Hawaiʻi’s U.S. House delegation jointly introduced two measures to create National Heritage Areas (NHA) in the State of Hawaiʻi.
Congressman Kaialiʻi Kahele and Congressman Ed Case are calling for a feasibility study to determine whether the South Kona coastline should be designated as a National Heritage Area. The Hawaiʻi legislators are reintroducing the measure from the just-concluded 116th Congress for a similar designation for Kaʻena Point on Oʻahu.
Since the designation of the nation’s first National Heritage Area in 1984, there are now 55 NHAs nationally but none in the state of Hawaiʻi.
Kahele’s measure focuses on the coastal area between Ka Lae and Honomalino Bay, an area that hosts some of the richest and most well-preserved cultural aspects of Hawaiʻi’s history along with invaluable and unique environmental and natural resources.
“The South Kona coastline has some of the most unique historical, cultural, and archaeological features on the planet,” said Kahele in a press release.“
Representative Case’s measure focuses on the undeveloped area of Kaʻena Point on the west end of Oʻahu from Makua to Waialua. It is the site of the last intact sand dune ecosystem in Hawaiʻi and is said to be named after a sibling of the Hawaiian goddess Pele. Kaʻena Point also includes a leina ka ‘uhane, an important recognized cultural site that, according to some Hawaiian traditions, is where the souls of the deceased leapt into the next plane of existence. Ka‘ena is also home to various protected species including laysan albatrosses, wedge-tailed shearwaters, monk seals and fragile native plants.
NHA’s offer federal assistance of joint efforts to manage National Heritage Areas for specific protections and uses appropriate to each. Kahele and Case emphasized that any studies for South Kona and Kaʻena Point would fully involve all engaged communities in charting the overall plan for protection and use of these unique parts of the rich heritage of our country.
