National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Pacific West Region, Honolulu Office Ka‘u Coast, Island of Hawai‘i Reconnaissance Survey DEDICATION Ka‘ū, hiehie i ka makani. Ka‘ū, regal in the gales. An expression of admiration for the district of Ka‘ū, or for a stately or outstanding person of that district (Mary Kawena Pukui, ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, 1983) In memory of Jimmyleen Keolalani Hanoa (1960-2006). Her life and work as a visionary leader in the Hawaiian community of Ka‘ū, and her roles as mother, friend and facilitator for cultural education programs, live on. We are all better people for having her present in our lives and having had the opportunity of a lifetime, to share her knowledge and aloha. Mahalo, me ke aloha pumehana. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………………. 1 2 BACKGROUND………………………………………………………………………….2 2.1 Background of the Study…………………………………………………………………..……… 2 2.2 Purpose and Scope of the Study Document…………………………….……………………… 2 2.3 Evaluation Criteria…………………………………………....................................................... 3 2.3.1 National Significance……………………………………………………..……………… 3 2.3.2 Suitability………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 2.3.3 Feasibility…………………………………………………………………………………. 5 2.3.4 Management Options…………………………………………………….……………… 5 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA………………………………………………6 3.1 Regional Context………………………………………………………………………………….. 6 3.2 Location and Maps………………………………………………………………………………… 7 3.3 Land Use and Ownership………………………………………………………………….……… 8 3.4 Resources………………………………………………………………….……………………… 10 3.4.1 Geology and Soils……………………………………………………….……………… 10 3.4.2 Vegetation………………………………………………………………...……………... 12 3.4.3 Wildlife………………………………………………………...................………………13 3.4.4 Marine Resources……………………………………………………….……………… 16 3.4.5 Pools, Ponds and Estuaries…………………………………………………………….18 3.4.6 Cultural and Archeological Resources……………………………………………….. 20 3.4.7 Recreational Resources and Community Use………………………………………. 22 4 PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF RESOURCE SIGNIFICANCE………………. 24 4.1 Natural and Cultural Resources………………………………………………………………… 24 4.1.1 Natural Resources……………………………………………………………………… 24 4.1.2 Cultural Resources……………………………………………………………………... 25 4.2 Educational and Interpretive Value……………………………………………………...………26 4.3 Public Recreation and Enjoyment………………………………………………………………. 26 4.4 Resource Integrity………………………………………………………………………...……… 26 5 PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF SUITABILITY…………………………………..27 6 PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF FEASIBILITY………………………………..... 27 7 OTHER RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY FINDINGS……………………………….28 7.1 Position of the Community………………………………………………………………………. 28 7.2 Position of County Government………………………………………………………………… 29 7.3 Position of State Government…………………………………………………………………… 30 8 RECOMMENDATION………………………………………………………………… 31 9 APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………. 32 9.1 Selected References………………………………………..................................................... 32 9.2 Glossary of Hawaiian Words…………………………………………….……………………… 36 9.3 Coastal-Marine Species Observed on Site Visit……………………….………………………37 9.4 NPS Preparers and Consultants………………………………………...……………………… 39 9.5 Hawai‘i State Legislature Resolution…………………………………………………………… 40 1 SUMMARY At the request of Congressman Ed Case, this reconnaissance survey of a 20,365-acre study area along 27 miles of shoreline on the southeast coast of Kā‘u, Island of Hawai‘i, was prepared by the National Park Service Pacific West Region Honolulu Office during the summer of 2006. Its purpose is to provide a preliminary evaluation of the study area’s resources, and a preliminary evaluation of the suitability and feasibility of including the study area in the national park system. The document offers an overview of the natural and cultural resources of the study area, based on a two-day field visit and limited research and consultations. It provides preliminary evaluations that the study area is of national significance, would be a suitable addition to the national park system, and could be feasibly managed for resource protection and public enjoyment, provided that its protection could be achieved through community-supported approaches that limit acquisition costs and are based on partnership with local entities. The study concludes with a recommendation that a full special resource study under the stipulations of Public Law 105-391 be authorized for the Ka‘ū Coast of Hawaii, so long as it focuses on non-traditional approaches and is conducted in full collaboration with others. Public park land at Honu‘apo, Ka‘ū, Hawai‘i, acquired and preserved through citizen action 1 2 BACKGROUND 2.1 Background of the Study In March 2005, Congressman Ed Case asked the National Park Service to conduct a reconnaissance survey of approximately eighty miles of coastline in South Kona and Ka‘ū on the island of Hawai‘i, to evaluate this area’s resources for inclusion in the national park system. In May 2005, Congressman Case requested that the geographic scope of the study be narrowed to the “coastal segment running southwest from the current Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park boundary at Kapāo‘o Point at least through Honu‘apo Bay, and if possible, include Waikapuna Bay.” In a letter to NPS he highlighted the presence of endangered species, unique resources, and growing development pressure in the proposed study area, and noted that its contiguity with Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park might make it a feasible park expansion. Concurrently, in May 2005 the Hawai‘i State Legislature approved a resolution directing the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish a South Kona-Ka‘ū Coastal Conservation Task Force “to review and analyze the impact being made on the fragile and historically essential coastal lands and near shore marine areas of South Kona and Ka‘ū.” In a September 2005 letter the state invited NPS to be part of this effort, and NPS agreed to participate. The first meeting of the task force was held in late October of 2005. NPS Pacific Area Director Frank Hays attended and described the proposed NPS Ka‘ū Coast Reconnaissance Study. The group endorsed proceeding with the study. A team of NPS staff conducted a field visit to the study area in February of 2006 and subsequently prepared this reconnaissance report. The team included Frank Hayes, Pacific Area Director; Dr. Larry Basch, Marine Biologist/Science Advisor; Melia Lane- Kamahele, Cultural Resources Advisor; Sandy Margriter, Geographer and GIS Specialist; and Helen Felsing, Planner. 2.2 Purpose and Scope of the Study Document When authorized by Congress, the NPS conducts special studies concerning the potential for creating new units of the national park system. Broadly, these studies apply established criteria, evaluate protection and management alternatives, and, when specifically authorized by Congress, provide the basis for making recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior and to Congress. Though the NPS cannot initiate feasibility studies of potential new units of the national park system without the specific authorization of Congress, Congress does permit the NPS to 2 conduct preliminary resource assessments and gather data on potential study areas or sites. The term "reconnaissance survey" has been used to describe this type of assessment. A reconnaissance surveys provides a preliminary evaluation of the significance of the resource values present in a study area, and a preliminary evaluation of the suitability and feasibility of including the area in the national park system. A reconnaissance survey does not typically explore or evaluate management alternatives, although it may briefly note management issues and potential management options. At its conclusion the reconnaissance survey provides a recommendation as to whether, based on its findings, a special resource study should be prepared for the area. This recommendation is provided to Congress for their deliberation. 2.3 Evaluation Criteria To be eligible for favorable consideration as a unit of the National Park System, a study area must: • possess nationally significant natural or cultural resources • be a suitable addition to the system • be a feasible addition to the system • require direct NPS management instead of protection by some other governmental agency or the private sector. A reconnaissance survey is a partial and preliminary application of these criteria. The criteria and their use in the reconnaissance survey are described in further detail below. 2.3.1 National Significance A resource will be considered nationally significant if it meets all four of the following standards: • it is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource. • it possesses exceptional value or quality illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our nation’s heritage. • it offers superlative opportunities for recreation for public enjoyment, or for scientific study. • it retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource How Natural and Cultural Resources are Evaluated Natural resource significance may be associated with the following types of sites: • an outstanding site that illustrates the characteristics of a landform or biotic area that is still widespread; 3 • a rare remnant natural landscape or biotic area of a type that was once widespread but is now vanishing due to human settlement and development; • a landform or biotic area that has always been extremely uncommon in the region or nation; • a site that possesses exceptional diversity of ecological components (species,