Protected status for coastline proposed
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i, has introduced legislation calling for the Department of Interior to study creation of a national preservation area along six miles of south Maui coastline.
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The South Maui Coastal Preservation Act of 2003, co-sponsored by Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, asks the National Park Service to examine the possible federal acquisition of land from 'Ahihi-Kina'u Natural Reserve to Kanaloa Point.
U.S. Reps. Ed Case, top, and Neil Abercrombie are behind a bill that is designed to protect parts of south Maui coastline.
"This area is rich in archaeological, cultural, historical, and natural resources," Case said. "Important sites in the proposed park area contain remnants of dwellings and other ancient Native Hawaiian structures that date to 1100 A.D. This portion of the southern coast is also the home of unique native plants and animals, some of which are endangered."
The study would help determine whether the coastline should be preserved as a National Seashore, National Recreation Area, National Monument, National Preserve or other unit of the National Park Service, Case said.
"We must preserve this pristine coastline, because it lies directly in the path of development and could be lost forever to future generations," Case said.
He said the federal government needs to be involved because the state has lacked money to manage and protect the coastline properly. "This is a site of national significance, which deserves the level of protection only the National Park Service can provide," he said.
The Maui County Council and state Legislature each have expressed support for having the area designated as a national park. But an earlier National Park Service survey determined that the area deserved protection, but not at the level of a national park.
One reason the agency rejected the area was because most of the land is state-owned.
"However, I believe the expressions of support for National Park Service control of the area by the county and state offer a firm basis for moving forward," Case said.
"Therefore, I have included a provision in my bill to ensure that the proposed study includes consultation with the state of Hawai'i on transfer of some or all of the state lands in the study area to the federal government."
Reach Timothy Hurley at (808) 244-4880, or e-mail at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com.
