HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm 26-025 - LOS 26-08 Evo, Julie
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
Comm 26-025
AEPAC | ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING
1003 Bishop St. Suite 2520, Honolulu, HI 96813
Main: (808) 942-7474 | Mobile: (808) 489-4302
julie@aepac.com | www.aepac.com
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