In Washington, D.C., Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i, on Friday introduced a bill to have the National Park Service study the coastal area between Spreckelsville and Pa'ia as part of the park system, The Maui News reported.

"The citizens of Maui strongly support preservations of this coast, which provides important open space and public beach areas," said Hirono of her bill for the North Maui Coastal Preservation Act of 2007.

"The beautiful coastline is under significant development pressure. Its closeness to major population centers and its popularity with both visitors and residents make protecting access a major concern."

The proposal is strongly supported by the Maui chapter of the Sierra Club, with Maui Chairman Lance Holter saying the action by Hirono "recognizes the importance of preserving and leaving the legacy of open landscapes and public beach access to future generations."

Hirono also suggested any park created be named after the late Patsy Mink, who grew up in Pa'ia. She said she and former Rep. Ed Case have received "thousands of postcards in support of creating a national park or national seashore along this coast."

The affected area includes the five-acre former plantation limekiln site that is at the center of a series of lawsuits involving Maui County and the buyers of a proposed residential condominium project. The county has acquired the interests of two of the buyers for $6 million, but is being sued by a third buyer in the Montana Beach project, who is demanding permits to proceed.

At the Paia Youth & Culture Center next to the limekiln site, staff and students said they hope the shoreline can be preserved in open space.

"That would be good," said 15-year-old Tina Limonez. "No more development. No more houses that I can't afford, my mom can't afford."

The Youth and Culture Center offers a range of programs from a surf club that utilizes the surf break in Pa'ia Bay to a computer club to assist students in doing their schoolwork.

Center staffer Mele Kai and Larisa Manewal, director of operations, said the center offers a cooking class, runs a skate park, provides a video production program and runs a low-power radio station staffed by the youth.

On average, there are 50 youngsters a day utilizing the facilities and participating in programs, Manewal said, with the numbers increasing with the school break that began Friday. Having more open space along the shoreline will help the center provide programs for youth, she said.

"I would say it would benefit hugely based on what's happening all around Maui, with the lack of public space available," she said. "Our intention is to eventually grow and provide more activities, like summer camps. There's not enough space now.

"Just to be able to walk all the way along the beach to Baldwin would be great."

"I can't express how important it is that we protect as much open space as we can, keep as much open areas along the shorelines as possible," said Becky Kikumoto, owner of the Jaeggers boutique in Pa'ia.

As a longtime merchant, Kikumoto said she sees a need to provide open space and green areas for use by both residents and visitors.

"I talk to visitors all the time in my store. Most are coming from urban areas where they have strip malls and miles of homes and businesses in a dense urban environment. When they come to Maui, they don't want to be stuck in traffic and just see more shopping centers," she said.

If anything, Hirono's request doesn't go far enough. Kikumoto said she would support protection for more of the remaining coastal areas of Maui including the open shorelines beyond Ku'au.

The shoreline along Pa'ia Bay "would be a great recreational spot for everybody. It would be just a great place to enjoy the outdoors," she said. Ku'au resident Barry Rivers said Baldwin Beach Park, anchoring one end of the open shoreline, is essential to his mental health. He swims off the beach nearly every day.

"If I don't got to Baldwin, I don't know what I'm doing. It's my psychiatrist, my mistress, my guru. It's where I do my brainstorming. It's my think tank," he said. "It would be a shame to see anything happen to the shoreline other than to remain in its natural and beautiful state.

"It is truly a treasure that provides so much enjoyment to so many, many people. It is worth whatever it takes to preserve it," Rivers said.