Report Title:

Supporting the acquisition of Kahuku Ranch, for expansion of the Hawaii Volcanoes national park by the United States National Park Service.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

57

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

supporting the acquisition of Kahuku Ranch BY THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE for expansion of THE HAWAII Volcanoes national park.

 

 

WHEREAS, the Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island consisting of 217,000 acres is one of only two national parks in this State; and

WHEREAS, the Volcanoes National Park attracts about 1,500,000 visitors each year who enjoy the natural beauty of the lava fields, native forests, and ocean cliffs; and

WHEREAS, a large parcel of land lying to the south and west of the Volcanoes National Park known as Kahuku Ranch consisting of 117,000 acres has come up for sale; and

WHEREAS, the Kahuku Ranch is a piece of real estate that contains outstanding geological, biological, cultural, scenic, and recreational value; and

WHEREAS, the National Park Service since 1945 has recognized that the property contained nationally significant resources and in fact, in its 1975 Master Plan, the National Park service identified the property as a "potential addition to improve the geological, ecological, and scenic integrity of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park"; and

WHEREAS, this sale offers an opportunity rarely imagined because it gives the National Park Service an excellent chance to expand and protect native plants and archaeological sites from destruction; and

WHEREAS, this opportunity can benefit current and future generations of residents and tourists, because expansion of the Volcanoes National Park will preserve more open space, add to the natural environment, protect affected native species, and preserve cultural and historical sites; and

WHEREAS, the Volcanoes National Park has been soliciting comments from the public regarding possible purchase of Kahuku Ranch and addressing the concerns of access for hunters, cultural practices, educational purposes, jobs, and small business opportunities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature supports the acquisition of Kahuku Ranch by the United States National Park Service for expansion of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; the Speaker of the United House of Representatives; the President of the United States Senate; and to the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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