Waimea park's theme changes with management

By Will Hoover
Advertiser North Shore Writer

A new day is at hand for Waimea Falls Park, with different management taking over this week and signaling the beginning of a transformation from entertainment attraction to a place of natural wonderment.

It has been a contentious three years for Waimea Management, whose handling of the park drew criticism for ignoring the valley's natural and botanical aspects in an effort to create a Disneyesque adventure park.

Others close to the park say that Waimea Management president Ray Greene has been unfairly portrayed in the news media and that the valley has actually improved under his stewardship.

The company, which operated Waimea Falls Park on a month-to-month lease, is scheduled to end its stay and hand the keys to the park to the National Audubon Society sometime after the close of business at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"Going out of business sale — 1/2 or more off all merchandise," reads a sign at the Waimea Valley Store at the park's visitor center.

For those who fought for the change, Audubon's takeover and long-term lease are cause for celebration.

"When the Audubon walks in, it will be the beginning of a long, long road to Waimea Valley reaching its full potential," said Scott Foster, founder of The Stewards of Waimea Valley, which, along with the North Shore Outdoor Circle and other groups, didn't like what was going on in the valley.

The park will become the latest in the society's many Audubon Centers nationwide, with an emphasis on appreciating and protecting the natural world along with a strong teaching component. That philosophy will guide the management of Waimea Falls Park.

But the specifics about the society's plans for the park are still sketchy.

Audubon will do away with the diving and hula shows that have been an integral aspect of the famous Waimea Falls extravaganzas. Also missing will be the regular tram rides to and from the falls, as well as other park adventures such as horseback riding, mountain biking and kayaking.

"If you're coming for a show, then you are coming to the wrong place," said Diana King, Audubon's project manager. "If you're coming to explore the valley, then you're coming to a great place. And the experience you have is one of being immersed in nature."

King said the society has had little opportunity to scrutinize its new responsibility.

"We don't know what we're going to find when we get there," King said. "It sounds like it's going to be pretty stripped down. We don't even know what we need to buy in the way of computers, furniture and phones and all that."

King said the park will be closed to the public this week on Thursday and Friday while a specialist team — including National Audubon Society president John Flicker — goes in to assess the situation.

After the park reopens on Saturday afternoon, King said, one obvious difference will be the admission price, which will drop from $25 for adults to $5.

The switchover comes as a result of public outcry about the direction the park seemed to be taking.

Christian Wolffer, a New York investor, became principal owner of the 1,875-acre park in 1996 and four years later tried to sell the property as a private residence.

Outraged, environmental and Hawaiian cultural groups criticized Wolffer and his management team, led by Greene. In April 2001 Wolffer placed the property under bankruptcy protection. The city initiated condemnation procedures and put $5.1 million into escrow in order to take control and eventual ownership of the land, citing its importance as a treasured resource and one of O'ahu's most exotic sites.

Waimea Management has indicated it will not walk away without a fight. Greene has claimed the city did not act in good faith in awarding the lease to the Audubon Society and has filed suit.

Some, particularly those close to the park, say Greene has done a good job.

"I'll tell you right now that Ray Greene takes care of this park like he's Native Hawaiian," said Lorretta Naki, who has helped with the park's hula halau. "I can't understand why they say the park is run-down. I've been coming here all my life. It was a wilderness when I was a kid. Now look at it. It's in much better shape."

Naki says Greene has been a good employer who has treated his approximately 60 workers fairly.

One of those workers is Kamehameha School graduate Kaleo Lee, 19. He has spent his summer vacation working at the park as a dancer and crafter with Hula Halau 'O Waimea. He's confident he'll be able to find employment elsewhere after Wednesday, but he's sorry about what the park change could mean.

Lee said the Hawaiian people lived in Waimea Valley for hundreds of years until they were driven out by drought and flooding in the late 1800s. He thinks the park has given visitors a unique view of Hawaiian life as it once was. Once the park becomes "a bird sanctuary," he believes that will end.

"It will be sad not to have anybody here to represent the culture," he said. "This is just my opinion, but I think the tourists come here to see the falls. And that's a lure to bring them closer to our culture."

King said some 36 current and former employees have been offered full-time positions at the park.

"The lion's share are current employees," King said. "And we haven't finished hiring, either."

And Foster contends that the "treasures of Waimea Valley" have barely been tapped and that Hawaiians could reap a cultural bonanza in the years to come.

"We think there are a lot of really interesting features and sites that are not all that far from the parking lot and have been ignored because of all the emphasis on the falls," King said. "Those include the Hale O Lono heiau (temple), which is right off the parking lot.

"There are also some important archaeological sites that were identified by the Bishop Museum in 1974, that are close to the visitor's center that are now covered with weeds and off the beaten path. We want to open those sites up. And all of that will take some funding and time, but that is our intent."

Before any such sites are opened, the matter of the condemnation process has to be cleared up. According to city Managing Director Ben Lee, a trial is set in 1st Circuit Court the first week in July.

Audubon and the city hope that the court will decide $5 million is a fair market value for the property, the city will take possession, and the society will peacefully operate the park for decades.

However, if Wolffer were to appeal such a decision, the case could linger in the courts for months.

But there is another scenario that sends shudders through Audubon and the city: What if the court were to decide that the fair market value for the park land is so much more than $5 million and the city couldn't come up with the extra money?

At that point, Audubon would be out, the city would be out, the land would revert to Wolffer and associates, and the whole park situation would be "right back to square one," according to King.

"Yep," she said, forcing herself to confront the possibility. "It could happen."

Volunteers needed for Waimea cleanup

From 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Waimea Falls Park — under the management of its new proprietor, the National Audubon Society — will be closed to the public.

The gates will open, though, for anyone who wants to come in for a free lunch — provided they sign up for the volunteer cleanup crew.

"We want people from the community who have been involved in this process to feel a part of it from the ground up," said Diana King, Audubon project coordinator.

"So, if they want to come in when the park's closed to the public and do some work and celebrate as well, then this would be a nice time to do it."

The park will remain closed throughout the morning as work crews fan out.

"Bring your gloves and your heavy shoes," King said. "We're working. We don't know yet what we're going to have volunteers do because we don't know what state we'll find things. We could be clearing trails, doing things in the visitor center, or we could be taking vines off trees."

The free lunch starts at noon. Those interested in registering are asked to call 638-9199. After lunch, the park will officially open to the public.