Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 9, 1 September 1990 — Kahoʻolawe visit assesses planting projects [ARTICLE]

Kahoʻolawe visit assesses planting projects

By Ed Miehelman Public Information Officer For those of us who had never set foot on Kaho'olawe, it was an unforgettable experience. We had seen pictures of the island and heard the stories of those who had made a pilgrimage to the island and returned somehow changed and enriched. Now we understood why. This is an H^waiian island that is in many ways unchanged after hundreds of years despite natural erosion, the hordes of voracious goats, the bombing and shelling. Many of the ancient shrines and petroglyphs are undisturbed. Partially worked adzes and pieces of she!l implements remain on the hard-packed red dirt where Hawaiian artisans discarded them, perhaps hundreds of years ago. Two trustees, the OHA administrator and deputy administrator and seven staff members made the 45 minute trip from Ford Island to Kaho'olawe aboard a Vietnam era H-53 "Sea Horse" helicopter. The visit was designed to assess the progressof various planting and regeneration projects and to provide an opportunity for first time visitors to experience Kaho'olawe. The visit was initiated by OHA's External Affairs Committee. The initial impression of almost complete desolation and barrenness soon gave wav to wonder and admiration, as our host and guide Navy Captain "Mitt" Mittendorff pointed out native plants and trees whieh have survived against all odds and are gaining a foothold in the red desert. The bone-jolting ride across the island in an open truck revealed native plants such as hinahina (Kaho'olawe's official "flower"), 'aki'aki and 'akulikuli, in addition to tamarisk trees and otherintroduced species like Australian saltbush. Later, as we traversed the impact area of military bombs the

plantings gave way to the litter of war...empty shells, mortar casings and an abandoned jeep. At one point, our crew fell silent in wonderment and admiration as a large pueo (Hawaiian owl) glided !azily across the road. According to Capt. Mittendorff, a family of five or six pueo has a nest nearby. OHA trustee Louis Hao, chairman of the Committee on External Affairs, had never been to Kaho'olawe. He credited both the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana and the Navy for their efforts in maintaining the island. Hao praised Capt. Mittendorff, the present commanding officer of Kaho'olawe. Mittendorff will leave Hawai'i in late September for duty with the Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia. Hao called Mittendorff "extremely knowledgeable" about the island and thanked him for his sensitivity to Hawaiian concerns even though his military role conflicts in many ways with the position of OHA and other civilian groups. Hao said, "1 eame away from the visit with renewed determination to work toward the eliminahon of all military activity on Kaho'olawe and its eventual return to the Hawaiian people. Kaho'olawe is truly an Hawaiian island whieh must be preserved for future generations." Trustee Clarence Ching said, "It was a lot greener today than the last time I was on the island, about nine years ago. I hope the planting program continues to go well." Ching brought with him a small uhiuhi tree as a ho'okupu to the island on behalf of OHA. Ching and Mittendorff planted the tree at the Navy eamp at Smuggler Cove (Honukanaenae Bay) on the island's west end and gave it an initial watering in hopes that it will survive and flourish. Ching said Kaho'olawe has special meaning for him. "lt's Hawaiian land not now in our hands and it ought to be," Ching said. OHA administrator Richard Paglinawan first saw Kaho'olawe in 1970 as a member of the

Historic Places Review Board. Later, Kaho'olawe became the only island on the Nahonal Register of Historic Places. Paglinawan says he's delighted to see that many of the plantings have taken hold and that the policy now is to introduce only native plants to the island. Paglinawan says there is evidence that at one time a considerable number of trees and foliage existed, but that great fires swept across the island destroying everything. Although it is not believed that Kaho'olawe had permanent residents, Paglinawan says Hawaiians did stay there for long periods to fish and manufacture adzes. Because of this, Kaho'olawe has considerable archeological significance and many of the important sites are still intact. Capt. Mittendorff is sincerely dedicated to the preservation of Kaho'olawe, however, he is after all boss of the island and the Navy's official representative. How does he answer demands to stop military activity and return the island to the Hawaiian people? He said, "I have a lot of empathy for the Hawaiian position, having studied a little bit of the history," Mittendorff said. "Obviously it's a contentious issue. We do need a plaee to train and I don't think it's the Navy's plaee to determine where that should be. We go where we're given to go and, unfortunately, right now it's Kaho'olawe. As my boss used to say, we're not masochistic; if there was another plaee to go where we could get the training done, we would go in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, and we have !ooked, we just can't find those other places." Despite the mi!itary's position, support for an end to the bombing continues to grow. Until that happens, we ean only say mahalo to the many individuals and groups both civilian and military who have devoted countless hours in an effort to restore the 'aina and preserve this important link to Hawaii's past.