By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
Stephens Media
A Kailua-Kona-based nonprofit is getting $100,000 to help fund its new effort to help Big Island private landowners provide public access to their land for subsistence, cultural practices, recreation or transportation.
People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawaii was one of five recipients selected to receive money from the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Island Innovation Fund, created to serve as a catalyst for innovation within the nonprofit sector.
PATH’s project, Public Access with Kuleana, begins next month and deploys a six-part, community-managed public access model in two locations: Pepeekeo, North Hilo, and Keauhuolu, North Kona.
It consists of legal agreements; risk management; an access control and accountability system; education and orientation of access users; establishment of enforcement protocols; and evaluation to improve the model and inform others who wish to do the same thing elsewhere, said PATH Executive Director Laura Dierenfield.
The idea was discussed during the Hamakua Community Development Plan process, and public access is “at the heart of PATH.” The idea also derived from ongoing issues and some residents’ wants pertaining to public accessibility to the mountains and oceans in Hawaii.
Many private landowners have concerns about liability, safety, vandalism and other mischief, which are the crux as to why there’s usually a permanent closure of land with trails or pathways, Dierenfield said.
Besides providing education, outreach and enforcement, PATH is proposing installing a gate at the top of access roads to such lands, but having the access controlled through a smart card system, Dierenfield said.
“A smart card looks and functions like a credit card that can be programmed to identify the person and their respective access rights. For example, residents, landowners, lessees, or their designated guests would be able to access with no charge. On the other hand, visitors would pay a fee,” according to PATH’s Island Innovation Fund application. “The visitor would be required to go through the visitor center to pay the fee, understand the protocols, and obtain their temporary smart card. The management entity would determine whether and how much the fee would be … This fee could be paid for upon each use, once a year, or any other time increment.”
Dierenfield said this solution will provide “a win-win” for private landowners and the public — one that allows people to practice cultural traditions, explore Hawaii’s beauty and do so with a sense of responsibility.
