Ka‘ū News Briefs Thursday, March 15, 2018

Students from Kaʻū High, and Pāhala Elementary and Middle Schools stood in solidarity with students across the nation to protest gun violence. See story, below. Photo from Kaʻū High Twitter

KAULANA BAY HAS PROVIDED ACCESS TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN from the eastern shore of South Point since ancient times. Hawaiian people have been using the entry since the first landings by Polynesians in Hawaiʻi, which, according to archaeologists, were possibly at South Point. On the Kaulana shore was the Kapalaoa Village, dating back to the days before Capt. James Cook sailed in to Hawaiʻi.

Kaulana Boat Ramp, looking out into Kaulana  Bay. Photo from Rosa Say's flickr

     Kaulana Bay and its boat ramp are surrounded by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which recently released its South Point Resources Management Plan. The Bay has been designated as a National Landmark by the federal government. A survey by the National park Service identified the east side of the bay as a kapu area, with numerous archaeological sites, having fishing and launching canoes in its history.
     Kaulana is on the east side of South Point, where the winds are strong, the water often rough, and entering and exiting the ocean often risky. Fishermen who launch canoes and more modern fishing boats at Kaulana often come back from fishing to shelter next to the cliffs on the western side of South Point. They can leave their boats in the calm water overnight, and guide them to Kaulana to pull them out when the water is calm again.

Fishing boats launch at Kaulana and take shelter below the eastern South Point cliffs, as in this 2010 poto by Rosa Say.

     A 1981 description of Kaulana's connection to fishing says, "The current practice for Kaʻū fishermen is to launch their boat at Kaulana and then moor it in lee of the cliffs on the west coast of South Point. At the mooring area, they unload their catch and load fuel and ice, as long as the wind and seas permit. Fish and supplies are brought up and down the cliff face by rope and pulley. During the times of the year when fishing is exceptionally good, the boats are often moored overnight to reduce the number of hazardous launch and recover y operations. However, this practice is very risky also, particularly during the winter months when the wind and seas often change direction quickly. One boater reported having lost seven boats in the last 20 years because he could not get his boat out when the wind and seas came up unexpectedly."

     The report was tied to a proposal for the Army Corps of Engineers to build a seawall and protected ramp at Kaulana, after choosing the location over Punaluʻu, Honuʻapo, Kaʻaluʻalu and Pohuʻe Bay, which are described as being more likely to be tied up in development projects.

A 1092 plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to build a basin, breakwater, and new ramp at Kaulana Bay. Map from DHHL report

     The Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Statement for the Kaulana project said, "A protected basin would permit fishermen to return to the ramp and safely unload their catch and return to the fishing grounds.
     "The relatively small, 18 to 27 -foot fishing boats have no refrigeration or room for large amounts of ice. This limits their catch to what can be kept chilled and often necessitates frequent trips to shore to unload their catch. With safer launch and recovery conditions, several of the boaters have stated that they would purchase larger craft to increase their fishing capability."
     Just a decade earlier, a 1972 master plan of statewide boat launching facilities recommended relocating the Kaulana ramp to the Kona side of the cove, and constructing a small stub breakwater to reduce shoaling and wave action. The state concluded, however, that use of Kaulana by fishermen was not extensive enough to justify the expense.
     The 1982 Army Corps of Engineers report said, "within recent years the Kaulana ramp has been heavily used by commercial fishermen from all parts of the island." Several plans were put forth. One would dredge a 245-foot long, 80-foot wide, 8.5-foot deep entrance channel plus a 220-foot long, 80-foot wide and 6.5 foot deep turning basin. A 160-foot long breakwater, 11.5 feet tall, would have been constructed. The Environmental Statement determined a high probability of archaeological and cultural sites being destroyed during the dredging and breakwater construction. It proposed a smaller project to avoid the historic sites.

A local fishing boat at South Point in 2010. Photo by Rosa Say

     However, the plan was abandoned. For the Department of Hawaiian Homes South Point Resources Management Plan, Palikapu Dedman told interviewers: "They wanted to take 55 acres and make a public boat ramp at Kaulana. They brought all the surveyors and took surveys. We sold laulaus and made $2,500 to pay for the cost of legal fees… We filed suit and lost the lawsuit. The Feds were going to go in half-half with the State for the ramp. So, I got on a plane and went to D.C. Went to Inouye, Akaka's office."

     Dedman said he argued that Hawaiian Home Lands were "like Indian Reservations, are private lands, not intended to be opened up to the public." He said he returned to Hawai‘i Island feeling unsuccessful - but then an earthquake damaged KawaihaeHarbor, and he was notified the funds for the proposed boat ramp would be redirected there. "The Feds pulled out and South Point never got developed," Dedman concluded.

     The report notes that Kaulana Ramp is managed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and that about ten vehicles park at the ramp each day.

Drawn map of Kaulana Bay boat ramp and surrounding evidence of historical habitation. Map from DHHL report

     The late Tommy Kaniho told interviewers: "There's nice fishing grounds at South Point and you can't stop fishing because that's people's livelihoods but the tourism, that's what needs to be managed. Recreational users need to be managed."
     A letter from the planning company Townscapes, Inc. - which worked on the plan for Hawaiian Homelands - written to Sina Pruder, P.E. Chief of the Wastewater Branch at Hawai‘i State Department of Health in October of 2017, says that DHHL plans to allow boats to travel to the ramp, even after more management of South Point is instituted, with other vehicular traffic halted and visitors required to walk to Green Sands Beach.

      The plan states that DHHL seeks to: "Deter visitors from driving off-road and destroying natural and cultural resources; Encourage public safety by providing a designated area for vehicles in specific places rather than throughout the property, as well as provide opportunities for the placement of security guards in the future to reduce car theft and break-ins; Provide a mechanism for monitoring capacity to ensure that the carrying capacity of the environment is not exceeded by the number of visitors."
     See March 3, March 5, March 6, March 7, March 8, March 9, March 10, March 11, March 12, March 13, March 14, and future Ka‘ū News Briefs for more in the continuing South Point Resource Management Plan series. See the 799-page plan online.

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Students outside Kaʻū High, and Pāhala Elementary and Middle Schools on March 14.

Watch Revis Petit, Ezra Ramores, and Rowlie Flores compete on It's Academic - Hawaiʻi on KFVE,  Sunday, April 15. Photo from khpes.org

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

THREE KA‘Ū HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPETED ON IT'S ACADEMIC - HAWAI‘I last week. The competition, an annual event between Hawai‘ischools that is done in a game show format, features Ka‘ū High School students Revis Petit, Ezra Ramones, and Rowlie Flores.

RE-USE HAWAI‘I HAS OPENED UP JOBS ON HAWAI‘I ISLAND, disassembling buildings. The aim is to reuse materials, generate jobs, lower construction costs, and help to preserve Hawai‘i's limited natural resources.
     Compensation is $15 to $16 an hour with 35 to 40 hours a week, paid vacation and sick time, and health, dental, and vision insurance.
     To apply, fill out an online application. Required qualifications include but are not limited to: reliable transportation; professional references; ability to frequently lift up to 60+ lbs.; some background or experience in construction, with use of hand and power tools; attention to detail; excellent communication skills; enjoy physically demanding labor; and more.
     Re-use Hawai‘i started on O‘ahu in 2007, diverts tons of reusable building material from landfills each week, and makes this material available to the public "at extremely affordable prices," says its website. Check out available jobs and places to purchase the reclaimed materials at reusehawaii.org.

VICTORY FOR KA‘Ū TROJANS BOYS VOLLEYBALL on March 14, as the three games played at Ka‘ū against Ehunui ended with Ka‘ū having nearly  double the points at the end of two out of three games. Ka‘ū scored 25 each game, calling each game to a close. Ehunui had 12, 20, and 14.

     Friday will see the Boys Volleyball team away, playing against KHS. See the full Trojans Spring sports schedule, below.