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DLNR seeks comments on management actions for Kealakekua stewardship area

MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is seeking public comment on management actions it proposes to implement in the Kealakekua Stewardship Area as early as this summer. The plan represents a unified management approach to protecting the historical and cultural integrity of Kealakekua Bay and surrounding areas, as well as the fragile natural resources.

The Kealakekua plan is one of four pilot stewardship management plans created by DLNR teams comprised of staff from the divisions of State Parks, Boating and Ocean Recreation, Aquatic Resources, Conservation and Resources Enforcement, Forestry and Wildlife, Historic Preservation and Land.

Three other pilot stewardship management plans are being developed — with community input — for Haena State Park, Kauai, Kaena Point State Park, Oahu, and Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, Maui. Each of these areas faces challenges and stresses due to high use and each use represents a different type of environment in which to apply more effective resource management strategies.

The Kealakekua management actions take into account DLNR’s role in managing the Keopuka, Kaawaloa, Kealakekua, Keei and Honaunau watersheds encompassing the coastal stretch from Keawekaheka Bay on the north to just south of Honaunau Bay and extending mauka to the summit of Mauna Loa (See map below).

Most of the proposed new management actions can be implemented immediately and concern kayaking, other vessel uses, commercial uses, vending and access to Kaawaloa Flat. Others will be refined through a public process of administrative rule changes and completion of the Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park Master Plan.

“The management actions are based on previous public input and comment to the department, and represent a unique opportunity to establish reasonable, predictable and regulated levels of use that prioritize resource protection,” Dr. Bill Walsh, lead for the Kealakekua stewardship team, said.

DLNR aims to balance recreational and commercial uses to promote both resource conservation and the social well-being of surrounding communities. This approach is consistent with the constitutional mandate of DLNR, “…to protect and conserve natural resources of the State of Hawai‘i for the benefit of present and future generations.”

The public is invited to view the proposed Kealakekua Stewardship Area management actions online at http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/ksa. Comments may be made directly to DLNR via email (KealakekuaPlan@yahoo.com) or by mail to: Department of Land and Natural Resources, 74-380 B Kealakehe Parkway, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740; or by fax to (808) 327-6229. Public comments will be accepted through March 31.

The DLNR Kealakekua Stewardship team will publish all comments online and share the results in a public meeting in early summer, after they have finished analyzing the public input.

Kealakekua Stewardship Management Area

Kealakekua Stewardship Management Area

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