Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 9, 1 September 2016 — MONUMENT EXPANSION GREETED WITH ELATION [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MONUMENT EXPANSION GREETED WITH ELATION

ByTreenaShapiro President Obama's proclamation expanding the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument was both the culmination of a decade-long advocacy effort and the beginning of a new journey forward. "It's a great day, full of mana and spectacular enlightenment for the rest of Hawai'i," Office of Hawaiian Affairs Ka Pouhana/CEO Kamana'opono Crabbe said at an Aug. 26 press conference held by the Expand Papahānaumokuākea eoalihon. Expanding the monument to 582,578 square miles, more than four times its original size, reinforces the connection between the eight main Hawaiian islands and what are referred to as our "kūpuna islands." "We believe that it completes the reunification of Papahānaumokuākea with the current archipelago, from Hawai'i all the way up to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. It elevates the spiritual and cultural wellbeing of our people and our lāhui. We look forward to the ongoing preservation in terms of elevating Hawaiian voices, Hawaiian culture, Hawaiian stewardship and preserving the eontiguous seascape from Hawai'i all the way up to Papahānaumokuākea," Crabbe said. Sol Kaho'ohalahala, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and a member of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group, called the expansion a gift to nā keiki o Hawai'i - one that began with the kūpuna putting their knowledge and understanding about Papahānaumokuākea's manifestation into the creation chant Kumulipo.

"It describes the creation of all things and we want to be a part of that responsibility moving forward from a cultural perspective, knowing well that there are places that the Hawaiians described as kapu areas, there are refuges and there are areas

where creatures are created," he said. A leader in efforts to protect the area for 15 years, William Aila, Jr. thanked the thousands of people who advocated for the expansion by testifying, writing letters and signing petitions, as well as Gov. David Ige and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz whose recommendations were rellected in Obama's decision. As

for the president himself, Aila said, "This is a bold move, and it took a bold president - born and raised in Hawai'i - to address the serious issues of climate change, the dire state of our oceans and recognizing the cultural significance of the area

for Native Hawaiians." Coming a week before the International Union for the Conservation of Nature convenes its World Conservation Congress in Hawai'i, Aila suggested the proclamation could set the tone for the global gathering. "Papahānaumokuākea is the first and only nahonal marine monument where co-management by the two

federal agencies and the State of Hawai'i and, with the expansion . . . the addition of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, occurs in a non-siloed situation," he said. "This presents, I think, a challenge to everyone at the World Conservation Congress

to rethink about how we manage, rethink how we value indigenous knowledge, rethink what we ean do out of the box to solve today and tomorrow's problems." Richard Pyle, a Bishop Museum researcher whose family has spent nearly a century exploring the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, said, "The science behind the expansion

is fairly unambiguous. The more we leam on the research side, the more we realize how interconnected mueh broader areas of the oeean are to eaeh other. The connectivity is broad and expanding the monument will help protect the islands and the marine life that lives on the islands themselves, as well as the many and diverse organisms that live out on the deep seamounts and in the open oeean of the expanded area." A comprehensive study of Papahānaumokuākea's cultural and biological significance has revealed species 100 percent endemic to the area at depths up to 328 feet, as well as the world's oldest living organism - deep-water black coral estimated to be 4,265 years old. With the expansion, shipwrecks from the Battle of Midway such as the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier will also be in the protected area. Schatz, whose expansion proposal was adopted by the Expand Papahānaumokuākea coalition and sent to the president, said in a release that "Expanding Papahānaumokuākea makes a definitive statement about Hawai'i's and the United States' commitment to oeean conservation. By adopting my proposal to expand the monument, President Obama has created a safe zone that will replenish stocks of 'ahi, promote biodiversity and fight climate change, and he has given Native Hawaiians a greater voice in managing this precious resource." State Rep. Chris Lee, whose district includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, commended the expansion: "It's something I think we will look back on as the right thing to do at the right time and will hopefully leave a legacy here in our state for generations to eome." ■

"President Obama's decision to move forward, as bold as it is, is really a gift to the keiki o Hawai'i because this is an opportunity that's going to be far reaching and it's generational." - S0L KAHO'OHALAHALA

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Expand Papahōnaumokuākea coalition at the August 26, 2016 press conference. - Photo:Alice Silbanuz