Aloha mai kākou,
Mahalo for your ongoing support and interest in the efforts to protect and preserve 1,084 acres of Maunawili Valley. After years of collaborative engagement with members of the community, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and Trust for Public Land (TPL) have entered into an agreement in which TPL will purchase the land for conservation and agriculture. TPL will transfer the conservation and forest lands to the state and the agricultural lands to Kailua-based nonprofit organizations that will protect and steward the ‘āina, in partnership with the Kailua/Maunawili community, for future generations.
Once the agreement comes to fruition, these acres of Maunawili Valley will be under the stewardship of:
The state of Hawai‘i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, which will become the owner and steward of Maunawili Forest and Keko‘owai (909 acres).
Kauluakalana, which will become the owner and steward of Makali‘i (59 acres).
Ho‘okua‘āina, which will become the owner and steward of Palawai (116 acres).
The City and County of Honolulu and Hawai‘i Land Trust, a nonprofit that aims to protect lands that sustain Hawaiʻi, plan to jointly hold permanent conservation easements over Palawai and Makali‘i, which means the land will be protected in perpetuity. The Royal Hawaiian Golf Course — part of the lands that will be transferred to the state — will continue to operate under its established lease.
This agreement is in part the result of nearly a decade of dedicated effort by Hui Maunawili-Kawainui (the Hui) to ensure Maunawili Valley can resume its vital traditional role in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua as a source of free-flowing fresh water and a place of abundant agriculture and rich cultural resources. The Hui is working together with key partners and community members with long-standing ties to the land toward intentional stewardship of this important place.
The goal is to return these lands to community stewardship so they can be revitalized ʻāina momona (fertile, abundant land) to support food and water security, native forest restoration, stream and spring health, habitat for endangered water birds, restoration of cultural sites, ʻāina-based education, kalo farming, agroforestry, and pono management of trails for cultural and educational enrichment.
While this process is underway, our nonprofit and government partners have requested that the structures on the property remain in place as they assess what they need for stewardship, educational and agricultural purposes, based on the needs of the ‘āina and in alignment with their respective missions. In the interim, the nonprofits and state agencies may begin stewardship activities as early as this month, preparing the land for ecological, cultural, educational and agricultural use.
To better align property boundaries with the nonprofits’ long-term plans — and for TPL, the state and the community organizations to use the public funds they have raised for the purchase — the boundaries of the land’s six current parcels must be redefined. Therefore, with the input and support of TPL, the state and the community organizations, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is submitting a consolidation and resubdivision application to the city and county Department of Planning and Permitting to realign the boundaries of existing parcels for conservation purposes. This process does not involve any changes to current zoning.
If you would like to learn more about Hoʻokuaʻāina and Kauluakalana’s community work, please join us at one of the regular community workdays:
Hoʻokuaʻāina: Every Saturday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Kauluakalana: Every second Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Please register in advance here.
It is an honor and privilege to share this kuleana together, and we look forward to working together with the community as a whole to care for this ‘āina for generations to come.
Mahalo,
Trust for Public Land | www.tpl.org/hawaii
Hawai‘i Land Trust | www.hilt.org
State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife | www.dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw
Kauluakalana | www.kauluakalana.org
Ho‘okua‘āina | www.hookuaaina.org
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation | www.hjweinbergfoundation.org