20017-02-6 HCDP Community Action Guide FINALIZED 06.01.2018 FINAL

Home

4.4 Protect Mauka Forests See Community Action 2, Community Action 4, Community Action 8, Community Action 9, and see also Section 4.8 Establish and Manage Public Access for Community Actions related to public access through forests. 4.5 Protect Scenic Areas and Viewsheds Community Action 6: Educate residents on scenic viewshed importance and alternatives to tall, vegetative wind -breaks that impact viewsheds. Need: One challenge in protecting and restoring scenic viewsheds in the Planning Area is the trend of planting tall perimeter trees as windbreaks for farms and/or residences. Many times this reflects a desire for privacy plantings more than it reflects a legitimate need to block wind. Residents might not be aware of how dramatically the viewsheds of the entire community can be altered by tall trees planted strategically along the highway or in other locations that block views to the ocean or other scenic resources. Potential Community Lead: Community associations, Scenic Byway Advisory Board Potential Community Partners: CDP Action Committee Potential Allies: Hawai'i Tourism Authority Potential Next Steps: • Either use the scenic resource inventory map developed through the implementation of Policy 38 or become a partner in contributing to the implementation of Policy 38 to develop a community list of priority areas to focus on education outreach to residents/new residents; • Develop an informative brochure outlining the issue and encouraging residents and farmers in areas of scenic resources to consider the visual impacts of their plantings as part of being good neighbors. The brochure could provide examples of lower -height plantings that provide privacy and wind protection but do not adversely impact important viewsheds. • Distribute the information developed to the appropriate community associations, interest groups (bamboo society, palm society, nursery groups, etc.), and other relevant stakeholders. Other Resources: • County Planning Department • Scenic Byway Program / Scenic Byway Advisory Board • Scenic America (www.scenic.org) Community Action 7: Support the development and promotion of a Heritage Corridor, and/or sections of the Old Mamalahoa Highway as Scenic Byways. Need: The Hilo-Hamakua Heritage Corridor was a designation placed on Highway 19 just north of Hilo to promote the Hamakua coast road as a scenic visitor experience. However, the Heritage Corridor program now appears to be defunct and all that remains of it are dilapidated road signs. The State of Hawai'i Community Action Guide: 2018 16