Preserving and protecting Ka’ena, Oahu, Hawaii
Join Friends of Ka’ena on April 4, 2009, 9 am – 12 pm at YMCA Camp Erdman. Bring family and friends to help us clean up the coast and then enjoy a delicious lunch and learn more about the Friends of Ka’ena.
Please download the flyer ( April 4 cleanup flyer ) and post it!
The once remote coastal dunes are now drawing crowds and regulators
In the old days, Kaena Point was so remote, only the hardy ventured that far. But these days, the rugged western flank of Oahu lures hikers from across the globe and hot-rodders who roar over its dunes.
The state is planning to hire an “ambassador” to help handle competing demands on this last coastal dune wilderness on the island, a refuge for seabirds, monk seals and cultural sites. Some fishermen are objecting to what they see as overregulation of their traditional lifestyle.
“There’s a lot of passion for Kaena,” said Dan Quinn, state parks administrator. “Some folks want everything to be the way it was 50 years ago. The world is not the same. The pressures have grown, our population has risen. We need to more actively manage what’s going out there in order to be responsible.”
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The Department of Land and Natural Resources will hold a public workshop on Wednesday, February 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Honolulu Community College Marine Education and Training Center at 10 Sand Island Parkway. Turn right at the stoplight just after the draw bridge. The METC facility is on the mauka side of the DLNR Sand Island Launch Ramp Facility parking lot.
To address management issues at Ka‘ena Point, DLNR has formed a Ka‘ena Point Stewardship Planning Group comprised of staff from the state parks, aquatic resources, land, forestry and wildlife, and enforcement divisions who have been working together to develop stewardship and management plans for areas under DLNR jurisdiction.
Now the planning group is gathering community members for the advisory group that will work on solutions to the immediate management issues in the area. At this workshop, the public will have the opportunity to provide constructive suggestions on specific issues relating to Ka‘ena Point as well as self-select representatives from the cultural practitioners, fishing, and conservation communities to sit on the advisory group.
Senate Bill 410 and House bill 645 seek to allow camping at Kaena Point. Hearings were held at the State Capitol last week.
The Draft Environmental Assessment is available at the fence project’s website.
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