Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land, Energy and Environment and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 139 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Land and Natural Resources to assess the impacts of visitors, such as hikers, fishermen, boaters, snorkelers, and others, on the significant resources of Ka`awaloa, and to examine the carrying capacity and levels of acceptable change.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from Malama Pono Kealakekua. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) submitted comments.

Your Committees find that in recent years, DLNR has been addressing the planning and management needs for the lands of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park and the waters of Kealakekua Bay. As a Marine Life Conservation District, management jurisdiction of the bay involves the Division of Aquatic Resources, as well as the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.

Your Committees further find that the Boating Division has drafted rules for Kealakekua Bay that establish the carrying capacity for boats in the bay as one means of avoiding irreversible damages to the resources and promoting an enjoyable, safe recreational experience. These draft rules are based on community input, and propose to manage boating activities in the bay through permits, and restrict the landings at Ka`awaloa. In addition, the Division of State Parks has developed a conceptual plan for the 181-acre park around the bay, including identification of a preferred visitation pattern and management strategies for the cultural resources at both Ka`awaloa and Napo`opo`o. However, the implementation of these management measures has been delayed by pending environmental and regulatory approvals.

Your Committees have heard DLNR's concerns regarding the costs of the proposed assessment of impacts from this increased visitation, as some portion of the assessment would require expertise and funding that are not currently available. Your Committees understand these concerns, but believe DLNR will be able to assess some of the impacts and make preliminary recommendations, based in part on the management planning already underway for the area.

Your Committees have amended this measure to add impacts of horseback tour operators and tour boat operators to the assessment, and to request input from individuals who use the area for recreation, who are interested in the management of the resources in question, who own property in the area, and who own businesses that affect the resources in question.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Energy and Environment and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 139, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 139, S.D. 1.