Maui coastal region rejected as national park

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

The rugged coastal region near Maui's La Perouse Bay doesn't have what it takes to become a national park.

That's the conclusion of a recent National Park Service study of the six-mile region from La Perouse, or Keone'o'io, to Kanaloa Point. The study described the resources identified in the area as falling short of having national significance.

In addition, the types of resources in the area are adequately represented within existing national parks in Hawai'i, the study said.

However, the report did find that the Hawaiian archaeological sites and the coral reef are of "statewide significance" worthy of state protection.

Maui conservationist Mary Evanson, who led a campaign to establish the preserve, said she was disappointed with the study's conclusions.

"I still think that the National Park Service is the only one that can adequately manage and protect the area," she said. "The state just doesn't have the money or the manpower to really take care of the place like it should be."

Cheryl Vann, program coordinator of the 200-member Friends of Keone'o'io, said that while the area didn't earn the highest grade, the study still indicates it's a special place in need of protection. She said her group would continue to work toward that end.

The study was conducted at the request of the late U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink, who introduced a bill in Congress requesting a feasibility survey. The idea of creating a national park in the area also was endorsed by the state Legislature, the Maui County Council and the county Cultural Resources Commission.

But the area's archaeological resources "do not appear to represent an outstanding example of a particular type of resource, nor do they appear to possess exceptional value in illustrating the heritage of the nation in archaeology," the study said.

What's more, the archaeological features and complexes do not compare to the significance of ones found at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park or at Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site on the Big Island, the study said, and the coral reefs and marine resources are likely equaled by those found in the offshore waters of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park on the Big Island and Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Moloka'i.

While the Maui area appears to be feasible as a unit of the national park system in terms of its size and configuration, the presence of ceded lands and the controversy accompanying the former crown lands make it unfeasible as a national park, the study said.

The study warns that the archaeological sites are being damaged by four-wheel-drive vehicles and unregulated camping, and that protection is needed. It suggests creating a state park and notes that a 1977 report prepared for the state Parks Division recommended the area be designated a park.

National park officials also noted that concern was expressed by some residents over possible restrictions on access and outdoor recreation opportunities if the service were to take control.

Vann said it appears that some sort of public-private partnership will be needed to help protect the region, perhaps involving the Friends of Keone'o'io, which has developed a volunteer naturalist training program and a naturalist training manual and stewardship brochure about Keone'o'io. They group also is conducting on-site surveys to gather baseline data about human use of the area.

Reach Timothy Hurley at (808) 244-4880 or thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com.