HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm 26-017 - LOS 26-05 TNC
Comm 26-017
y,
Tel(808) 537-4508
Fax (808) 545-2019
Honolulu, HI 96817
nature.org/HawaiiPalmyra
January 30, 2026
VIA EMAIL: ekf@edithkanakaolefoundation.org
Hilo, HI 96720-4914
VIA EMAIL: kamuela.kaapana@tpl.org
Trust for Public Land
Re: the protection and purchase of
To Whom it May Concern,
The Nature Conservancy strongly supports
Trust for Public Land’s effort to purchase and protect (approximately 1,600 acres) in
nd management
practices as well as protecting significant cultural and archaeological sites including a railroad
-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization
established in 1990 to maintain and perpetuate the teachings, beliefs, practices, philosophies, and
s to elevate Hawaiian intelligence
through cultural education founded on the teachings and traditional practices of Edith and Luka
and resource practices as well as cultural site restoration, protocol, and ritual.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global nonprofit conservation organization whose mission is to
conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. TNC started as a small land trust
protecting 60 acres of forest in New York in 1955. TNC has been working to protect lands in
In 2002, The Nature Conservancy established the 3,511-
protect biologically rich and intact native forest in and near the 61,500-
Mauna Loa’s southeast flank, one of the largest areas of intThese
forest ecosystems provide sanctuary to 153 endemic plant species (including 32 known rare or
endangered) and support one of Hawaii’s richest remaining assemblages of endangered forest
birds.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Duke E. Ah Moo Kris Billeter Dr. C. Tana BurkertAnne S. Carter (Chair) Daniel J. Dunn
Jan Elliott Matt Emerson Benjy Garfinkle Sean A. Hehir Puni Jackson
Brett MacNaughton Janet Montag Alicia Moy John R. Sabas Vern Yamanaka
Ihupani Advisory Council: Paul D. Alston Eiichiro Kuwana
Duncan MacNaughton Jean E. Rolles Crystal K. Rose Nathan E. Smith
Founders: Samuel A. Cooke Herbert C. Cornuelle
Comm 26-017
The Nature Conservancy,
January 30, 2026
2
The property
from along Hawai‘i Belt Road and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, an International Biosphere
RThe proximity to nearby heiau and the three large
centers that speaks to the importance of this area as a historical seat of power in the district.
Within the County ofHawai‘i’s and community-based
collaborative action guide, the vision for future development being focused in the present-day town
centers rather than across the mauka landscapewas identified as a core value.
’s work to preserve and protect these agriculturallandswill
perpetuate that vision and ensure that these lands remain a source ofsustenance for thefuture of
district as they have in the past.
Mahalo,
The Nature Conservancy’s Hawai‘i Island forest program
P.O. Box 1132
, HI 96772