Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017

Waikapuna, where owner Resource Land Holdings has been cooperating with local conservation groups and Hawaiian families in their efforts to purchase and preserve the land. Photo by Andrew Richard Hara, courtesy of Hawai'i Legacy Land Conservation Program

WAIKAPUNA WAS THE DESTINATION of the county Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Commission today. The committee traveled to the remote Ka'u Coast property to consider the proposed 2,209 acre acquisition of the land located between Honu'apo and Ka Lae - South Point, makai of Na'alehu.
     Laura Ka'akua, of Trust for Public Land; Megan Lamson, of Hawai'i Wildlife Fund; and Keoni Fox of the Ala Kahakai Trail Association, were among the community members who also made the trek.
     PONC uses two percent of the county's property taxes to purchase, conserve and steward public lands, with approval from the County Council and the mayor. Waikapuna is on its list and is expected to receive a resolution from County Council member Maile David, asking for the county to help fund the purchase of the property, during PONC's meeting at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, at West Hawai'i Civic Center, at the conference room in Building G.  The price tag is about $6 million, with state, federal and county money a possibility.

Waikapuna land, extends from points near Hwy 11 on the Hilo side of Na`alehu to the coast. The state Legacy Land Commission has approved partial funding and the county Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Commission will consider the proposal on Sept. 11. Another proposal is for federal funding. The steward would be Ala Kahakai National Public Trail and is local Association.

     Citizens can weigh in on the matter at the PONC meeting or by sending testimony ahead.
      The Waikapuna property is owned by Resource Land Holdings, the company that bought about 5,800 acres in Ka'u from Lehman Brothers, who foreclosed on developers of the property after the financial crash of 2008.
     The collection of RLH parcels purchased in Ka'u includes not only Waikapuna but mauka lands, including pastures and most of the famous Ka'u Coffee farms, which RLH is planning for subdivision.
      The PONC proposal focuses on Waikapuna and is supported by Trust for Public Land, Hawai'i Wildlife Fund, the Legacy Land Fund of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and a proposal for federal funding. The proposed stewards of the property would be the Ala Kahakai Trail Associaiton and the Ala Kahakai Trail National Park, which oversees coastal trail preservation along the west side of the island.

Resource Land Holdings owns Waikapuna, Honu'apo mauka, and Ka'u Coffee land properties.

    Keoni Fox, whose family has ties to Waikapuna was on the trek to the property today. His family released a statement in December saying, “For the Keanu ‘Ohana, we believe that this acquisition will honor our kupuna, their history, their values and their legacy by protecting the entire cultural and natural landscape. There are few opportunities today where such large scale preservation of pristine lands is even possible. The purchase will help to safeguard our family’s many sacred sites including the iwi kupuna.”
        Regarding wildlife, the statement said, the “effort will also allow for the protection of Waikapuna’s dryland forest and extensive native coastal plant habitat which includes seabird nesting areas along the sea cliffs. Furthermore, the scenic shores of Waikapuna are known as a place where fish and other marine life spawn and its protected tide pools serve as nature’s nursery.
     "Waikapuna presents an opportunity for research and education on many levels. As native descendants, we hope to continue our traditional cultural and educational practices on the land and in its waters. Our family is committed to assisting the Ala Kahakai Trail Association and other community organizations with the stewardship of the property. We are very excited about this opportunity to protect Waikapuna,” the Keanu family statement concluded.
     Resource Land Holdings invests in resource rich properties. Other investments include an Alabama sand quarry, a large surface coal mine in the midwest, a Florida citrus operation seeking to diversify, an alliance with a Washington apple fruit packer, and timberland in California.
     RLH has been cooperating with the organizations attempting to conserve the Waikapuna property as they go through the process of finding the funding.

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An ancient coastal trail. Photo from Ala Kahakahi National Historic Trail

ALA KAHAKAI TRAIL SUPERINTENDENT ARIC ARAKAKI will be back in Ka'u this Friday to give the Coffee Talk at the Visitor Contact Station of the Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.