HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm 26-037 - LOS 26-08 Rieth, Tim
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
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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.
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Comm 26-037
lands of natural, historic, and community value for present and future generations. I
respectfully request that this testimony be included in the official record and that strong
consideration be given to preservation measures that safeguard this site for the benefit
of the broader community.
Respectfully,
Tim Rieth
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Tim Rieth
President
International Archaeology, LLC
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