Posted on: Tuesday, August 20, 2002

EDITORIAL
Post warnings, but don't plug up nature

Our hearts go out to Nancy Dick of Sylmar, Calif., whose 18-year-old son, Daniel, drowned at the Halona Blowhole after being tossed into the air by a powerful water spout.

Naturally, Ms. Dick wants something done so that other lives won't be lost at this popular East O'ahu lookout. And we agree that tragedy can sometimes result in positive change.

However, her mission to have a grate put on the Halona Blowhole is not the kind of post-tragedy cause that we would endorse, partly because it would set a bad precedent.

Nature is a formidable force out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and can teach us cruel lessons. Of course, warning signs are needed to alert visitors to the dangers that might befall them. And as we've said before, they could use some warning signs about the deadly power of Halona Blowhole at Sandy Beach and Halona Cove.

But as a rule, we don't cordon off the lava flowing from Kilauea on the Big Island. We don't build railings along the Na Pali Coast trail on Kaua'i. And we don't secure metal mesh around the rocks above Manoa Falls to stop them from falling.

Sure, there are bureaucrats and lawyers who would love to cordon off all potentially dangerous areas of the Islands and remove the threat of lawsuits.

But do we really want to live in an environment where there are constant barriers between ourselves and nature? We think not. Isn't it better to teach adults and children a respect for nature and its awesome power than to seal it off?