Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 5, 1 May 2005 — Back to Nature [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

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Under the Audubon Society's environmental management, Waimea Valley is slowly regaining its natural splendor

By Derek Ferrar |t's been neaily two years since the National Audubon Society took over management of Waimea Valley, and though it's been a daunting task to say the least, the valley is slowly beginning to show the benefits of the intemational environmental group's efforts to nurture the site's stunning natural and cultural resources, and to provide quality educational programs for the public. "I think it's fair to say that we'ie finally over the hump now," says the center's director, Diana King. "There's more of

a public awaieness that the valley is no longer being used simply as a tourist attraction, but rather as an important euhuial and natural re source for eveiybody." Gone are the gimmicky trams, ATV trails and cliff-diving shows of the valley's

previous incamation as a tourist "adventure paik." In their plaee, 'alae'ula, endangered Hawaiian moorhens, swim in ponds fringed with native plants. The valley's 30 botanical collections - containing more than 5,000 species from aiound the Pacific and the globe, many of

them endangered or exhemely rare - aie onee again in good health, after suffering severely from laek of funds under the valley 's previous commercial management. And the long-neglected aichaeological sites in the valley - whieh for many centuries was a key religious center ruled by kahuna nui (high priests) - have undergone a euhuial assessment to help detennine

what preservation measures might be appropriate. Even the pumps that fonnerly kept the valley's famous (and cash-generating) waterfall flowing during diy times have been removed, retuming Kamananui Stream's flow to the will of nature. Programs geared toward residents An average of about 500 to 700 people a day, most of them tourists, still make the 3/4-mile trekbackto the falls. But instead of the big loin operations that used to roll through, King says, visitors now tend more toward smaller groups and independent havelers who aie interested in experiencing the valley for what it

is, rather than as a packaged fantasy. While Waimea continues to rely on visitor admission fees to pay for the bulk of operations, most of the center's programs are now geared toward loeal island residents. "Our focus is on programs for loeal neonle." Kina savs.

"and we believe that what interests locals ean interest visitors, too." Incentives to encourage residents to rediscover the valley include affordable kama'āina entiy rates ($5 for a day pass, and $3 for keiki and kūpuna), monthly family events, school programs, lectures and

workshops, and a summer day eamp. One measure of loeal support is the laige number of volunteers who have eome forwaid to help out in all of the center's operations. King says that around 300 volunteers contributed a total of 8,000 hours of work in the center's first year, and that the figure will probably top 10,000 hours in the second year. A range of community groups, including hālau hula and Hawaiian culture-based substance abuse programs, have adopted gardens or otherwise incorporated volunteer work at the center into their programs. The volunteers have been indispensable, King says, because the center's annual budget of aiound $2 million ean only provide for a "skeletal" crew to maintain the 1,875acre paik. "The defened maintenance issues are enoimous," King says. Cultural assessment due soon One big development for the center will be the release soon of the euhuial and archaeological assessment of the valley conducted by Archaeology Consultants of the Pacific. Paid for with funds from a $500,000 grant from OHA, the study incoiporates information from oral histories, Bishop Museum smvey records and the mana'o of foimer paik historian Rudy Mitchell. Money from the OHA grant will also be used to fund a new archaeology position at the center. Part of the new job will be to develop pi'cscrvalion and restoration plans for the sites, as well as appropriate hands-on archaeology programs for the public, such as clearing brush, making maps and gathering further information on the sites. Another big change is that King herself will be leaving at the end of June to spend more time with her two young sons, after four years of

putting her heait and soul into the Waimea center. During her tenure at the valley, King has gracefully dealt with innumerable crises and hurdles. Probably the best known was the outciy that occuned last year after the valley's conservation manager killed several peacocks, whose aggressive behavior ean sometimes be a threat to the valley's visitors. In retrospect, King says, the painful conhoversy was an important reminder that "a site like this really belongs to the public. While you ean never please eveiybody, as a manager you have to at least take theh point of view into account." Condemnation case lingers By l'ar the biggest difficulty still facing the center is the unresolved lawsuit over the City and County of Honolulu's acquisition of the property by condemnation. In 2001, the city acquired Waimea after the park's previous ownei', New York l'inaneiei Christian Wolffer, placed it in bankiuptcy. Then in 2003, the city awarded a $l-per-year management conhact to Audubon, whieh has a network of nature centers aiound the counhy, although Waimea is by far the biggest. Wolffer and the city, however, have still not agreed on a fair piiee for the condemnation, and the process drags on, with a court hial scheduled to begin in the fall if the matter cannot be resolved eailiei' through mediation. Pending the outcome of the case, the Audubon center remains on a longteim lease with the city, revocable on 30-days nohee, making it exhemely difficult to attract funding for longrange needs. "The condemnation case remains a problem for us," King admits, "but we'ie optimistic that resolution will eome this yeai', and the property will be secure for conservation and leaming." As King wraps up her work at the valley, she says that no matter who takes her plaee, she is confident that the site is in good hands with the center's staff and the three community steering committees that recommend botanical, euhuial and consci'valion policies. "This whole valley is such a community effort, involving so many people with an incredible amount of expertise," King says with obvious pride and satisfaction. "It really does take a village to restore a valley."

Lend a hand The Waimea Valley Audubon Center is always on the lookout for qualified cultural staff and volunteers. For information, eall the center at 638-9081.

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Waimea Valley's natural beauty and deep cultural history are onee again retuming to the fore, after years of neglect under the valley's former commercial manamgent. Even the valley's famed waterfall is more natural, now that the pumps that onee guaranteed itS flOW have been Shut Off . photo: Courtesy of Scott Foster and Associates

A reconstruction of a hale 'aina, or women's eating house, at the historic kauhale (village) site in Waimea. Photo: Dorfik Fffrrnr