering Ala Kahakai NHT's technical services and
resources (i.e. trail head planning, cultural and natural resources management, GIS mapping,
and project funding) to the Kealakekua community, specifically Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui at the
Ka'awaloa trailhead. We humbly request your support for this land acquisition effort.
Sincerely,
Superintendent
Comm.25-028
CONSERVATION0
d
INTERNATIONAL
HAWAYI
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of two land parcels in Kealakekua, South Kona,
Hawaii
17 January 2025
Aloha kakou,
I am pleased to offer the support of Conservation International Hawaii (CI Hawaii) to the South
Kona community non-profit organization, H6'ala Kealakekua Nui, and the Trust for Public Land
in their combined effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TM (3) 8-1-
009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island. H6'ala
Kealakekua Nui (HKN) is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit engaging in collaborative stewardship
of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the whole community, including guests
and future generations.
Like other precious places across Hawaii nei, unmanaged tourism and overuse pose serious
challenges to Kealakekua. Purchase of Kokua Kealakekua means empowerment for the
community and a greater ability to collaboratively steward the cultural and natural resources of
the area. The parcels of interest sit across the Ka`awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook Monument
Trail), which serves as the main public access route to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park. Parking infrastructure would support managed access to the Bay and provide a
space for an interpretive center at Kealakekua that would ensure an `oiwi-centered narrative of
the Bay and surrounding sacred and historical sites is shared with malihini and kama`aina.
Additionally, important safety and other updated information can be accurately and quickly
disseminated.
Across the pae `aina, Cl Hawaii focuses on sustainable seafood harvest, innovations in
conservation policy, and community-based natural resource stewardship, which all lead to
improved ocean health and abundance. Our partnerships are collaborations between
businesses, non-profits, academic institutions, government, and local fishing villages and
communities, including Kealakekua. Cl Hawaii has been privileged to partner with Ho`51a
Kealakekua Nui on community-basedenvironmental monitoring, `oiwi-defined research, and
Indigenous data and knowledge management topics. Our organization believes in the vision of
community-led natural resource and visitor access and management in Kealakekua and other
sacred spaces. Their proposed purchase of the two mauka parcels will significantly increase
their organizational capacity to continue to serve Kealakekua and achieve the objectives and
outcomes articulated in the Kealakekua Community Action Plan.
Conservation International Hawai'i, 3555 Harding Avenue Suite 200, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96816
Comm.25-028
CONSERVATION0
d
INTERNATIONAL
HAWAYI
Mahalo for the opportunity to convey our strong support for HKN and TPL's acquisition and
protection of lands in South Kona. Cl Hawaii looks forward to continuing our work with our
community-based organization partners in Kealakekua, supporting their cultural and natural
resource stewardship for greater ocean and community health. Please feel free to contact me
with any questions or for further follow-up.
Me ke aloha,
�AA'eA. lob Moana Ulu Ching
Senior Program Manager for Community-based Conservation
Conservation International Hawaii
Conservation International Hawai'i, 3555 Harding Avenue Suite 200, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96816
Comm.25-028
Michelle M. Galimba
Council District 6
Portion N. S. Kona/Ka`u/Volcano
:t
�4rF OF t►P11
Phone: (808) 323-4277
Cell: (808)430-4927
Fax: (808) 329-4786
Email: Michelle.GalimbaCahawaiicountv.gov
HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL
County of Hawai`i
West Hawai`i Civic Center, Bldg.A
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy.
Kailua-Kona,Hawai`i 96740
01-03-2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii
Island
To Whom it May Concern,
I support H6'ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect TMK
(3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
Strategically located across from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook Monument
Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park,
this acquisition will help to empower the community and nonprofit H6'ala Keakalekua Nui to
protect and steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a
managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs.
Mahalo,
14�
Hawaii County Is an Equal Opportunity Provider And Employer
Comm.25-028
JOSH GREEN,M.D. - E^o F H• DAWN N.S.CHANG
'p51'' 5a� �Y CHAIRPERSON
GOVERNOR KE KIA'AINA .�•r a 1g S 99r BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
. y i:�+` ?�'r: kr• COMMISSION ON WATER RESOURCE
SYLVIA LUKE a :{� tt� MANAGEMENT
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR I KA HOPE KIA'AINA ° i{ RYAN K.P.KANAKA`OLE
a
.? r, FIRST DEPUTY
t Va,d and ryas 3' ,5�.
•'L ftr CIARA W.K.KAHAHANE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR-WATER
r AQUATIC RESOURCES
BOATING AND OCEAN RECREATION
STATE OF HAWAI`I I KA MOKU`AINA`O HAWAI`I BUREAU OF CONVEYANCES
COMMISSION ON WATER RESOURCE
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
State of HaI+al CONSERVATION
O SERVA ION A AND COASTAL RESOURCE LANDS
KA`OIHANA KUMUWAIWAI `AINA ENFORCEMENT
ENGINEERING
FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
DIVISION OF STATE PARKS KAHOOLAWE I SLAND RESERVE COMMISSION
P.O.BOX 621 LAND
STATE PARKS
HONOLULU,HAWAII 96809
January 27, 2024
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: Ilcc@hawaii.gov
Division of Forestry and Wildlife
Legacy Land Conservation Commission
1151 Punchbowl St. Room 325
Kalanimoku Building
Honolulu, HI. 96813
Support for Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui purchasing Kokua Kealakekua, 1.26 acres, TMK (3)
8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
Aloha Members of the Commission,
The Division of State Parks (DSP) is in robust support of Hb'ala Kealakekua Nui (HKN)
purchasing Kokua Kealakekua, a 1.26-acre parcel - TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-
009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
DSP has had a very successful collaborative relationship with HKN virtually since this
nonprofit's inception at Kealakekua Bay State Historic Park (KBSHP). For the past 9 years
DSP and KHN have been engaged in co-stewardship of the grounds surrounding Hikiau and
Helehelekalani heiaus, and KHN provided valuable content for the KBSHP Master Plan (MP),
such as helping DSP with a Ke'pa'akai analysis that the earlier version of the MP was lacking.
The MP was approved in 2023 with KHN support. KHN then continued its collaboration and
community-based advocacy in the follow-up and subsequent Kealakekua Bay Community
Action Planning (CAP) process hosted by The Nature Conservancy - whose vision is now
carried on by the KapuKapu Ohana, an expanded group of engaged community members and
DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) that includes HKN.
DSP is now hoping to support expanding the role of KHN at Kealakekua in a manner that is
comparable to Hui Maka`ainana o Makana's stewardship and co-management role at Ha'ena
State Park on Kauai.
Comm.25-028
The Kokua Kealakekua parcel is strategically located across the road from the popular historic
Ka'awaloa trailhead (popularly known as the Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the only
land based public access to Ka'awaloa - the north end of KBSHP and across the Bay from the
village of Napo'opo'o. Like several other park units across Hawaii, KBSHP has been plagued
by over-tourism as an attraction due to its stunning ocean water and fish population (it is a
Marine Life Conservation District) and the deep cultural and historical significance with such
striking features as the heiaus and the obelisk of Captain Cook's Monument.
Having this parcel under the community-based stewardship and deployment of the HKN will
greatly add to their capacity to further support enhance stewardship of the natural and cultural
resources of KBSHP. DSP has initiated permitted ocean-based access to the Bay, but the
Ka'awaloa Trail — under both County and State jurisdiction, is a key and critical access point
that needs both visitor management and resource enhancement and protection.
The timing of the availability of this parcel for HKN acquisitor could not come at a better
time and is in perfect alignment with DSP's goal to support HKN in capacity building to
enact the elements of the MP and the CAP.
HKN is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative
stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole
community, including visitors and our resident generations to come, through active restoration,
outreach and education. DSP is in staunch support and appreciative of their mission and looks
forwards to enhancing their capacity to malama KBSHP.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify.
Curt ottrell
Administrator
Comm.25-028
Hawaii it Aife Puna
Post Ofi�lce Box 1801,Kealakekua, Hawail,
Post O�ce 15ox,7`0,�'37 /,ia,All,ui, HI
m
a
Celebrating 28+years of protecting f jawaii's native wildlife through
research,eJucation anJ conservation.
7 January 2025
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui Trust for Public Land
admin@lkealakekua.org reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
P.O. Box 1301 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawai'i Island
To Whom it May Concern,
Hawai'i Wildlife Fund strongly supports the South Kona community, Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui, and
Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TMK (3) 8-1-
009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka'awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
The Kokua Kealakekua property is strategically located across the road from the popular
Ka'awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north
end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua
faces severe challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will
empower the community and nonprofit Ho'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the
cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to Kealakekua
Bay and an interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs.
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native-Hawaiian-led nonprofit organization whose mission is to
engage in collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the
benefit of the whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active
restoration, outreach and education.
Founded in 1996, Hawaii Wildlife Fund (HWF) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to
conserve Hawai'i's native wildlife through research and education. We engage and inspire
communities through outreach, education, conservation and habitat restoration activities,
Comm.25-028
conducting environmental research, supporting community-driven management efforts, and
initiating advocacy campaigns. We have been working to protect native wildlife and restore
coastal / nearshore ecosystems across the Hawaiian Archipelago for the past 28 years with
community and partner support.
The HWF team has worked with the volunteer Board members and Co-founders of Ho'ala
Kealakekua Nui, and other state (DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawaii State Parks, and
Division of Conservation & Resources Enforcement), and community/ nonprofit partners,
including but not limited to The Nature Conservancy and Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail staff
members, and several ecotourism operators for many months to vision and create a Community
Action Plan (CAP) for the Kealakekua area. This proposal to both purchase and steward the
Kokua Kealakekua parcel is in alignment with this CAP, and will allow Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui
(HKN) team members be better situated to co-manage the people (hundreds of visitors logged
daily!), plants and animals that use this trail corridor to access to the Bay, while simultaneously
working to better protect native wildlife and cultural sites, and perpetuate cultural traditions and
provide more opportunities for island community members to form relationships with this 'aina.
Furthermore, the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) has long been an ally to community groups in
securing lands for conservation on island. As such and for all the named reasons and those
unwritten, we are in total support of this proposal!
In summary, HWF supports the purchase and protection efforts as laid out by HKN and TPL for
K®kua Kealakekua. Thank you for considering this support letter. Should you have any questions,
please contact me at.megan@wildhawaii.org.
Sincerely,
fD��
Megan Lamson Leatherman, M. Sc.
Hawai'i Wildlife Fund, President and Hawai'i Program Director
megan@wildhawaii.org I (c) 808-217-5777 1 (w) 808-769-7629 (HWF Marine Debris Hotline)
Bill Gilmartin, HWF Co-founder and Director
of Research, Emeritus bill.HWF@gmail.com Hannah Bernard, HWF Co-founder and
Executive Director hannah@wildhawaii.org
Comm.25-028
PARK & CULTURAL SITES
ASSOCIATION
January 16, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawai'i 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua,South Kona, Hawaii
Island
To Whom It May Concern,
The Hokuli'a Park and Cultural Sites Association strongly supports the South Kona
community, H6'ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and
protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres,TMK(3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK(3)8-1-009:008) in
Ka'awaloa, South Kona, Hawai'i Island.
The Subject parcel is located across Napo'opo'o Road from the popular Ka'awaloa
trailhead (Captain Cook Monument Trail). The current situation at the trail head poses
serious issues for the safety of the roadway and surrounding properties. Hundreds of
people hike the trail daily, parking in unsafe areas along the roads.This is an unsafe
environment that will lead to tragedy. In addition,the unmanaged access to Kealakekua
Bay poses serious issues for the cultural and natural resources of the area. The hundreds
of visitors per day are not given information on avoiding adverse impacts on natural and
cultural resources.The use of this parcel to manage parking around the busiest
Hokuli'a Park and Cultural Sites Association • Post Office Box 247 • Kcalakckua, Hawaii • 96750
81-6636 Pu u Ohau Place/Kealakekua,HI 96750
Comm.25-028
PARK & CL] LTURAL SITES
ASSOCIATION
intersection in South Kona and as tool for stewardship of Kealakekua Bay State Park would
be immensely valuable to the community.
The Hokuli'a Park and Cultural Sites Association (PCSA) is also dedicated to protecting the
natural and cultural resources of Kealakekua. Our goal aligns with Ho'ala Kealakekua as we
also manage historic landscapes and trails that lead to Kealakekua Bay.
We understand that this area's cultural history is important to the community and that the
wrong type of development on these parcels would negatively affect the
Kealakekua/Ka'awaloa community. It could potentially curtail the beneficial uses of
Kealakeua Bay State Park by further exacerbating the parking issue. We support Ho'ala
Kealakekua's mission to acquire this land to promote the stewardship of the resources in
Kealakekua Bay and safety of the community.This is a resource that needs to be managed,
and we believe that Ho'ala Kealakekua would be the best entity to manage it.
MahaLY,
Mike Vitousek
PCSA President
Kkuli a Park and Cultural Sites Association • Post Office Box247 • Kealakekua, Hawaii • 96750
81 6636 Pu u Ohau Place/Kealakekua,HI 96750
Comm.25-028
IKO
NALU`U
AN EWA
January 16th, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawai'i 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawai'i
Island
To Whom it May Concern,
Kahalu'u Kuahewa 501(c)3 strongly supports the South Kona community, H6'ala Kealakekua
Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres,
TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka'awaloa, South Kona, Hawai'i Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka'awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawai'i, Kealakekua faces severe
challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit H6'ala Kealakekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural
resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of
the whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active restoration,
outreach and education.
Kahalu'u Kuahewa is a non-profit organization that works towards the revitalization of the
Kahalu'u Field System as a traditional agricultural landscape and we work to reconnect kanaka
to 'aina. Our Hawaiian-led organizations mission and vision focus on the protection and
revitalization of natural and cultural resources for the benefit of community, guests and the
generations to come, which mirrors the work of H6'ala Kealakekua Nui and the goals of Kokua
Kealakekua. We have had a working relationship with individuals in the hui and have witnessed
their integrity first hand and continue to support their goals for community and Hawaiia culture.
Comm.25-028
If the property were to be developed by an outside individual/party, there would be a loss in the
potential opportunity for future generations of descendants and kama'aina to connect to that
space and the resources available to them. In addition, this space is a prime location for
interpretation of visitors before entering a sensitive natural and cultural resource area to the
South Kona Community, and if lost there is no way to know when an opportunity would make
itself available again.
The benefit from the property being protected, restored and stewarded by the community is the
verification that the actions of Kokua Kealakekua will actually serve and benefit the community.
Kahalu'u Kuahewa would wish to see this place utilized as a curated interpretive space for
creating cultural and educational programs aimed to reconnect the Kealakekua community to to
Kealakekua Bay's ecological and cultural significance, and for descendants and kama'aina to
benefit from it's resources. In addition, we wish to see this space established as a native plant
nursery for restoring the ahupua'a system and it's resources. Ultimately, we wish to see this
place as a safe space for 'ohana to come together.
Mahalo,
Jesse Kekoa Kaho'onei
Executive Director, Kahalu'u Kuahewa
P.O. Box 837 Kailua Kona, HI 96745 1 jesse@kahaluukuahewa.org 1 (908) 591-3420
Comm.25-028
The Kai Kuleana Network KAIPO Box 1056 KULEANA
Kamuela, HI 96743
000 .
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301 ��
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
admin @ lkealakekua.or
Trust for Public Land N E T W 0 R K
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona,Hawaii Island
Date: January 17, 2025
Aloha Kakou,
The Kai Kuleana Network strongly supports the South Kona community, H6`ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for
Public Land's effort to purchase and protect K6kua Kealakekua(1.26 acres, TMK(3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK(3)
8-1-009:008)in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
K6kua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead(Captain Cook
Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.Like
many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse.
Protecting this property will empower the community and nonprofit H6`ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and
steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an
interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs.
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative
stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole community,
including guests and generations to come, through active restoration, outreach and education.
The Kai Kuleana Network is composed of 15 communities in West Hawaii, from South Kona to North Kohala,
that are actively engaged in place-based conservation for people and nature to thrive, and collectively supports
efforts to engage in solution-oriented community actions to promote `aina momona(healthy vibrant places with
engaged communities). The Network aims for the members to support one another in the perpetuation of
traditional practices through active stewardship, capacity building, and place-based management that is intimately
connected with the kai (sea). H6`ala Kealakekua Nui have been active members of the Kai Kuleana Network.
The Kai Kuleana Network encourages this collaborative purchase and protection of K6kua Kealakekua. The
acquisition of these two properties would allow H6`ala Keakalekua Nui to establish a cultural informational
center and implement their three primary objectives of building community,respecting heritage, and applying
environmental stewardship that are all identified within the Kealakekua Community Action Plan(CAP), located
in an appendix of the Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park Master Plan. These efforts of H6`ala Keakalekua Nui
align with the goals of the Kai Kuleana Network.
Comm.25-028
The Kai Kuleana Network would like to thank H5'ala Kealakekua on their honorable and thoughtful approach to
place-based management to ensure the natural and cultural resources are well cared for and thriving into the
future.
Mahalo for the opportunity to share our perspectives from the communities in West Hawaii.
Signed on behalf of the Kai Kuleana Network by lineal descendants and representatives from Puako.
Mahalo,
Cq �j
George Fry III
Comm.25-028
The Kai Kuleana Network KAIPO Box 1056 KULEANA
Kamuela,HI 96743
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301 �~
Kealakekua,Hawaii 96750
admin&lkealakekua.org �► �� ���
Trust for Public Land N E T W O R K
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu,Hawaii 96813
reyna.ramolete @tpl.org
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of K6kua Kealakekua, South Kona,Hawaii Island
Date: January 17,2025
Aloha Kakou,
The Kai Kuleana Network strongly supports the South Kona community,116`ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for
Public Land's effort to purchase and protect K6kua Kealakekua(126 acres, TMK(3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK(3)
8-1-009:008)in Ka`awaloa, South Kona,Hawaii Island.
K6kua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook
Monument Trail),which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.Like
many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse.
Protecting this property will empower the community and nonprofit 116`ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and
steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an
interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs.
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative
stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole community,
including guests and generations to come,through active restoration,outreach and education.
The Kai Kuleana Network is composed of 15 communities in West Hawaii, from South Kona to North Kohala,
that are actively engaged in place-based conservation for people and nature to thrive, and collectively supports
efforts to engage in solution-oriented community actions to promote `aina momona(healthy vibrant places with
engaged communities). The Network aims for the members to support one another in the perpetuation of
traditional practices through active stewardship,capacity building, and place-based management that is intimately
connected with the kai (sea).116`ala Kealakekua Nui have been active members of the Kai Kuleana Network.
The Kai Kuleana Network encourages this collaborative purchase and protection of K6kua Kealakekua. The
acquisition of these two properties would allow H6`ala Keakalekua Nui to establish a cultural informational
center and implement their three primary objectives of building community,respecting heritage, and applying
environmental stewardship that are all identified within the Kealakekua Community Action Plan (CAP), located
in an appendix of the Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park Master Plan.These efforts of 116`ala Keakalekua Nui
align with the goals of the Kai Kuleana Network.
Comm.25-028
The Kai Kuleana Network would like to thank Ho`ala Kealakekua on their honorable and thoughtful approach to
place-based management to ensure the natural and cultural resources are well cared for and thriving into the
future.
Mahalo for the opportunity to share our perspectives from the communities in West Hawaii.
Signed on behalf of the Kai Kuleana Network by lineal descendants and representatives from Miloli`i,Ho`okena,
Pahoehoe, Kahalu`u,Keauhuou, Kauhola,Kohanaiki,Ka`upulehu, Kuki`o, Kiholo, Puako and Kawaihae,as well
as kako'o organizations from Moana`Ohara, and Conservation International.
Mahalo,
G ---- � '!
1 *gerdeIICaB and p4,.'p4ii *•,.
f Kohanaiki Service Cernpirty t L f:
Ka`lnii Kaupiko
NI11oli`i, Kapalilua, Hawaii '
KOH,\\ 41K
Mobile:808.987.7213
office:808.854.2817
Email:riee@kohanaiki.com
Kalanihal
Mail:PO Box 9015,Kaiiva-Kona HI 96745
Courier:73-2066 Ala Kohanaiki,Kailua-Kona HI 96740
AZ7 '
Diane and Roger Kanealii.Jr
Kawaiihae.Hawai'i
George Fry III
Puako Community Association
Puako,South Kohala,Hawai'i Island
CONSERVATION 0
INTERNATIONAL
Hawaii
Ulu Ching
Community-based Conservation
Conservation International Hawaii
Isabel Kalaau-catrett
Comm.25-028
Kailapa Community Member
A-
jeffrey K. Coakley
ICa�lh_, , North Kohala, Hawaii Island
Mike Nakachi,Moana'Ohana
rnl3AnA
GHAnA
YOtu O tKAWE
Ila #/&/ia►MO/O
Charles Young
KUPA Fne ds of Ho'okem Beach Park
Charles Wiggins
Executive Director
LS
Hui Aloha Kiholo ��
rmwzws or
HO'OKENA
EACH FMW
a 1%
Mafia Kipapa
Kipapa `Ghana, Pahoehoe,Kahalu`u,Keahuou
Comm.25-028
KO NA
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
January 18, 2025
VIA EMAIL:admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street,Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua,South Kona, Hawai'i Island
To Whom it May Concern,
As the President of the Board of Directors of Kona Historical Society, I strongly support the South Kona
community, H6'ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua
Kealakekua (1.26 acres,TMK(3)8-1-009:007 and TMK(3) 8-1-009.008)in Ka'awaloa,South Kona,Hawaii
Island. Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka'awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail),which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park.Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to
unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the community and nonprofit Wala
Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a
managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs. H6'ala
Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative stewardship of
Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole community, including guests and
generations to come,through active restoration,outreach and education.
Mahalo,
L' Greenwell HumAel
Board President
Kona Historical Society
khsboard@konahistorical.org
Direct: (808)217-1881
President I Lisa Greenwell Hummel Director I Hudson Cowell Director I Hannah Springer
Vice President I Dylan Nonaka Director I Alena Griffey Director I Laysan Unger
Treasurer I Morgan Butler Director I Juliana Kailihiwa Director I Mike Vitousek
Secretary I Kahelelani Alohikea-Smith Director I Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen
PO Box 398, Captain Cook, HI 96704 1 808--323-3222 1 www.konahistorical.org
A G;(11 i,iiQ1 nrnnni, Finn
Comm.25-028
KULAIWI ARCHAEOLOGY, LLC
Archaeological, Cultural, and Historical Resource Management Services
Phone: 808.493-8884
P.O. Box 1213 1 Captain Cook I HI 96704
January 12, 2025
Via Email:admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawai'i 96750
Via Email: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street,Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua,South Kona, Hawai'i Island
To Whom it May Concern,
Kulaiwi Archaeology strongly supports the South Kona community,H6'ala Kealakekua Nui,and Trust for Public Land's
effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in
Ka'awaloa,South Kona, Hawai'i Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka'awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook
Monument Trail),which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park. Like many
beloved places across Hawai'i, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse.
Protecting this property will empower the community and nonprofit H6'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward
the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative stewardship
of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole community, including guests and
generations to come,through active restoration,outreach and education.
Kulaiwi Archaeology, LLC is an archaeological,cultural and historical resource management consulting firm based in
South Kona. As members of this vibrant community,we support the efforts of H6'ala Kealakekua Nui to protect and
improve the unique natural, cultural and historical resources of Kealakekua Bay through focused stewardship and
improved management.As archaeologists we believe that cultural sites do not benefit from benign neglect as a form
of preservation;they are dynamic and require care and maintenance.This kuleana is best performed by community
members who know the sites, families, traditions, and challenges of the area. The preservation and protection of
the cultural and historic resources require active management in this landscape impacted by visitors. Educating
guests and visitors to the area is an integral part of protecting these non-renewable resources. People need to be
informed and understand how to behave appropriately in this culturally and environmentally sensitive area.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to partner a very committed and active community group with this
place that so desperately needs their service and care.The benefits of this arrangement would be innumerable and
it could serve as an example of how communities can successfully play an active role in the vision and management
KULAIWI ARCHAEOLOGY I 1
Comm.25-028
of their cultural and environmental resources. Kealakekua Bay will always be a destination for tourism, but it is
important that it remains a place where the community is involved.
Mahalo,
/�z r—t"D.-e—
Solomon H. Kailihiwa, III, M.S.
Principal Investigator
Kulaiwi Archaeology, LLC
skailihiwa@kulaiwiarchaeology.com
(808)493-8884
KULAIWI ARCHAEOLOGY 1 2
Com
� �pNAL Cp��fQ Via Email: admin@lkealakekua.org
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui
LQM I P.O. Box 1301 January 16, 2025
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
PON���A P�SP Via Email: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
FUTIC Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii Island
To Whom it May Concern,
I, Heather Margaret Momi Nobriga, owner of Lomi Pono, strongly supports the South Kona community, Ho'ala
Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1 .26 acres, TMK (3) 8-
1 -009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka'awaloa, South Kona, Hawai'i Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka'awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook
Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park. Like
many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse.
Protecting this property will empower the community and nonprofit Hb'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the
cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative stewardship
of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole community, including guests and
generations to come, through active restoration, outreach and education.
I am a cultural practitioner and Lineal Descendent of this wahi papa. It brings me great joy to engage with the
natural landscape of this area. I feel it is imperative to protect what remains of our resources as outside interest
brings greater stresses to our small community. Impact of unmonitored tourism and commercialization is causing
harm to the immediate community. It is vital to place safeguards and community support for this unique area to
maintain its beauty and preserve the treasured history.
I love the idea of a space that locals and visitors can both hear the history of this beautiful area. A vibrant center for
farmers and artisans to share their wares. A space for sharing of cultural practices with communtiy. And most
importantly, space for the 'aina to simply exist in its resplendant, unspoiled beauty.
DaTo,
H.M. MomiNobriga
LMT
V momi@lomipono.com
www.LomiPono.com Q 808-896-0577
Comm.25-028
Na Hoa UluWau O Kalamawai`awa`awa
P.O. Box 375
Captain Cook, HI 96704
January 6, 2025
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Aloha,
We are writing to express our support that the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) acquire the 1.26 acre
parcel of land at the intersection of Mamalohoa Hwy and Napo'opo'o Road in Ka'awaloa (Captain
Cook) to construct an interpretive center that would greatly enhance the Ka'awaloa community.
The parcel is located across the road from the Ka'awaloa (Captain Cook Monument Trail) trailhead.
One vision for the center is to educate people about the significance of the Ka'awaloa Trail and
stress the importance to malama the trail in a way that will mitigate the environmental damage that
is being caused by the thousands of people who hike the trail every month. (On the 5th of this
month, while driving past the area on Napo'opo'o Road where hikers park, we couldn't help but
notice the piles of trash that were stuffed in the weeds.)
TPL plans to have the nonprofit H6`ala Keakalekua Nui manage the center in a way to provide
employment opportunities for local residents to protect and steward the cultural and natural
resources of Kealakekua Bay. It will also offer a place for restoration of cultural programs.
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the
whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active restoration, outreach
and education.
Na Hoa UluWau O Kalamawai`awa`awa was organized to perpetuate ancestral knowledge,
reconnecting kanaka to `aina, through combining indigenous grassroots initiatives with
modern sustainable restorative agricultural practices. Our goal is to reclaim and restore
what once was a portion of a thriving ahupua`a (land division) that overlooks Kealakekua
Bay.
Ka'awaloa is a vibrant, thriving community with many amenities including a grocery store, a
hardware store, and several local family-owned businesses. The addition of a culturally based
interpretive center would be a great addition to the community, benefiting current and future
generations. It would break our hearts to see a Burger King or similar corporate entity inhabit that
site.
On half of the board of directors,
D aikiki, President
Email manuunuu@yahoo.com
Comm.25-028
/f PACIFIC I S LANDS 2525 Correa Road, HIG 238, Honolulu, HI 96822
CLIMATE ADAPTATION SCIENCE CENTER (808) 956-703 1 picasc@hawaii.edu
pi-casc.soest.hawaii.edu
January 6, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of K6kua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii
Island
To Whom It May Concern,
The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center(PI-CASC) strongly supports the South
Kona community, H6`ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and
protect K6kua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TMK(3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK(3) 8-1-009:008) in
Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
K6kua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe
challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit H6`ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural
resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of
the whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active restoration,
outreach, and education.
PI-CASC's mission is to deliver science that helps fish, wildlife, water, land, and people adapt to a
changing climate. Within PI-CASC, the Manager Climate Corps (MCC) program is a practitioner-
driven graduate research program that accomplishes this mission by supporting long-term, place-
based relationships (e.g., relationality or kinship) and practitioner-driven research projects by
uniting local management, community, and research networks, while training graduate students
UNIVERSITY UNIVI[ItSITY UNIVERSITY OF
of HAwAI�I � of HAWAI I� G GUAM
MANOA � HILO UNIBETSEDATGUAHAN
Comm.25-028
in community-driven research pathways. By participating on the steering committee of the
Kealakekua Bay Community Action Plan (CAP), MCC foundations contributed to the sole cross-
cutting theme within the CAP (i.e., relationality or kinship). This cross-cutting theme is currently
being put into action through a 5-year research project in which graduate students will empower
traditional practices within Hikiau Heiau as a mechanism to both unite stewardship activities in
the area across a number of sectors and increasingly root such efforts in descendent-led
practices.
Stewarding and protecting wahi pana (sacred sites) within and nearby Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park, such as Hikiau Heiau, is vital and must be a top priority if the community is to
retain and build upon practices that have been both adaptive and resilient in the area for
centuries. Strategic, sustained, and action-oriented stewardship, such as proposed by K6kua
Kealakekua, is the only path to transform the current existential challenges (e.g., resource
exploitation, loss of traditional community, and socio-ecological disruption) to regenerative
cycles by empowering the source of the area's historic and contemporary adaptive capacities.
Preserving, empowering, and learning from `ike kupuna (ancestral experiences, insights,
perspectives, knowledge, and practices) residing at this location for centuries will not only offer a
better tomorrow for Kealakekua but create a beacon and map to a better tomorrow regionally,
nationally, and globally.
Without retention and empowerment of such long-tested wisdom, Kealakekua has little chance
of redirecting the ongoing and increasing range of deleterious factors that are leaving lineal
descendants facing a very real existential crisis (e.g., increasing storm intensity, sea level rise,
coral bleaching, ecological disruption through unsustainable human use, short-term vacation
rentals, loss of traditional species, and, thereby, loss of the relationships with such species,
elements, forces, and cycles which provide sustenance, well-being, and sustainable lifeways for
the community). It is precisely the wisdom embedded within centuries of human and more-than-
human relationships in this place that H6`ala Keakalekua Nui not only wishes to protect and
steward but to empower through K6kua Kealakekua such that existing relationships can be
strengthened and new connections established, allowing future generations to exist and flourish.
Mahalo for your consideration of such an opportunity within this critical window of time.
Aloha,
Scott Laursen
Climate Adaptation Extension Specialist
University of Hawaii
Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC)
Website: https://pi-casc.soest.hawaii.edu/about/mcc/
Email: slaursenPhawaii.edu
Cell: (307) 699-0123
PACIFIC ISLANDS
CLIMATE ADAPTATION SCIENCE CENTER
2525 Correa Road,HIG 238,Honolulu,HI 96822
pi-casc.soest.hawaii.edu
Comm.25-028
PROTECT KAHO`OLAWE'OHANA
1733 Wili Pa Loop, B-1
Wailuku, Hawaii 96793
January 19, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@kealakekua.org
Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii Island
To Whom It May Concern,
The Protect Kaho`olawe `Ohana] strongly supports the South Kona community, Ho`ala Kealakekua
Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres,
TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to
unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the community and
nonprofit Ho`ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural resources of
Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive center for
restoration and cultural programs.
Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-driven non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape through active
restoration, outreach, and education for the benefit of the whole community, including guests and
generations to come.
The mission of the Protect Kaho`olawe `Ohana is to practice aloha`aina on the island of Kanaloa
Kaho`lawe and expand this world view and practice with communities throughout our pae`aina. It is
important for the Hawaiian and kama`aina families of Kealakekua Village and Ahupua`a to manage
the cultural sites and natural resources of Kokua Kealakekua in Ka`awaloa. Members of Ho`ala
Kealakekua Nui contribute to the stewardship of Kanaloa Kaho`olawe and are members of the
Protect Kaho`olawe `Ohana.
Comm.25-028
Under the stewardship of Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui, the mauka-makai Ka`awaloa trail can be better
managed and maintained and the sacred places of this historica area can be respected. The multiple
generationsn of the community can be engaged in the stewardship of the ahupua`a of Kealakekua
and Ka`awaloa.
Mahalo,
*I Ar-�
Davianna Pomaika`i McGregor
Protect Kaho`olawe `Ohana
Huaka`i Co-Coordinator
davianna.mcgregor@gmail.com
protectkahoolaweohana.org
Comm.25-028
January 19,2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@kealakekua.org
Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O.Box 1301
Kealakekua,Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street,Suite 1512
Honolulu,Hawaii 96813\
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona,Hawaii Island
To Whom It May Concern,
Protect Pololu Project of North Kohala strongly supports the South Kona community,H6`ala Kealakekua
Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua(1.26 acres, TMK(3)
8-1-009:007 and TMK(3) 8-1-009:008)in Ka`awaloa, South Kona,Hawaii Island.
Protect Pololu Project is an approved community project under the fiscal sponsorship of North Kohala
Community Resource Center, a 501(c)3 non profit organization in North Kohala. Protect Pololu consists
of lineal descendants, cultural practitioners and the extended Kohala Community. Pololu Valley has seen
an increase in foot traffic, overuse, environmental degradation to the Pololu trailhead and the desecration
of historical and burial sites within the valley floor. Protect Pololu's mission is to preserve a historical and
sacred place by taking preventative measures by collecting data on foot traffic, community maintenance
and educating visitors through a collaborative partnership with the State of Hawaii Trail and Access
Program 'Na Ala Hele"through stewardship of the land. The North Kohala Community and visitors all
over the world have seen first hand the importance of our Pololu stewards through this educational
program.
H6`ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-driven non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape through active restoration,
outreach, and education for the benefit of the whole community, including guests and generations to
come. Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail),the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to
unmanaged tourism, overuse and the depletion of marine life such as "coral". Protecting this property will
empower the community and nonprofit H6`ala Kealakekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and
natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs. Protect Pololu supports 116`ala Kealakekua Nui's endeavor in
planning preventative maintenance and care for Kealakekua Bay to be enjoyed for future generations.
Page 1 of 2
Comm.25-028
Lineal descendants of Kealakekua Bay provide an important aspect to the success of this vision. Ho`ala
Kealakekua Nui's vision is related to Protect Pololu in wanting to preserve and maintain a historical
cultural space with a group of lineal descendants of the area. It is a place their generational families have
known most of their lives,they hold a rich history and their passion for"sense of place" is valuable to the
success of stewardship of Kealakekua Bay.
Mahalo,
Kaylen Taomia
Treasurer of Protect Pololu Project
PO BOX 951
Kapaau,HI96755
Page 2 of 2
Comm.25-028
Vie bruate
Office of the Aajoritp Reaber
STATE CAPITOL
HONOLULU, HAWAVI 96813
January 7,2025
Wala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL:admin@lkealakekua.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
RE: Support for the Protection and Purchase of KSkua Kealakekua, South Kona,Hawaii Island
I am writing to express my strong support for the effort by the South Kona community,Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui,and
the Trust for Public Land to purchase and protect K6kua Kealakekua(1.26 acres, TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK
(3)8-1-009:008)in Ka`awaloa,South Kona, Hawaii Island.
If awarded funding, the acquisition of these properties will help Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui advance the goals of the
Kealakekua Community Action Plan (CAP), which focuses on Building Community, Respecting Heritage, and
Environmental Stewardship. These properties will provide a cultural and informational center to support the
restoration of the ahupua`a system,native plant propagation,cultural and educational programming,and sustainable
visitor management.
As a lineal descendant of Kona, I am personally invested in preserving the cultural and environmental treasures of
our island. Kealakekua Bay holds deep significance as both a wahi pana(sacred)and a historical site. By acquiring
these properties, Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui will help bring the CAP's vision to life, preserving the cultural and
ecological integrity of the area for future generations.
I commend Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui for their dedication to cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and
community empowerment. Their work reflects the values of malama `aina and malama kai, which are essential to
the future of Hawaii.
Mahalo in advance for supporting this important initiative. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to contact my office.
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Senator ru Mamo Kanuha
3rd Senatorial District(Kona,Ka`u,Volcano)
415 S. Beretania Street, Room 206 1 Honolulu, HI 96813 1 PH: (808) 586-9385 1 EM: senkanuha@capitol.hawaii.gov
Comm.25-028
January 8th, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona,
Hawaii Island
To Whom it May Concern,
I, Becky Hart, the nursery manager and prime seed collector for Terraformation strongly
supports the South Kona community, H6'ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort
to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TM (3) 8-1-009:007 and TM (3) 8-1-
009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe
challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit H6'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural
resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of
the whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active restoration,
outreach and education.
Terraformation is a native reforestation company located in Kona. Our mission is to rapidly
restore native biodiverse forests to combat climate change by capturing carbon, revive
ecosystems, and build thriving communities. The mission of H6'ala Kealakekua Nui is aligned
with our values in that they want to not only see the native ecosystem come back to life by
restoration, but they also want to educate the community and travelers about the responsibility
we have as people to tread with respect and kindness. Kealakekua is an extremely sacred place
that has been overrun and exploited by tourism and the mismanagement of the land. The
acquisition of a space where people can pause and learn about the place they are entering is, in
my opinion, essential if we want to still allow people to enjoy the bay safely. It will also allow for
safer parking and entrance to the trial. This space will allow for the ripple effect to serve as an
example for other parts of the island as well. If we can accomplish getting this space for
Comm.25-028
Kealakekua, the learnings will spread to other parts of the island that may be feeling the
pressure of tourism as well.
I am originally from Connecticut, and have only been here for 3 years, but I have made family
here including this place we call Kealakekua. I have resided in Captain Cook for the majority of
my time on island, and this place is very special to me. The people, the plants, the animals, the
'aina, all have a right to be protected and preserved so that generations from now, will have a
healthier, more resiliant place to call home.
If this property were to be developed, the stripping of the land would cause more erosion of
sediments and nutrients into our waters, thus causing more reef die off, and potential algae
blooms. There would be less habitat that would be sequestering carbon, producing oxygen, and
filtering our rains. Its development would also create even more congestion at the intersection of
the highway, causing the potential for more accidents, transmission of invasive species, and
over use of the trail.
Personally I will benefit from this property being protected because I am invested in the health of
Kealakekua Bay, not only from a work perspective, but because it is part of my home. My
organization would benefit from it being protected, because it aligns with our mission to restore
native biodiverse forests. We could potentially work with Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui to remove
invasive species, plant natives and start restoring parts of the entire ahupua'a.
I envision this land, once protected to house a center where people can learn not only about the
place, but also the threats to this place that is so sacred. They would be able to use Iua, instead
of using the trail or monument as a bathroom. They could use it as a place to rest, and catch
some shade after such a strenuous hike. People could use it as a place to set intentions before
heading down into the bay. I see native plants, educational signage, a place to rest and use
facilities. Ultimately this acquisition would serve to alleviate and invigorate both the community
and tourists.
Mahalo,
Becky Hart
Nursery Manager, Terraformation
Ocean View, Hawaii 96737
Cell: 860-808-6746
Email: becky@terraformation.com
Comm.25-028
T
THE y
H E A LY Yr°uth.
En�iranment.
FOUNDATION Gommvnity.
January 20, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii
Island
To Whom it May Concern,
The Healy Foundation strongly supports the South Kona community, H6'ala Kealakekua Nui,
and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TMK
(3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe
challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit H6'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural
resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
Kokua Kealakekua will also facilitate the implementation of the Kealakekua Bay Community
Action Plan, which was developed by the community in 2022 to support culturally-grounded
community co-management of the Bays resources. The Community Action Plan was
incorporated into the Hawaii Bureau of Land and Natural Resources' Master Plan for the Bay in
2023.
The Healy Foundation currently stewards Kapahukapu (also known as Manini Beach) in
Kealakekua Bay and has been doing so for 25 years. The Foundation makes Kapahukapu
available to guests as a community gathering space 365 days a year. Four caretakers provide
cultural and environmental education, ensuring visitors understand and appreciate the protocols
for preserving this special 3/4 acre property. The Healy Foundation actively participated in the
community process to create the Kealakekua Bay Community Action Plan, including serving on
the Steering Community. We continue to participate as active members of the Kapukapu
'Ghana, the community group responsible for implementation of the Community Action Plan.
thehealyfoundation.org
PO Box 4525 1 Portland,OR 972081 503.222.1899
Comm.25-028
We strongly support this purchase, both because the managed gateway to the Bay and
interpretive center are critical to implementation of the of the Kealakekua Bay Community Action
Plan, as well as because failure to protect this land could significantly contribute to further
destructive unmanaged overuse. Kokua Kealakekua can instead serve as a vibrant resource for
education, cultural practice, and appropriately welcoming and orienting visitors.
Thank you for considering this important request.
Mahalo,
aa.& kwpe4-�
Usha Kilpatrick
The Healy Foundation, Hawaii Program Director
ukilpatrick(a�thehealyfoundation.org
Kealakekua, HI
thehealyfoundation.org
PO Box 4525 1 Portland,OR 97208I 503.222.1899
Comm.25-028
The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii and Palmyra Tel (808) 537-4508
The-Nature AL 923 Nu`uanuAvenue Fax (808) 545-2019
Conservancy Honolulu,HI 96817 nature.org/HawaiiPalmyra
Hawai'i and Palmyra
January 15, 2025
Wala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
admin@lkealakekua.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of K6kua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii Island
Aloha kdkou,
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) strongly supports the South Kona community, Wala Kealakekua Nui,
and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect K6kua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TMK (3) 8-1-
009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008)in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii Island.
K6kua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook
Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.
Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse.
Protecting this property will empower the community and nonprofit Wala Kealakekua Nui to protect and
steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and
an interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs.
Wala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative
stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole community,
including guests and generations to come, through active restoration, outreach, and education.
For over 20 years, TNC's Hawaii Marine Program has partnered on marine conservation initiatives with
dozens of communities across the islands. Our collective work is informed by the best available science and
grounded in the knowledge, practices, values, and history of sustainable resource management unique to
Hawaii.
In recent decades, several coinciding pressures including climate change impacts, land-based pollution,
coastal development, invasive species, loss of coastal habitats, and a dramatic increase in visitors have
degraded the quality and resilience of ecological, cultural, and social systems at Kealakekua Bay. The need
for well-managed access to Kealakekua Bay has been documented in the Kealakekua Bay Community
Action Plan as well as the Master Plan for Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Duke E.Ah Moo Kris Billeter Dr.C.Tana Burkert Anne S.Carter(Chair) Ka`iulani de Silva Daniel J.Dunn Dave Eadie
Jan Elliott Matt Emerson Hon.Judith Epstein Dr.Alan M.Friedlander Benjy Garfinkle Sean A.Hehir Puni Jackson
Brett MacNaughton Janet Montag Alicia Moy John R.Sabas Bradley E.Smith Julie Smolinski Vern Yamanaka
Ihupani Advisory Council:Paul D.Alston Christopher J.Benjamin Kenton T.Eldridge Eiichiro Kuwana
Duncan MacNaughton Jean E.Rolles Crystal K.Rose Nathan E.Smith
Founders: Samuel A.Cooke Herbert C.Cornuelle
Comm.25-028
The Nature Conservancy, Hawai'i and Palmyra
January 16, 2025
Page 2
Securing Kokua Kealakekua provides an unprecedented opportunity for locating community-led and
culturally grounded natural resource management at a popular trail head where visitor impacts are high and
can be reduced with concerted effort. This land purchase and planned uses can add to the roster of
successful public-nonprofit partnerships with State Parks that are helping to preserve Hawaii life ways
statewide, where equitable community empowerment is key to enduring benefits.
This strategic land purchase will help achieve the collective vision of Kapukapu `Ohana partners and
Kealakekua residents and lineal descendants, that Kealakekua is a living, spiritual place with a thriving
ecosystem interwoven with traditional knowledge and practices, honored and cultivated through
understanding and reverence of this wahi pana (sacred place).
Mahalo nui,
Emily Fielding
Director of Marine Conservation
efieldingktnc.org
Comm.25-028
1/17/2024
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii
Island
To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Dr. Amber Datta and I strongly supports the South Kona community, H6'ala
Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua
(1.26 acres, TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa, South Kona, Hawaii
Island. I was born and raised in this area and have watched the trail and surrounding area
become increasingly popular to the point of being loved to death. It would bring me great joy to
see this land in the hands of H6'ala Kealakekua, who I wholeheartedly trust and support o
steward the land and provide accurate and culturally appropriate educational opportunities for
visitors and locals alike. My family and friends live in Ka`awaloa, as do I part time, and I have
followed the work of H6'ala Kealakekua Nui for many years.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe
challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit H6'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural
resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of
the whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active restoration,
outreach and education.
The alternative scenario, in which this land is developed for other purposes, would be a
significant lost opportunity. People would continue to use the trail unchecked, likely causing
conflicts over parking any development and/or parking illegally and dangerously along the
roadside. I pass by this area nearly every day when I am home, and the cars are always
overflowing onto the road and tourists are crossing dangerously. Other than one simple sign,
there is little opportunity for them to learn the true significance of this place, which is a loss for
these visitors as well. Seeing this area developed for educational and stewardship purposes
would lead to a much less congested intersection, an opportunity to take friends and visitors to
the interpretive center, and an entry point for learning how to connect with the community and
better steward the bay myself.
Comm.25-028
Mahalo,
Amber Datta, PhD
Long-time resident of South Kona &
Smith Conservation Fellow at Arizona State University
1/17/25, 11:15 AM Mail-Heather Howard-Outlook
Comm.25-028
J , Outlook
Land Purchase
From Dennis Klimke <k1imked001 @hawaii.rr.com>
Date Fri 1/17/2025 9:30 AM
To Heather Howard <admin@kealakekua.org>
January 15, 2025
Via Email: admiln@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
Via Email: reyna.ramolete@tpl_org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua,South Kona, Hawaii Island
To Whom it May Concern,
Dennis and Anne Klimke, avid hikers on this trail for the past twenty years, strongly supports the South
Kona community, H6'ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect
Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres,TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa,South Kona,
Hawaii Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead (Captain
Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to
unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the community and nonprofit
H6'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by
providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive center for restoration and cultural
programs.
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in collaborative
stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole community,
including guests and generations to come,through active restoration, outreach and education.
We envision purchase of this land will help preserve the cultural heritage of this area for teaching future
generations and also,visitors to Hawaii.
Mahalo,
Dennis and Anne Klimke
https://outlook.office.com/mail/inbox/id/AAQkAGVIYjc3Z-rkOLW15NWUtND15Yyl iYmMxLTJjMzA5NTgxZWIwYQAQANEsVJWy245Mhf36VmXWg3g%3... 1/2
1/17/25, 11:15 AM Mail-Heather Howard-Outlook
77-141 Kalaniuka St. #2 Comm.25-028
Holualoa, HI 96725
808-345-3841
https://outlook.office.com/mail/inbox/id/AAQkAGVIYjc3ZTkOLW15NWUtND15Yyl iYmMxLTJjMzA5NTgxZWIwYQAQANEsVJWy245Mhf36VmXWg3g%3... 2/2
Comm.25-028
VIA EMAIL: admin(kealakekua.org
Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete(&-tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona,
Hawaii Island
To Whom It May Concern:
I, C. M. Kaliko Baker, PhD, strongly support the South Kona community, Ho`ala
Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase and protect Kokua
Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in Ka`awaloa,
South Kona, Hawaii Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka`awaloa
trailhead (Captain Cook Monument Trail), the main public access to the north end of
Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawaii,
Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting
this property will empower the community and nonprofit Ho`ala Keakalekua Nui to protect
and steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed
gateway to the Bay and an interpretive center for restoration and cultural programs.
Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-driven non-profit whose mission is to engage
in collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape through
active restoration, outreach, and education for the benefit of the whole community,
including guests and generations to come.
As a long time Makahiki practitioner on Kaho`olawe, I've had the honor of working with
the Kealakeakua `Ohana performing Kuapola ceremonies on Hikiau. These are the
ceremonial rites traditionally held on Hikiau that transition the Summer time to the
Winter, that is, the Kau to the Ho`oilo. Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui's efforts are improving the
Kealakeakua and Ka`awaloa districts. Their projects and efforts are reciprocated in how
the `aina responds. It's somewhat tough to explain, but similar to our efforts on
Kaho`olawe which are ceremonially driven and done in concert with well intended work
projects and well thought out social and political activism, Ho`ala Kealakekua Nui is
bringing life, or ea, back to their ancestral lands. When Kanaka Maoli aloha their `aina, it
Comm.25-028
benefits everyone. Trust that to be the truth! Our aloha `aina is far better than any sort of
extractive capitalistic endeavor.
Personally, my family was granted land by Kamehameha IV in the mid-1800s in Kohala.
The district was named Ha`ena. Kapa`a Beach Park was part of the parcel as far as I
know. Our family has connections to the South Kona `ohana too. To see what Ho`ala
Kealakekua Nui is doing brings me great pride. I can't wait to see what they do with this
new parcel and how that benefits their `Ohana and the broader community.
Me ka `oia`i`o,
C. M. Kaliko Baker, PhD
Mo`o Lono, Kanaloa Kaho`olawe
47-636 Uakea Place
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744
Comm.25-028
Keoki Shattauer
January 15, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
H6'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua
Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawaii Island
To Whom it May Concern,
George (Keoki) Schattauer Jr., strongly supports the South Kona
community, H6'ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's
effort to purchase and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1 .26 acres,
TMK (3) 8-1 -009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1 -009:008) in Ka`awaloa,
South Kona, Hawaii Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from
the popular Ka`awaloa trailhead (Captain Cook Monument Trail),
which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across
Hawaii, Kealakekua faces severe challenges due to unmanaged
tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit H6'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and
steward the cultural and natural resources of Kealakekua Bay by
Comm.25-028
providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose
mission is to engage in collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua
Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of the whole
community, including guests and generations to come, through
active restoration, outreach and education.
[INSERT
Organization: I am not involved in any organization, just a
neighbor and community member. What does your organization
do/ what is its mission? How does that mission relate to the
protection of Kokua Kealakekua? What is your relationship with
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui, if any?
Individual/ Family: Schattauer/Paris/Takaki family.? What is your
family's connection to Kokua Kealakekua or Ho'ala Kealakekua
Nui, if any?] Our family is the neighbor just to the south of this
property that Ho'ala Kealakekua is trying to acquire. Our family
has owned it since the 1860's. My Mom still lives there, but has
sold the property to her great grandson, and my nephew,
Sylvester Takaki Jr.
Some history: This area is called "Mauna Alani"
The first orange tree's planted in Hawaii came off of Capt.
Vancouvers ship in 1793. They brought them straight up from
Kealakekua Bay and planted. They are still producing oranges
every year.
I fear that a developer would buy the property and just try to
maximize their profits without any consideration for the historic
significance of the area, or the trail.
Comm.25-028
The only way that we would benefit from this acquisition is, it
would make us happy to see the property next door and the trail
be cleaned up and properly managed. I drive over to see my
Mom a few times a week. Every few months I see an ambulance
with a search & rescue crew hiking down the trail to go rescue
someone. This is an accident waiting to happen.
We would love to the trail cleaned up and properly managed.
There are no facilities, trash cans, proper signage or any safety
precautions there. I see how many cars are parked there, I'm
guessing at least 100 people hike down there every day.
I strongly support this plan, and wish you the best of luck.
I am trying to convince my cousins who own the property to also
go along with this plan.
Mahalo,
George Schattauer Jr.
PO Box 2300
Kealakekua, 96750
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Comm.25-028
Sea Grant University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program
2525 Correa Road,HIG 239•Honolulu, Hawaii 96822•Phone:(808)956-7031•www.hawaiiseagrant.org
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
January 14, 2025
VIA EMAIL: admin@lkealakekua.org
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui
P.O. Box 1301
Kealakekua, Hawai'i 96750
VIA EMAIL: reyna.ramolete@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1512
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96813
Re: Support for the protection and purchase of Kokua Kealakekua, South Kona, Hawai'i Island
To Whom it May Concern,
The University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program (Hawai'i Sea Grant) strongly supports the
South Kona community, Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui, and Trust for Public Land's effort to purchase
and protect Kokua Kealakekua (1.26 acres, TMK (3) 8-1-009:007 and TMK (3) 8-1-009:008) in
Ka'awaloa, South Kona, Hawai'i Island.
Kokua Kealakekua is strategically located across the road from the popular Ka'awaloa trailhead
(Captain Cook Monument Trail), which is the main public access to the north end of Kealakekua
Bay State Historical Park. Like many beloved places across Hawai'i, Kealakekua faces severe
challenges due to unmanaged tourism and overuse. Protecting this property will empower the
community and nonprofit Ho'ala Keakalekua Nui to protect and steward the cultural and natural
resources of Kealakekua Bay by providing a managed gateway to the Bay and an interpretive
center for restoration and cultural programs.
Ho'ala Kealakekua Nui is a Native Hawaiian-led non-profit whose mission is to engage in
collaborative stewardship of Kealakekua Bay's natural and cultural landscape for the benefit of
the whole community, including guests and generations to come, through active restoration,
outreach and education.
Hawai'i Sea Grant supports an innovative program of research, education, and extension services
directed to the improved understanding and stewardship of coastal and marine resources of the
state, region, and nation. An example of these foundations is Hawai'i Sea Grant's administration
of the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC). PI-CASC's mission is to
deliver science that helps fish, wildlife, water, land, and people adapt to a changing climate.
Within PI-CASC, the Manager Climate Corps (MCC) program is a practitioner-driven graduate
research program that accomplishes this mission by supporting long-term, place-based
relationships (e.g., relationality or kinship) and practitioner-driven research projects by uniting
local management, community, and research networks, while training graduate students in
community-driven research pathways. By participating on the steering committee of the
Kealakekua Bay Community Action Plan (CAP), MCC foundations contributed to the sole cross-
cutting theme within the CAP (i.e., relationality or kinship). This cross-cutting theme is currently
The University ofHa-wai`i Sea Grant College Program supports an innovative program of research,education,and extension serf ices directed to
the improved understanding and stewardship of coastal and marine resources of the state,region,and nation.
Science serving Hwwai`i and the Pacific since 1968.
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
Comm.25-028
being put into action through a 5-year research project in which graduate students will empower
traditional practices within Hikiau Heiau as a mechanism to both unite stewardship activities in the
area across a number of sectors and increasingly root such efforts in descendent-led practices.
Stewarding and protecting wahi pana (sacred sites) within and nearby Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park, such as Hikiau Heiau, is vital and must be a top priority if the community is to
retain and build upon practices that have been both adaptive and resilient in the area for
centuries. Strategic, sustained, and action-oriented stewardship, such as proposed by Kokua
Kealakekua, is the only path to transform the current existential challenges (e.g., resource
exploitation, loss of traditional community, and socio-ecological disruption) to regenerative cycles
by empowering the source of the area's historic and contemporary adaptive capacities.
Preserving, empowering, and learning from `ike kupuna (ancestral experiences, insights,
perspectives, knowledge, and practices) residing at this location for centuries will not only offer a
better tomorrow for Kealakekua but creates a beacon and map to a better tomorrow regionally,
nationally, and globally.
Without retention and empowerment of such long-tested wisdom, Kealakekua has little chance of
redirecting the ongoing and increasing range of deleterious factors that are leaving lineal
descendants facing a very real existential crisis (e.g., increasing storm intensity, sea level rise,
coral bleaching, ecological disruption through unsustainable human use, short-term vacation
rentals, loss of traditional species, and, thereby, loss of the relationships with such species,
elements, forces, and cycles which provide sustenance, well-being, and sustainable life ways for
the community). It is precisely the wisdom embedded within centuries of human and more-than-
human relationships in this place that H6'ala Keakalekua Nui not only wishes to protect and
steward but to empower through Kokua Kealakekua such that existing relationships can be
strengthened and new connections established, allowing future generations to exist and flourish.
Mahalo for your consideration of such an opportunity within this critical window of time.
Aloha,
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Darren T. Lerner, PhD
Director