WHEREAS, Samuel Mills Damon was a very successful businessman in Hawaii and created a trust to manage his assets after his death in 1924; and

WHEREAS, Samuel Mills Damon's trust included many real estate holdings such as the popular 23-acre community park and tourist attraction known as Moanalua Gardens, and the pristine 3,700-acre Kamananui Valley; and

WHEREAS, during his life and after his death, Samuel Mills Damon permitted Moanalua Gardens to be used for public use and enjoyment, allowing Moanalua Gardens to remain open to the public for over one hundred years; and

WHEREAS, following Samuel Mills Damon's death, Kamananui Valley was opened to the public for recreational and educational use; and

WHEREAS, as Hawaii becomes more urbanized, and open spaces and park areas become less available, many of Hawaii's families and visitors have visited Moanalua Gardens and Kamananui Valley to delight in the attractions' many natural beauties, including wildlife, plants, and cultural artifacts; and

WHEREAS, under the terms of Samuel Mills Damon's will, Damon's trust is set to terminate, and all of the assets of the trust, including Moanalua Gardens and Kamananui Valley, must be liquidated; and

WHEREAS, the State, The Trust for Public Lands, and the Nature Conservancy are working together to purchase and manage Kamananui Valley for $5,500,000.

WHEREAS, the Moanalua Gardens Foundation was established as a nonprofit organization in 1970 by the granddaughters of Samuel Mills Damon, Frances "Patches" Damon Holt and Harriet "Haku" Damon Baldwin, to protect Moanalua Gardens and Kamananui Valley from the construction of the H-3 highway and preserve the park's and valley's important historical and cultural sites; and

WHEREAS, for over thirty-five years, the Moanalua Gardens Foundation has continued the legacy of Samuel Mills Damon and his granddaughters to protect and preserve Moanalua Gardens and Kamananui Valley; and

WHEREAS, the Moanalua Gardens Foundation has given to the community in other ways, including providing environmental education in Hawaii by teaching its award-winning Partners in Education program to 4,000 public school children each year and presenting the annual Prince Lot Hula Festival for twenty-nine years at the Moanalua Gardens, which is the largest non-competitive hula festival in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the Moanalua Gardens Foundation has stated its sincere interest in purchasing Moanalua Gardens in partnership with other organizations, to preserve it in perpetuity for the people of Hawaii and to operate and maintain Moanalua Gardens as a community resource for public benefit; and

WHEREAS, Moanalua Gardens Foundation has the knowledge, experience, expertise, and commitment to operate and maintain Moanalua Gardens; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is urged to work with the Samuel Mills Damon Estate Trustees, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Moanalua Gardens Foundation, the Trust for Public Lands, and the Nature Conservancy to purchase Moanalua Gardens for the purpose of protecting and preserving one of Hawaii's most treasured cultural and historical areas for the people of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson and members of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the President of Moanalua Gardens Foundation, the Trust for Public Lands, and the Nature Conservancy.

Report Title:

Urging the Department of Land and Natural Resources work with the Samuel Mills Damon Estate Trustees, Moanalua Gardens Foundation, the Trust for Public Lands, The Nature Conservancy, and Office of Hawaiian Affairs, to purchase Moanalua Gardens.