Bill Text: HI SCR95 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Supporting The Purchase, Preservation, And Restoration Of Agricultural And Conservation Lands In Maunawili Valley, Oahu, And Urging Various Federal, State, And County Entities To Acquire And Protect Important Ancient And Historic Sites And Trails And Waters In Maunawili Valley.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-04-24 - Resolution adopted in final form. [SCR95 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-SCR95-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
95 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
SUPPORTING THE PURCHASE, PRESERVATION, AND RESTORATION OF AGRICULTURAL AND CONSERVATION LANDS IN MAUNAWILI VALLEY, OAHU, AND URGING VARIOUS FEDERAL, STATE, AND COUNTY ENTITIES TO ACQUIRE AND PROTECT IMPORTANT ANCIENT AND HISTORIC SITES AND TRAILS AND WATERS IN MAUNAWILI VALLEY.
WHEREAS, Maunawili Valley in the ahupuaa (land division) of Kailua is celebrated in story and chant for its association with akua (gods), alii (chiefs), cultural heroes, and important historical figures, including Queen Liliuokalani; and
WHEREAS, Maunawili Valley contains wetlands, streams, and freshwater springs that provide most of the water that flows to the Kawainui Marsh ecosystem, and more than fifty springs and smaller streams, including Maunawili Stream, the most significant stream in the Kailua ahupuaa; and
WHEREAS, ancient and historic sites throughout Maunawili Valley include heiau (temple or sacred site), sacred stones, petroglyphs, Hawaiian burials, alanui (path or trail), house sites, grinding stones, irrigated and dryland agricultural terraces, large auwai (irrigation ditches) related to extensive loi (taro patches), and nineteenth and early twentieth century structures related to agriculture and food production; and
WHEREAS, Kawainui Marsh is a designated Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, and the 1994 Kawai Nui Marsh Master Plan recommended that the State acquire the privately-owned wetland and semi-wetland areas in Maunawili, noting that they are hydrologically part of the economic, ecological, and cultural resources of Kawainui Marsh, separated only by the highway, and that acquisition would "protect the wetlands from future undesired developments" and inappropriate alteration of the landscape and waterways; and
WHEREAS, there is a need to protect and conserve the Maunawili wetlands and semi-wetlands; Maunawili's Hanalei soil, which is the most fertile soil in Hawaii; fresh water resources; ancient and historic sites; and historic trails within the vital context of agricultural sustainability; and
WHEREAS, there is also a need to provide managed and restricted access to the State's Maunawili and Olomana Trails in proximity to Maunawili's historic wetland and semi-wetland areas and the Queen's Retreat; and
WHEREAS, there is a long history of public interest in acquiring and protecting lands in Maunawili, but the State has not been able to secure these Maunawili lands, which remain privately owned; and
WHEREAS, HRT Realty, LLC, owner of more than one thousand acres in Maunawili, including the majority of the biocultural resources noted above and the Royal Hawaiian Golf Course, is moving forward on plans to subdivide and eventually sell its Maunawili lands; and
WHEREAS, HRT Realty, LLC, expressed an interest in selling its Maunawili lands, or a significant portion thereof, to the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture, working in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, Hui Maunawili-Kawainui, and Kailua community, and Hui Maunawili-Kawainui members have met with representatives of HRT Realty, LLC, and are now working in partnership with The Trust for Public Land to identify ways to acquire HRT Realty, LLC, properties in Maunawili; and
WHEREAS, Hui Maunawili-Kawainui is a group of descendants and residents of Maunawili and Kailua who represent a coalition of respected Hawaiian cultural and environmental organizations, who have joined together to protect prime agricultural and culturally significant lands in Maunawili; and
WHEREAS, Hui Maunawili-Kawainui seeks to restore the health of Maunawili so that the valley can resume its vital and traditional role in the ahupuaa of Kailua as a source of free-flowing fresh water and a place of abundant agriculture and rich cultural resources; and
WHEREAS, The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit organization that has helped protect lands throughout Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, the Governor has declared a state goal to double local food production by 2020, which is in line with Maunawili's legacy as historically fertile ground for the production of food crops; and
WHEREAS, Hui Maunawili-Kawainui has met with numerous state and county officials and elected representatives to express the need to protect and preserve the Maunawili lands and to seek both institutional and financial support toward that end; and
WHEREAS, this is a rare opportunity to secure Maunawili's irreplaceable resources for the health and welfare of the people of Hawaii today and for future generations; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the House of Representatives concurring, that this body supports the purchase, preservation, and restoration of agricultural and conservation lands in Maunawili Valley, Oahu, and the protection and preservation of important ancient and historic sites and trails and waters in Maunawili; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body commends HRT Realty, LLC; Hui Maunawili-Kawainui; and The Trust for Public Land for taking collaborative, voluntary action toward a possible conservation purchase of the HRT Reality, LLC, Maunawili lands; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body believes that it is in the best interest of the people of the State to bring to fruition a larger, community-based vision of restoring Maunawili to its vital and traditional role in the ahupuaa of Kailua as a source of free-flowing fresh water and place of abundant agriculture and rich cultural resources; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body urges the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and other relevant state entities, as well as the City and County of Honolulu and the Hawaii congressional delegation, to work with The Trust for Public Land and Hui Maunawili-Kawainui in their efforts to acquire these important and rich agricultural, cultural, and historic lands; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Chairperson of the Honolulu City Council, Honolulu City Councilmember for the Third District, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, members of the Hawaii congressional delegation, Director of The Trust for Public Land's Hawaiian Islands Program, and Board members of Hui Maunawili-Kawainui.
Maunawili Valley, Oahu; DLNR; Department of Agriculture
