The former Waikōloa Maneuver Area, or WMA, is a military training area that once occupied 100,000 acres on the Big Island.
It stretched from the Puʻukapu area in Waimea to Lālāmilo and down to Kawaihae and Puakō along the Kohala Coast.
In 1943, the Navy started training troops being sent to World War II on the land, which was owned by Parker Ranch at the time.
The land was eventually returned to the ranch, but the problem of unexploded ordnance remains in some areas.
On Saturday, Aug. 12, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be holding a public meeting at Waimea Elementary school at 2 p.m.
The Army is seeking input on an area nearly ready to be declared free of hazards.
More information about the meeting can be found here.
This interview aired on The Conversation on August 11, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
