Updated at 7:55 a.m., Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Kawai Nui marsh agreement reached
Advertiser Staff
After 17 years of battling, representatives of the state Legislature and the City and County of Honolulu have reached an agreement on management of the Kawai Nui marsh.Details will be announced at a 2 p.m. news conference to be held at the Korean War Memorial at the State Capitol. Responsibility for the 830-acre marsh in Kailua has been disputed since the passage of Act 314, Session Laws of Hawai'i 1990, delaying the restoration and rehabilitation of the marsh to the point where the ability of the marsh to support its native wildlife population is critically impaired.
Under the new agreement to be detailed today, ownership of the marsh shall be transferred to the state, with the respective duties of the state and City and County set forth by law.
Among those expected at the news conference are Senator Jill Tokuda (District 24 – Kane'ohe, Kane'ohe MCAB, Kailua, Enchanted Lake); Representative Pono Chong (District 49 - Maunawili, Olomana, Enchanted Lake, Kane'ohe); Mayor Mufi Hannemann; and Chairman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources Peter Young.
Kawai Nui marsh is one of the state's largest remaining wetlands, and has been identified by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a primary habitat for endemic and endangered native Hawaiian birds.
