Meeting today to discuss Ookala access for hunters

A community meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. today at the Paauilo Gym Annex to discuss access to lands in Ookala and address concerns of local hunters.

County Councilwoman Valerie Poindexter said Big Island Dairy in Ookala, which leases lands from the state Department of Agriculture, has recently put up a gate on a road that not only leads up to the dairy but also serves as an access road for area hunters “to get up to the forest.”

The spot has long served as such access, she said.

According to Poindexter, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Division of Forestry and Wildlife will be at the meeting and Big Island Dairy has also been invited.