Tourism authority OKs $1M for plan
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawai'i Tourism Authority approved $1 million to protect the environment and natural resources by establishing wildlife viewing sites, surveying park visitors and assessing the state's natural resources.
Muriel Anderson, who is directing the program at the tourism authority, said the goals of the new environmental protection plan fit well into the authority's mission "to strategically manage the growth of Hawai'i's visitor industry in a manner consistent with our economic goal, cultural values, preservation of natural resources and community interests."
The state Legislature in February passed a bill requiring the $1 million expenditure to manage, improve and protect the state's natural environment and visitor areas. At a hearing before the bill was passed, the tourism authority's then-director Rick Humphreys said his agency opposed the move because it diverted too much money from the hotel-room tax to the state parks.
The $1 million includes $230,000 to assess natural resources including parks, beaches, trails, lookouts, historic sites, cultural sites, and attractions. The assessment includes factors such as the quality of facilities and services and potential for economic development, and the development of a vision and strategy for future projects.
Also included is $75,000 to survey state park visitors, in part to determine the ratio of visitors to residents using parks. The data could be used by the tourism authority to allocate money toward preserving parks that are frequented by visitors. Board member Stephen Yamashiro said he was concerned that the money was insufficient to conduct the state park surveys.
Another $600,000 is allotted for natural resource projects recommended by mayors of each of the four counties. The tourism authority is collecting suggestions from the counties and program director Muriel Anderson said she expects to name specific projects by late January.
The financing also includes $95,000 to establish a statewide network of some 50 wildlife viewing sites, including programs for road signs, viewing guide books, educational exhibits and a Web site.
The tourism authority is searching for contractors to conduct the projects. The programs start immediately.
Because this is the first year of the natural environment initiatives, information from surveys and assessments will be used to determine what to spend the money on in the future.
The findings may also be used in coordination with the state's sustainable tourism study.
"It's a relatively new area for us, but we're pretty excited," Anderson said. "The nature market is a growing niche market for tourism." Educational programs can also help other visitors be more responsible in protecting natural resources, she said.
Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club of Hawai'i, which supported legislation to require expenditures to preserve natural resources, said the money is badly needed.
"We feel that we're spending more money on promoting the state than we are on actually protecting the product itself," Mikulina said. "If you've been to some of our state parks, the bathrooms are in an atrocious state."
He also said the state's parks and trails could use more signs, more plants, repairs to potholes and education on alien species and trail erosion. "The ultimate goal," he said, "would be having a true ecotourism experience."
