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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, October 19, 2002

Marines seek approval to train at Kualoa Ranch

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

KUALOA — Kualoa Ranch has offered to allow the Marines to use its property for jungle warfare maneuvers after questions were raised about planned training in neighboring Waikane Valley.

Mistrust of the military lingers from an aborted cleanup of Waikane land used for live target practice from 1944 to 1976, and when the Marines recently announced plans to train on the same property — which they now own — residents were concerned.

John Morgan, owner and operator of Kualoa Ranch, proposed renting parts of the 4,000-acre cattle spread to the Marines to supplement the ranch's other money-making operations, which, besides raising cattle, also include recreational activities ranging from horseback riding to paintball, the occasional concert and filming by movie companies.

In recent years the military has encountered difficulty conducting training on O'ahu because of environmental and cultural concerns in locations such as Makua Valley, and it's rare for a property owner to volunteer land for military operations.

The Marines have expressed interest in the Kualoa offer, but say that legal issues would have to be dealt with before the ranch could be used.

"We're considering working with them, and they are considering working with us," Morgan said this week.

Morgan said having a couple hundred Marines training at Kualoa wouldn't have much more of an impact than already exists.

There would be no live-fire training, and the Marines would use only a small portion of the ranch, deep within the 2 1/2-mile-long valley property.

Morgan said he was confident the Marines would be good stewards of the land, citing their environmental program at the Kane'ohe base, which has won awards for its protection and care of Nu'upia Pond and a booby colony on the base.

In July, Marine Corps Base Hawai'i announced that it was considering using Waikane Valley, six miles north of Kane'ohe, for jungle warfare training for up to 100 troops at a time and using no live ammunition.

That generated concern in the community, which still worries about safety on the site, which was used for live target practice for three decades.

The land had been leased from the Kamaka family and the military was to clean the property and return it once training ended. However, the military decided the cleanup was too costly and instead condemned the land, erecting a fence to assure public safety.

For more than 25 years, the land has remained fenced off and unused.

The fence has deteriorated over the years, again raising the issue of safety, state Sen. Bob Nakata, D-23rd (Kane'ohe, Kahuku) said.

"I don't hear 'No don't do it,' " Nakata said, referring to the Marine plan to train in Waikane. "It's more a sense of mistrust."

The Marines are in the process of gaining approvals from various sectors of Marine headquarters in Washington, to train on the 187-acre property, said Lt. Kent Robbins.

As part of the approval process, an environmental assessment is under way.

The Kualoa offer, while attractive, could take a year to approve as logistics, training goals, restraints and environmental concerns are considered, Robbins said.

"If it is legally a doable thing, we want to take advantage of it," Robbins said. "We are reviewing it now."

Kualoa is sacred ground to Native Hawaiians, but most of that is centered in the park across the street from the ranch.

Neither the ranch nor the Marines had announced the Kualoa offer, although it has been on the table for several months. The issue arose at a Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board meeting and Robbins responded to a question from a resident.

Morgan said he considers the negotiations in progress.

"I'm not going to hold my breath, but they've indicated they're interested, and we're interested," he said.