Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 11, 1 November 2010 — Preserving Molokaʻiʻs Pāpōhaku dunes [ARTICLE]

Preserving Molokaʻiʻs Pāpōhaku dunes

Past and current land uses - from sand mining to illegal development - had degraded one of the last almost intact sand dune systems in Hawai'i. Pāpōhaku dunes create a beautiful 2-mile-long, 100-foot wide heaeh on West Moloka'i that holds Native Hawaiian burials, acts as a barrier to coastal hazards and is part of loeal subsistence and cultural practices. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, whieh has regulatory authority over the dunes, wrote to OHA, expressing eoneem about the long-tenn natural and cultural protection of the dunes, whieh front a wealthy subdivision. OHA welcomed the partnership opportunity, funding and coordinating the Pāpōhaku Dunes Cultural and Natural Resource Preservation Plan, whieh was completed in 2005. OHA wanted to set a statewide standard for future management plans, assuring that thorough studies were conducted and that the loeal conununity was fully engaged in the creation of Best Management Practices for this special plaee. OHA created a real-life opportunity for a graduate class at the University of Hawai'i Department of Urban and Regional Planning to conduct oral interviews with Native Hawaiian practitioners, eollahorate with state and loeal govemment, teach and involve high school students, and consult the homeowners association of the subdivision behind the dunes. Ultimately, preservation of the dunes requires the support of those homeowners who now know that the dunes are a barrier that protects their properties from the elements, and have learned the value of the cultural, historic and natural integrity of the area. The high-energy heaeh is a dynamic system constantly shapeshifting, moving and changing with weather pattems. Removing the dunes for any reason would increase the risk of erosion, flooding and wave inundation. OHA hired several professional consultants: an archaeologist, coastal geologist, erosion specialist, drainage expert, botanist and GIS cartographer. "We wanted to provide decision-makers with a solid foundation for our suggested best management practices for these irreplaceable resources," said OHA's Heidi Guth. Every homeowner in the Pāpōhaku subdivision, Moloka'i school, library and planning commission member received a copy of the plan, whieh teaches everyone their stewardship responsibilities for the dunes, while recognizing the interests of all stakeholders. The plan assessed the enviromnental system of the dunes, the eultural significance they have in Moloka'i life and history, the challenges the dunes face, and made recommendations for the homeowners association, Moloka'i Planning Commission, Maui County and DLNR to help protect and preserve this resource for the future. As part of a continuing partnership, OHA, DLNR's Conservation and Coastal Lands Office and the University of Hawai'i conducted several informational conununity workshops about the dunes and how and why eaeh person ean help preserve them, wrote letters to the homeowners association, and testified at Moloka'i Planning Conunission meetings. Currently, the Conservation and Coastal Lands Office has been approved to begin the rule-making process of changing the dunes' Conservation subzone to a more protective zone that will require some of the plan's best management practices to be implemented. — Francine Murray ■