Department of Land and Natural Resources

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR

SUZANNE D. CASE CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate News Release August 13, 2015

PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT ON DRAFT MASTER PLAN,
EIS FOR HA‘ENA STATE PARK 

LIHU‘E, KAUA‘I —  The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks will hold a public meeting next week on the Master Plan and EIS for Hâ‘ena State Park and will be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Hanalei Elementary School Cafeteria.  The address is 5-5415 Kûhio Highway, Hanalei, HI  96714.

The Division of State Parks and PBR Hawaii, its Consultant for the Hâ‘ena State Park Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has worked collaboratively with the community to develop and refine a Master Plan for the park.  

As part of the master planning process, a 32 member Master Plan Advisory Committee (MPAC) was established for the purpose of refining a community preferred plan, focusing on the cultural and historical significance of the area.  

The MPAC is comprised of Kupuna, Hâ‘ena ‘ohana, cultural practitioners, the Hui Maka‘ainana o Makana, and representatives from organizations such as the Hanalei Watershed Hui, Hanalei Hawaiian Civic Club, Hanalei-Hâ‘ena Community Association, Hanalei Roads Committee, Limahuli Garden Preserve, Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau, Kaua‘i Northshore Business Council, Princeville Community Association, Kayaks Kaua‘I, and government agencies such as OHA, County of Kaua‘i Planning Department and DOT, Highways Division.  

At the end of the road, the park is destination for more than 2,000 visitors a day during summer as it is also the gateway to the Nâpali Coast State Wilderness Park.  In 2007, it was the third most heavily visited park in the State Park system, resulting in parking and vehicle congestion affecting the significant natural and cultural resources that make it so desirable a place to visit.  

One of the recommendations proposed is to implement a daily visitor limit of 900.  This does not include cultural practitioners, special user groups such as halau, lo‘i work groups, nor hikers with permits to the Kalalau Trail and hunters with valid hunting permits.  

In the near term plan, for the public’s safety, an Interpretive Corridor will be built makai of the highway, connecting a welcome pavilion to Kç‘ç Beach, taking people out and away from a rockfall hazard area.  The corridor consists of an elevated boardwalk that will traverse the taro lo‘i being cultivated by members of the Hui Maka‘ainana o Makana.  The proposed Welcome Pavilion is a way to manage access to the park and to provide visitors with an orientation session that seeks to inform and educate them about the resources in the area.

The draft EIS is currently available for viewing on the Office of Environmental Quality Control’s website with a public comment deadline of September 8, 2015.  

Comments should be sent to Lauren Tanaka, Division of State Parks, 1151 Punchbowl St., Room 310, Honolulu, HI  96813 or by email to:  [email protected] or to  
Kimi Yuen, PBR Hawaii, 1001 Bishop St., Suite 650, Honolulu, HI  96813 with email: [email protected].  To receive a written response, please include your full name and mailing address if sending comments by email.

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Media Contact:
Deborah Ward
DLNR Public information specialist
Phone: (808) 5870320