The weekend’s monthly community day at Mākua Valley took on new meaning as the military declared it had no plans for more live-fire training, now or in the future.
Members of the group Mālama Mākua, who have pushed back against the use of the area, celebrated the news.
The group gathered Friday in response to a court filing last week by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. The military officials affirmed that the military will permanently end live-fire training exercises at its Mākua Military Reservation.
The drills were halted in 2004.
"It's a step in the cleanup and return of this valley, which the Army promised to do when they occupied it in full in 1942 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the declaration of martial law and the occupation of lands," said Vince Kanai Dodge of Mālama Mākua.
"We look forward to the evolution of military thinking — that training to kill is justified. We acknowledge that such training can never contribute to peaceful outcomes. Not in the valley, in Hawaiʻi or in the world," he said.
Mālama Mākua is hailing the decision as a step forward. Members spoke of the impact this decision has on their efforts to protect native species and on the continued cleanup of the valley.
"There's over 40 endangered species, which incorporates and includes the critical habitat for them. So over the years, the fires, the training, and during that time, 10-year period, there were 250 fires in the valley. So the military had no fire plan," said Sparky Rodrigues of Mālama Mākua.
He explained how the community initially sought help from the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, which zeroed in on the threat to native species in the valley including the lowly native snails — the kāhuli.
Next year marks two decades since the last live-fire training took place in the valley. Rodrigues said Mālama Mākua will work to ensure the cleanup continues.
He said he looks forward to the day he hears the song of the kāhuli, as the saying goes, "When the forest is healthy, the kāhuli will sing."
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 4, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
