COURTESY PHOTO
Land donated to the state by the Tom family, near the gate on the Mokuleia side of Kaena Point, is home to a beach cove that provides refuge for Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles.
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A newly donated half-acre piece of land on Oahu’s northwestern shore will be added to the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve, state officials said Tuesday.
The Tom family, which owned the land for decades, worked with the North Shore Community Land Trust to transfer it to the state.
According to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the donated parcel is home to a beach cove that not only provides refuge for Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles, but has significant cultural and historical features and is a traditional spot for shore fishing, spearfishing and related marine activities.
The parcel, near the gate on the Mokuleia side of Kaena Point, would be accessible by foot or mountain bike and could be visited for recreational uses, hiking, education and viewing wildlife.
“We are very grateful to the Tom family and the North Shore Community Land Trust for dedicating this land to preservation, allowing the department to protect this sheltered beach cove,” DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case said.
The 59-acre Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve is home to the largest colony of Laysan albatrosses in the main Hawaiian Islands, as well as many other native plants and animals.
