After nearly 20 years of an uneasy ceasefire precipitated by legal action, the U.S. Department of Defense and Army have committed to permanently end live-fire training at the Makua Military Reservation (MMR). That is a proper and commendable decision, and it should be just the start of a shift over control of the valley that will return it to open access by Native Hawaiian people and use for nonmilitary purposes.

Makua Valley is an incredibly beautiful and culturally significant place. It has been revered by Native Hawaiians for as long as Hawaiians have made lives on Oahu — much further back than the pre-statehood 1920s, when the U.S. military began bombarding the valley with ammunition.

“Makua” means “parent” in the Hawaiian language, and according to Hawaiian oral tradition, the valley is a sacred site where human life was first created. As its designation indicates, Makua’s cultural importance to Hawaiians extends into the farthest reaches of human history in the islands; this alone, combined with the evident beauty and value this valley could provide for public use unconnected to deadly weaponry, justifies an end to live-fire training there.

Further, current understanding of the value of preserving an environment has grown exponentially since Makua was first fired upon, and U.S. military operations have evolved to be more cognizant of environmental degradation as collateral damage that should be avoided when possible.

Those understandings were not at the forefront in the years following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, when the U.S. military imposed martial law in Hawaii and took control of Makua Valley for training. The state seemingly deemed Makua practically worthless in 1964, when Hawaii agreed to give the Army a 65-year lease for control over Makua, in exchange for just $1.

Since that time, however, MMR has become one of the Defense Department’s most controversial training grounds in Hawaii, after being bombarded by every military branch and also used for the disposal of munitions and other waste. After wildfires started by live-fire training revealed ancient cultural sites in the valley, and as a result of litigation by Hawaii nonprofit Malama Makua, the Army has since spent millions on archaeological studies, efforts to restore the area with native plants, and protection of Makua’s 40-plus endangered and threatened species.

Malama Makua, represented by environmental nonprofit Earthjustice, won a major victory when in 2001, the military entered into a settlement agreement that included an order to provide expanded cultural access at Makua Military Reservation. That agreement continues, holding the Army responsible for clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) from 22 “high priority” sites to permit cultural access.

Clearly, with so many risks now known and species at stake, remediation must remain robust, pressed by Hawaii leaders.

To date, the Army has cleared only half of the 22 sites. Some of the rest are so ridden with explosive materials that at present, the Army considers clearance not “reasonable and practicable.” However, a stipulation filed Nov. 30 by Malama Makua and the military obligates the military to use “good faith efforts” to clear UXO from all 22 sites, committing to a “contingency plan” to clear UXO in the future when capability develops. Continuing scrutiny is necessary to ensure the Army meets these terms.

State Rep. Cedric Gates, and Leeward Oahu lawmakers Rep. Darius Kila and Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, have issued a joint statement asking for “continued cooperation and full support in clearing all unexploded ordnance before the ‘aina is rightfully returned to our Native Hawaiian community.” To bring the struggle over Makua Valley to its rightful conclusion, these actions must also be the Army’s explicit commitments.