The state Department of Land and Natural Resources' new management plan for the Pololū Trailhead aims to perpetuate Native Hawaiian culture, preserve the ʻāina, and address the overwhelming number of visitors.
Pololū Valley, a wahi pana or notable site, lies in the district of North Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island. It is regarded as both a place of cultural significance to Native Hawaiians and a popular destination to view the northeastern coastline from the Pololū Trailhead lookout.
The DLNR has been engaging with the community and lineal descendants connected to Pololū to develop a plan to best manage the lookout, parking area, and trail.
Hawaiʻi Island Trails and Access Specialist Jackson Bauer is the program manager for DLNR’s Nā Ala Hele. He gave insight into the project management plan and the collaboration with the community in Pololū.
“Everything is kind of coming together. The last piece of the puzzle is the funding of course, and the budget bill of the Legislature is scheduled to appropriate some money so that we can actually do the parking improvements," said Bauer.
"We aren't expanding parking. People are parking on the road, so the idea is to eliminate all of that, keep that in a more open space since it's so close to the cliff edge and Pololū itself, to give some breathing room to that sacred space... So having a finite parking there would allow us to manage capacity through parking reservation, similar to what's on Oʻahu at Diamond Head."
The management plan also includes a reservation system for nonresidents, a heritage center and more.
“Because there are these mule stations, it provides an area that the community wanted as a heritage center, so that they can have displays of the history of the area and people can learn about Pololū and its historical significance, so that people aren't just going there to take a picture — it becomes a more meaningful experience,” he told HPR.
Bauer added that this project developed from a community-driven trail steward idea and from then on, solutions grew.
“We were able to fund this pilot program to do that… It really proved itself that having personal face-to-face engagement is so effective. When people visit a site, whether they are tourists or locals that aren't from that specific part of the island, they go there and they want to know what the appropriate behaviors are, what’s the history of the place. And the reciprocal side effect of that is that they behave appropriately. So it’s the Hawaiian concept of 'aloha ke kahi i ke kahi,''' he said.
"That reciprocal aloha by our stewards demonstrating their love for that space based on their personal experiences… By sharing those deep experiences, then the reciprocal behavior is that the visitors will also show that same respect and love for that site."
The draft environmental assessment from the DLNR is open for public comment until April 22.
