Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 12, 1 December 1985 — Anchialine Ponds [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Anchialine Ponds

By Moanikeala Akaka Trustee, Hawaii

As your Trustee from the Island of Hawaii, I feel it necessary for you to know about the proposed destruction of 70 percent of the 200 anehialine ponds that will be destroyed by the Hemmeter Resort development at Waikoloa. It is our feeling the destruction of these unique Donds violates the National

Environmental Policy Act. It is eommon knowledge that nowhere else in the United States are there ponds such as these — an unusual, precious and limited resource. This is very special 'aina. A hotel ean be built anywhere, but onee disturbed these irreplaceable, unique ponds are gone forever. Our native traditional philosophy is based on Aloha aina (to love the land), to live in balance with, to take care of the land. Yet, there is this attempt by the proposed developer to disturb and destroy this special ecosystem of ponds. The developers, Trans Continental Company Developers/AT PAC Land Company, in 1974 and again in 1984, have already destroyed some of these ponds without having taken out proper permits to disturb and bul!doze that area whieh shows they and Christopher Hemmeter have callous disregard for our lands' protection by ignoring the permit process. As for the need for another hotel on the Kona-Kohala coastline, there is now a mad rush to develop more resort areas in North Kona-South Kohala, despite a 30-40 percent occupancy rate at existing hotels along that coastline. Why build more hotels if people are now being laid-off or hours cut because of low occupancy? Fill hotels already built. Why rush blindly to develop the most pristine coastline of these islands? Because of the gloomy eeonomie situation, there is more than a possibility that this proposed hotel by Hemmeter at Waikoloa; Hapuna by United Airlines; and Mahukona by ex-Senator Hiram L. Fong Sr. and friends may end up being empty concrete "white elephants," destroying as mentioned the most pristine coastline in this state, still paradise compared to Honolulu. I would like to add that there is also mueh eoneem about the proposed UAL resort development for Hapuna Beach. We have just larned there has been no Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed project, yet the impact will be large. The developers have admitted that the beach has a carrying capacity of 2,000 people. They have also stated that by 1995, they expect to have 1,750 in population residing in their resort complex. Permits have also been granted within a radius of six miles from Hapuna Beach for an increase of 12,000 resort and condominium population. Judging by these numbers and knowing they will be attracted to Hapuna, as are our residents island-wide, the over population of this beach ean possibly cause tensions between locals and the affluent newcomers of these resort complexes. Some have testified before the Hawaii County Planning Commission that the overcrowding could cause race riots. Overcrowding on our only open white sand beach will strangle the "aloha spirit". There must be an EIS for Hapuna as the assessment does not show impact on this beach and abutting state park. As it was, Albert Lono Lyman, County planning director, thought there had already been an E1S for Hapuna Beach. He then learned he had been confused by an EIS for another resort complex down the road. This shows that in the blind rush to develop this coastline, the County is confused as to whieh developer already has done an EIS. There is definitely great impact to the state park and against NEPA. In fact, a suit was recently filed against Mr. Lyman since he is not requestingan EIS, although he now knows there is none. Dante Carpenter, our Hawaiian mayor, should malama ka 'aina and eall for that EIS. Build on the lava and follow Pele's plan for development! Ua mau ke ea o ka'aina in ka pono (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness).