Over 956 acres of land on Oʻahu spanning from the Nuʻuanu Pali lookout to the H-3 freeway are now in the state’s hands for conservation and stewardship.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Trust for Public Land partnered to buy the area from its previous private owners for nearly $2.6 million. The land is now managed by the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, which said it will work with local nonprofits and the Kāneʻohe community to continue restoration.
Aka Wedemeyer, the Sustainable Hawaiʻi project manager at TPL, noted that the area is part of the watershed that provides 60% of Oʻahu’s drinking water.
“Everyone realized it's so important in terms of the watershed, the native habitat, there's numerous perennial streams through there plus it’s known, I think, the world over for its scenic values and the numerous cultural sites that are now being protected and conserved,” Wedemeyer said. “I think everyone, at some point, rolled up their sleeves and said, ‘let's get this done.’”
Marigold Zoll, the Oʻahu branch manager of Forestry & Wildlife at DLNR, echoed the importance of this acquisition, noting that DLNR will be working to restore cultural sites back to their original intended use, including the loʻi patch, heiau, and ancient trails.
“By engaging with community stewards, we hope to protect them in the best way possible, and maybe provide access to them that possibly wasn't available before on private land,” Zoll said.
She noted this was a large collaboration between DLNR, TPL, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Legacy Program, and the Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program.
Zoll added that DLNR hopes to work with its new neighbors, Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens and the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu at Ko‘olau, to develop plans for management and public use as many popular trailheads are on their properties.
“As outdoor recreation has gained popularity, there's been a lot of impacts to neighboring communities that we want to avoid, so we really want to be proactive and thoughtful in the way we engage with the public to make sure we’re not creating a nuisance or something that will damage cultural resources,” Zoll said.
She said the next step is to assess the area for types of vegetation, access points, and what protected or endangered species are on the property to see what opportunities there could be for both public use and restoration efforts.
