Comm 26-025 - LOS 26-08 Evo, Julie

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Comm 26-025 From:Julie Evo To:PONC Subject:Written Testimony – Agenda Item VI.h (Hklia, South Kona) Date:Tuesday, March 3, 2026 10:32:10 AM Attachments:Outlook-lwgr2hyd.png Aloha PONC Commissioners, My name is Julie Evo and I am a permitted and registered professional archaeologist practicing cultural resource management in Hawaii. I respectfully submit this testimony in strong support of preservation actions that protect the Hklia Cave (Hokulia lava-tube system). This is not simply a geological feature. It is part of Hawaii’s living landscape and shared inheritance. Lava tubes are embedded in our island history, cultural memory, and relationship to ina. When places like this are lost or degraded, the loss is permanent. Preservation affirms that some places carry meaning and value that extend beyond short-term land use decisions. Hklia Cave holds rare and powerful evidence of Hawaii’s environmental and cultural past, including extinct native species and ecological records that help us understand how this island has changed over time. These materials connect present generations to deep history. They provide context for conservation, education, and cultural understanding that cannot be replicated once disturbed. Chapter 6E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, declares the State’s policy to preserve, restore, and maintain historic properties for the benefit of present and future generations. Allowing this resource to deteriorate after its discovery would directly conflict with that policy. Preservation here is not optional in spirit. It reflects the very purpose of Chapter 6E. Protecting Hklia Cave aligns squarely with this Commission’s mission to preserve lands of natural, historic, and community value. I respectfully urge you to take decisive action to safeguard this irreplaceable place for the people of Hawaii, now and in the generations to come. Mahalo for your consideration. Respectfully, Julie Evo Julie Evo, M.S., RPA Archaeology - Principal Investigator