A plan to preserve 644 acres of Mahukona land of historical and cultural significance has taken a big step forward with the County Council’s unanimous approval of a resolution authorizing sale negotiations.
The approval of Resolution 145 continues a process that’s been going on for decades, when community groups came together to push for public purchase of the lands. The 11 parcels, zoned agriculture, conservation and hotel/resort, carry a combined market value of $13.3 million and are owned by a Tampa, Florida, limited liability company, according to county property tax records.
Kohala Councilman Tim Richards, who sponsored the resolution, said the property could be purchased with county public access funds either outright, or as conservation easements, working with the Hawaii Land Trust. He noted the property was the top priority of the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission last year.
“It makes all the sense in the world,” Richards said. “We’re definitely seeking way forward conversations with corporation counsel on how weʻre going to proceed with this.”
Some 50 people submitted testimony to the council supporting the land purchase and more than 5,700 have signed an online petition seeking protection of the land.
Testifiers described longtime family relationships on the land, telling the council their early memories of fishing, swimming and appreciating the land important to early Hawaiians.
“The haumana of Kohala Unupa’a have a sentimental relationship to Mahukona. They have been inspired to be the voice to speak up on what they believe is the best for the people and places of Kohala,” said Johnelle “Amoo” Ching, Kainoa project director for Kohala Unupa’a, an after-school mentorship program that comes out of the Kohala School Complex. “Mahukona has been the icebox to many ohana from Kohala who gather to feed their families. It is the famous coastline that we all come to relax and rejuvenate our souls.”
Hawaiian voyagers especially came out in force to support the plans, their groups working with the Hawaii Land Trust to preserve the land.
“As far as for our organization working alongside these folks, we are really happy about all the support,” said Chadd Paishon, senior captain and PWO Navigator for Na Kalai Waʻa. “Let’s do this together and do this for Mahukona and continuing to provide for the generations that come after us.”
Shae Kamakaala, director of aina protection and general counsel for the Hawaii Land Trust, said the land preservation group is working closely with the landowner, the state and county and the families. It’s especially important to follow the native protocols in interacting with the land, she said.
“There’s a really imporant and unspoken code of conduct in how you engage with a place,” Kamakaala said. “It is a really important aspect for Mahukona.”
The property contains more than 175 cultural and archaeological sites, fishing villages and heiau that are still used today, including the Ko‘a Heiau Holomoana, an important and rare navigational heiau.
The Hawaii Land Trust is currently working with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to apply for federal money, leveraging county PONC funds and then tapping into a capital campaign to close the gap.
Toni Withington, speaking for groups Malama Na Wahi Pana O Kohala, Ka Makani O Kohala Ohana, Malama Kohala Kahakai and Maika’i Kamakani O Kohala, praised the process for its community involvement.
“Since the founding of the County Open Space Fund in 2006, in cooperation with other Kohala groups, we have nominated Kohala coastal lands, including Mahukona, to the Mayor’ s annual priority list of important lands to conserve,” Withington said, adding the land has been on the PONC priority list for that long.