Trail will open up Kawainui marsh
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAILUA — The city wants to open the treasures of Kawainui Marsh to the public by building a perimeter trail around the 830-acre wetland.
Advertiser library photo • May 2001
The idea of a trail was first proposed in 1983 after years of controversy over the future of the wetland once it was rescued from urban development in the late 1960s.
The marsh's existing dike wall would be the final segment of the scenic trail the city plans to build.
The project began to take form as a vision team effort in 1999. It calls for building the trail in six segments as money becomes available, according to a draft environmental assessment. The city wants public comment on the assessment by June 22.
Praising the project for opening the land to public use, the Kawai Nui Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes the preservation of the marsh and educational outreach, said it would make sure the document covered such issues as safety concerns for neighboring property owners and proper signage, said Susan Miller, foundation president. Controlling the trails and how they are used, by pedestrians or vehicles, for instance, is also a concern.
"We're very supportive of there being public access to public lands," Miller said. "Exactly what forms of access, how many forms of access you try to accommodate, is another subject of discussion."
Kawainui is home to scenic views from marsh to mountain, abundant wildlife and ancient Hawaiian archeological sites.
The proposed project consists primarily of building a combination of hiking and multi-use pathways around the marsh in six segments, the sixth being the existing flood control levee. Segment 1 extends from the end of the levee on Kailua Road to the beginning of Kukanono subdivision. From there, the trail links behind Castle Medical Center, at the intersection of Kalaniana'ole Highway and Kapa'a Quarry Road, to the Model Airplane Park, to the intersection at Kapa'a Quarry Road and Mokapu Boulevard and across Oneawa Canal to the other end of the levee.
The draft environmental assessment lists at least 22 archeological sites in the marsh, many of which would be visible from the trail. Birds, including endangered species such as the Hawaiian duck, the Hawaiian coot, the common moorhen and the black-necked stilt, also would be visible. The trails would link well-known sites such as Ulupo Heiau and Na Pohaku O Hauwahine, where extensive renovation and preservation work is being done.
Providing an educational component to the trails will increase people's interest in the marsh and increase their willingness to care for it, said Kathy Bryant-Hunter, a Kailua Neighborhood Board member. Placing signs at the sites is an important aspect of the plan.
"People protect what they understand, and the more people know about what's going on the more they think of it as a resource instead of a swamp," Bryant-Hunter said.
Although there is no money this year in the city budget to build the trails, the project's consultant, Dave Curry, said the document could be used to obtain funding and permits.
Address comments to the city Department of Transportation Services, Attention: Mark Kikuchi, 650 S. King St., Third Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
