THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

191

THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of hawaiian home lands to provide recommendations for the maintenance of south point access road for motor vehicles and pedestrian traffic.

 

 


     WHEREAS, South Point, Ka Lae, serves as a special wahi pana of cultural and spiritual significance for the people of Kaū and Hawaii Island that warrant its protection due to its iwi kūpuna, sacred sites, unique natural resources, and endangered species; and

 

     WHEREAS, seven hundred ten acres of Ka Lae are designated as a national historic landmark because it provides "the longest and most complete record of human occupation in the Hawaiian islands"; and

 

     WHEREAS, unregulated access at Ka Lae has compromised the integrity of its heritage sites and of coastal ecosystems, resulting in miles of deep, wide, and extremely severe erosion scars, ranging from several feet to over eight feet in depth; and

 

     WHEREAS, Ka Lae has been accessed freely by the public as a place of recreation despite the trespassing signage erected in the area; and

 

     WHEREAS, heavy use of recreational trucks, all-terrain vehicles, and motor bikes coupled with the site's exposure to the prevailing winds have caused sedimentation from soil erosion, thus desecrating sacred sites, such as Palahemo and Puu Alii, and has left the natural and cultural resources of Ka Lae in critical condition; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is a six-meter-wide asphalt single lane road surface corridor of Ka Lae that runs between the former Morse Field Barracks that is heavily used by individuals coming to hike or drive to Māhana Bay; and

 

     WHEREAS, many Kaū residents are frustrated with the lack of progress for the management of Ka Lae resources, and the disregard for the preservation of natural and cultural sites of Ka Lae so that the remaining unique ecosystems of the area can be preserved for future generations; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is requested to provide recommendations for proposed legislation for the maintenance of the unpaved corridor between the end of the South Point Access Road and the boat ramp at Kaulana Bay and Māhana Bay to the Southernmost Point in the United States; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the recommendations are requested to focus on protecting the natural and cultural resources along the coast and increasing public health and safety through the provision of a defined access road along the coast, as well as improving the access road for emergency service vehicles; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is requested to submit a joint report of their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Maintenance; Pathway; South Point Access Road; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands