Comm 26-037 - LOS 26-08 Rieth, Tim

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Comm 26-037 From:Tim Rieth To:PONC Subject:Support for protecting Hklia Cave Date:Wednesday, March 4, 2026 4:47:39 AM Aloha PONC Commissioners, My name is Tim Rieth, and I respectfully submit this testimony in strong support of preservation actions that protect the Hklia Cave (Hokulia lava-tube system). Preserving this site is not only about protecting a geological feature; it is about safeguarding a shared inheritance that benefits community members, future generations, and the scientific understanding that informs responsible stewardship across Hawaii Island. For residents, preservation of Hklia Cave affirms the protection of place-based identity and continuity. Lava tubes are part of the living landscape that shapes how communities understand their relationship to ina. They hold ecological memory and physical evidence of past environments that ground present-day stewardship decisions. When such sites are damaged or lost, the loss is permanent. Protection signals that ŹŗŎđ϶ŹŲêąđŹ϶İŗňċ϶ƚêňƇđ϶ăđƢŗŏċ϶ŹİŗŵƂЎƂđŵŎ϶ċđƚđňŗŲŎđŏƂБƂİêƂ϶ƂİđƢ϶êŵđ϶đŹŹđŏƂĳêň϶Ƃŗ϶Ƃİđ ĳŹňêŏċЪŹ϶ňŗŏĩЎƂđŵŎ϶ƜđňňЎăđĳŏĩϼ For educators and students, preserved cave systems provide opportunities for place- based learning that connect geology, ecology, and cultural history. Maintaining their integrity allows future generations to experience and learn from these environments in ways that cannot be replicated once altered. For scientists and resource managers, lava tubes function as nonrenewable environmental archives. Sediments and deposits within caves may preserve records of vegetation change, fire history, climate variability, and biodiversity across centuries. These records inform wildfire mitigation, watershed protection, and conservation planning. Once disturbed, the information they contain cannot be recovered. Preserving Hklia Cave therefore supports evidence-based management that benefits the entire county. Because subterranean systems often lack obvious surface visibility, their significance can be underestimated in parcel-based evaluations. I respectfully urge the Commission, particularly as it considers amendments to its rules and prioritization processes, to ensure that caves and lava tubes are clearly recognized as qualifying resources deserving proactive protection. Protecting Hkliê϶9êƚđ϶êňĳĩŏŹ϶ċĳŵđąƂňƢ϶ƜĳƂİ϶Ƃİđ϶9ŗŎŎĳŹŹĳŗŏЪŹ϶ŲƇŵŲŗŹđ϶Ƃŗ϶ŲŵđŹđŵƚđ