Posted on: Saturday, May 7, 2005

Off-road vehicles barred on Maui trail

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

WAILUKU, Maui — With escalating erosion on the cinder-strewn Skyline Trail atop Haleakala, the state has installed barriers at the lower trail gate at Kanahau to block access by off-road vehicles.

State Department of Land and Natural Resource officials said the area's natural and cultural resources are being threatened by vehicles going off the unpaved road and creating new trails. Increasing activity has widened and deepened the new trails, resulting in erosion that threatens the fragile native plants and animals that live there.

"We need people to take personal responsibility and not go off on their own," DLNR Chairman Peter Young said in a statement. "Our natural resources are being destroyed by these senseless activities."

Skyline Trail, high on the mountain's southwest volcanic rift zone in the Kula Forest Reserve, features a rugged and barren landscape pockmarked by numerous cinder cones and craters.

Popular with hunters, hikers and bicycle riders, the unimproved road starts at the 10,000-foot elevation and drops 4,000 feet over 6.8 miles. The Na Ala Hele state trail covers 3.4 miles.

The barrier installation was applauded by frequent Skyline Trail hiker Mary Evanson, who is vice president of the Friends of Haleakala National Park.

"I would hate to see (the off-road vehicles) destroy that area," she said.

A few years ago, the Friends of Haleakala proposed that the region be included within the state natural area reserve system as a prime example of a volcanic rift zone ecosystem. The area remains on the state's list of proposed reserves.

Last year, a bicycle tour company asked the state for permission to run tours down the trail. The commercial activity was rejected after officials determined a portion of the trail was on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property.

It is unlawful to drive, operate or use any motorized vehicle in any area or on trails not designated for that purpose in a forest reserve. It is unlawful to remove, damage or disturb any natural feature or resource.

It also is illegal to operate a motorized vehicle without a working street-legal muffler and without a valid license plate, registration and safety sticker.

Anyone violating the rules faces a possible petty misdemeanor charge carrying a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and up to 30 days in jail. What's more, vehicles used in these violations could be confiscated by the state, officials said.

To report a violation, call the Maui District office of the DLNR Enforcement Division at (808) 984-8110 or a 24-hour hot line at (808) 587-0077. Neighbor Islanders may call the hot line toll-free by dialing "0" and asking the operator for "Enterprise 5469."

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

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