William Aila served as the chair of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources from 2010 to 2014. He said back then, it was his responsibility to find a way to balance everybody's needs.
He had also worked with Mālama Mākua in its early fight against the Army to halt bombing practices at Mākua Valley on Oʻahu. Now he represents Hui Mālama o Mākua, a group dedicated to protecting Mākua Valley’s cultural and spiritual resources.
Aila spoke to The Conversation about the military’s state land lease at Mākua set to expire in 2029.
Interview highlights
On the past community work to preserve Mākua Valley
WILLIAM AILA: The Army actually had the land prior to that, and their lease was expired in 1964 and they were doing the very same thing that this process was, was to apply for a new lease, and unfortunately, they were not able to stop that effort, and a new lease was issued again for $1 for the entire 65-year lease. So I became involved. Some other folks became involved and created Mālama Mākua. Another group created Hui Mālama Mākua, which is the sort of protectors of the cultural resources and the spiritual resources of Mākua. And then Mālama Mākua took the battle to the courts and took the legal side, and were very successful in stopping training for close to 28 years now. Through their court action, the Army really proved that they didn't need to train in Mākua Valley, and I think that played a big part in this decision to give the state a portion of it back. Now their only justification for keeping the remaining two-thirds of the upper valley is that they need to conduct UAV training and helicopter training. And that is not true. They can continue those operations on the lands that, the federal lands that they continue to maintain.
On wanting the military to return the whole valley
AILA: The ask and the desire for the Waiʻanae community to have the entire valley back to be rehabilitated, I guess, is the best way to say it, both spiritually, culturally and physically, is the preferred option for the community. We'd like the whole valley back, and we'd like the Army to come up with an endowment so that we can continue the cleanup effort on a more long-term basis and the restoration of native plants and endangered species on a more long-term basis. That's the real plan that the community wants. And right now, again, the Army's only justification for maintaining, or trying to retain, the top two-thirds is for helicopter training and these drone flight trainings, which they can do on the other lands that they already have.
On whether he was surprised that the Army indicated it is willing to let the state land lease expire in 2029
AILA: It did not surprise me. It surprised a lot of other folks, because I know that we had applied pressure on the Army, you know, since the late 1980s that I've been involved, and Mālama Mākua and Hui Mālama have been pushing our efforts. So the state portion doesn't come as a surprise to me, because we also put pressure on the state not to renew the leases for the state lands. The Army just proved that they have wants more than they have needs. And so the needs for Mākua Valley, after not training there for almost 28-plus years, showed that they really didn't need it, because they went off and fought two wars and many other conflicts in the world, and they did not need Mākua Valley. So it doesn't come as a surprise, for me. What comes as a prize for me is their desire, their want, not need, their want to hold on the top two-thirds of the valley. That's surprising to me, because, as we know, they have plenty of other places that they can train, the helicopters and the UAVs on.
This interview aired on The Conversation on May 20, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this interview for the web.
