The subtitle "A Plan for Restoration and Sustainment" appears on the cover of the draft Kawainui-Hamakua Complex Master Plan, the latest blueprint for proper management of an environmentally and culturally significant feature in Kailua. Meeting those goals is the responsibility of the state, although nonprofit organizations have been pitching in heroically with the task to this point.
The master plan does a thorough job envisioning how that work could continue to benefit the marsh, and enhance it as an educational resource. But it also raises red flags about where things could go wrong, in ways that run counter to the primary goals of restoration and sustainment.
It’s early in the planning process: There is still the environmental impact statement to prepare, and various state and city permits that must be secured, with opportunities for public input along the way.
But as it proceeds, officials need to approach the implementation of the plan with caution so that the wetlands are, above all, preserved, rather than developed into a tourist attraction.
The plan was prepared by Helber Hastert & Fee, Planners, under contract to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. It’s a 153-page document that starts out as it should, defining the importance of the area.
The complex encompasses about 1,000 acres, extending to include the area bounded by Hamakua Drive. It is the largest remaining freshwater wetland in the state and is home to four endangered Hawaiian waterbird species and to various migratory shorebirds and waterfowl.
It is also a critical site in Hawaiian culture, most notably because of Ulupo Heiau within the project area, listed on national and state historic registers. The complex also is a designated Ramsar Convention Wetlands of International Importance.
Under the draft master plan, the region is divided into 11 sections. The full vision will take more than a decade to implement, but a great deal has been penciled in for the first 10 years. The long list includes the construction of various hale, hula mounds and other cultural areas; viewing pavilions, restrooms, a research station, restrooms, canoe launch ramps and various other elements.
Clearly, the restoration of Kawainui — neglected for decades and rimmed by development, industrial sites and abandoned junk — has been a critical long-term project. The prospect of accelerating the caretaking is good news. However, the state’s record of maintaining its parks is spotty at best, so the overview of the full build-out raises some concern that DLNR could be planning something it can’t maintain.
This challenge is a known issue to DLNR, which over the years has petitioned the Legislature for the means to institute a more robust maintenance program. The writers of the plan assert that "areas would be opened up for public access and activities when (state) agencies are able to properly manage them."
The plan also acknowledges the reclamation work already done, at the heiau and throughout the marsh. Primarily, this has been stewardship of Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi and the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club, school groups and other organizations, in partnership with DLNR’s parks division. The plan affirms these joint efforts as a continuing, primary duty, and that’s an important statement.
Other projects on the roster of "core priority activities" include restoration of Ulupo Heiau, wetland restoration and habitat enhancement, reforestation, predator fencing, storm water mitigation and other essential functions. The state must not lose sight of these goals as it moves cautiously toward expanding public access. Already there is an online petition, with more than 2,000 signatures, of people rightly worried about the scale of the plans, picturing large tour buses disrupting neighborhood life on the fringes.
"Kawainui is not a typical wetland, park or cultural venue," the petition reads. "It is a protected endangered waterbird habitat containing sacred ancient sites that are important to an understanding of early Polynesian settlement of the islands."
Restoring and sustaining these resources must remain the paramount aim, as the Kawainui plan is realized.
