Report Title:

New National Park on Maui

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, approximately six miles of land and shoreline along Maui's southeastern coast from Keone'o'io to Kanaloa Point is rich in archaeological, cultural, historical, and natural resources; and

WHEREAS, it has been noted that settlements along this coastline date to as early as A.D. 1100; and

WHEREAS, this area includes numerous archaeological and cultural features such as trails and sites for former houses, heiau, fishing shrines, platforms, enclosures, shelters, walls, graves, and canoe hale; and

WHEREAS, on May 29, 1786, French explorer Admiral Jean Francois Galaup, Compte de la Perouse, the first European to set foot on Maui, landed at this area; and

WHEREAS, although this area is comprised of relatively unweathered lava, there are pockets of unique native plants and animals, some of which are rare or endangered species such as the 'akoko shrubland, plants such as the pololei (Ophioglossum concinum) and 'ihi (Portulaca vilosa), pond vegetation such as the makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus), and other fragile eco-life such as Blackburn's sphinx moth (Manduca blacburni); and

WHEREAS, hundreds of tourists visit this area each day, providing a unique opportunity for them to view, learn, and appreciate this important area; and

WHEREAS, enforcement is seriously needed in this area as it is currently unprotected from operators of four-wheel-drive vehicles who are unknowingly destroying valuable resources at this site due to lack of supervision, signage, and cultural interpretation materials; and

WHEREAS, the National Park Service has been the primary Federal agency charged with preserving and providing for public enjoyment of America's most significant natural and cultural properties since 1872; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature hereby urges the Federal government to recognize the importance of the Keone'o'io to Kanaloa Point area by designating it as a National Park; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to U.S. Representative Patsy Mink, U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, and the Honorable Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior.