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February 12, 2008

(Editor’s note: Just wanted to make it very clear that the people mentioned in this article are volunteers, not Save
Honolua Coalition Board Members. The personal views expressed here are not necessarily those of SHC. SHC is currently working closely with stakeholders in Honolua to preserve the health of the entire ahupua‘a and to keep it open space. – JW)

Honolua Bay is one of the best surfing spots on Maui; stunning Lipoa Point overlooks it. Both Honolua Bay, Lipoa Point and an adjacent 600 acres of undeveloped land have been threatened by private and commercial development. Maui Land and Pineapple owns much of this area, and has had plans to develop it since at least 1978. Last January, ML&P announced their proposed conceptual plan, which included an 18 hole golf course, a gated luxury subdivision with forty home sites, a cultural park, camping facilities and “improvements” to the surfer’s access area.

Shortly after this announcement, a handful of concerned citizens formed a group they called the Save Honolua Coalition, or SHC. Their goal is to maintain open space, restore public access and revitalize the ecosystem through community-based management utilizing Hawaiian practices and values. Volunteers for SHC gathered over 15,000 signatures on petitions protesting those development plans within six months time.

On Friday, April 20, 2007, hundreds of people stormed the County Council chambers in support of a measure initiated by Council Member Jo Anne Johnson earmarking $1 million from the Open Space Fund for the future acquisition of the land in question; the Council Members voted eight to one in favor of this measure. Just over a month later, on May 31, Maui Land and Pineapple Senior Vice President Ryan Churchill submitted a letter to Planning Department Chairman Jeff Hunt, requesting that plans for the Lipoa Point area be withdrawn from the General Plan Process. Has any other grass roots group had such an impact on Maui County in such a short amount of time?

Who are these folks who meet weekly to help gain county, state and federal help to preserve this area for our community? They are volunteers, people of all ages and backgrounds, who, like most of us, are working hard every day to afford the cost of living on Maui. They are united in their passion to help keep Honolua undeveloped. I interviewed some of the key volunteers, and present some of their comments about Honolua here, in no particular order:
One of our kupuna, Duke Brown, the tall gentleman who greets people at the door before our meetings, was one of the early crew of watermen who surfed Waimea in the 1950s. His younger brother Russell was a Honolua standout for several generations. Brown says, “Honolua is as precious as any of the great natural wonders of the world. It is a treasure that the people of Maui must save… we as caretakers of this ‘aina owe the people of the world nothing less than to leave this place in better shape than we found it.”

Another of our kupuna is Gordon Cockett; you might recognize his name because he regularly writes letters that are printed in Maui’s newspapers. Gordon says, “Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Tomorrow depends on what we do today. We must gather good people around us to do the right thing, when the time is right, and do it for the right reason.”

Melissa Bundeck owns the Coffee Store in Napili Plaza; she’s in a unique position to talk with both tourists and locals. The Coffee Store had a Save Honolua Coalition information board, with letters, photos etc., that was viewed by 300 to 400 people per day. Melissa says, “No one ever disagreed with the intentions of Save Honolua. They would say, ‘We don’t want this place looking like the mainland,’ having seen it happen in their own area. They come here for the open space. I’ve discussed many island issues over the last few years; this one is the issue most people feel passionate about.”

Dave Warren was a Honolua and Windmills surfing regular in the 1970s. He started the Ho‘okipa Clothing Company. He can be found in the back row at each meeting. Dave said, “…the developers will just take the money and run. The environmental people have to be more aggressive regarding coral deletion and runoff. We have to have stronger rules so the place won’t be overrun. We can protect the turtles and the whales, but we have to protect the ‘aina.”

Steve Southerland has a wealth of old Honolua surf stories and has written many letters to Maui’s newspapers. Southerland said, “I’d love to see a panel in which the County Council and Planning Commission were wired to a polygraph machine. Would any of them even volunteer for this hot seat? We could ask the questions about corporate interest and see who squirms.”

Shawn Reed from Kahana founded the Hawaii branch of Surfrider Foundation, and has been a mentor to Save Honolua Coalition. A savvy website designer, he originated the SHC site. Reed says, “Many who were born and raised here can no longer afford to live here. Most who moved here fled to avoid the urban sprawl and life in the fast lane, only to find that their dream of life in paradise has become a nightmare. Just pick up any real estate magazine and see who the marketing is for.”

Carlos Noa, also known as Charlie, is a regular attendee at the SHC meetings, and is also a letter writer. Raised in Puerto Rico, he arrived on Maui in 1976. He has respected and enjoyed Maui’s similarities to his homeland, saying, “Green lush tropical island fauna, beautiful ocean and majestic mountains. Of course, much… is no longer and never will be again, due to greedy planning or the lack of smart planning… What will we remember? What legacy will endure? Did we treat it well?… let’s hope it’s not too late.”

Bernie Neal has been great at spreading the word and getting signatures. He likens Save Honolua to a big speed bump for the developers. Regarding the “buy a piece of Heaven” line in some developer’s advertising, he relates this quote, “Heaven is always pictured as a community, never as made up of individuals who live in boxes which they call homes, where they lock themselves in by locking others out.” – Albert Hubert, The American Bible.

Like most locals, Timmy Steel has seen his hometown ravaged by development; he doesn’t buy into the developer’s spin. He says, “It’s time that Maui Land and Pine stops talking about their proud history and how much they care. Someone needs to tell them that Maui is not for their personal profit… we must protect what is left! Honolua should have stayed heaven on earth.”

Kenny Hultquist is an extraordinary fiber artist and master videographer. He was recruited to film our meetings and edit them for AKAKU. He says, “I had been hearing and reading about Save Honolua Coalition for a few months, and went to their website. I was impressed with the list of speakers they had lined up. In June 2007 I filmed my first meeting. I have since had the privilege of shooting many community and political leaders.”

My friend Isao Nakagawa worked for ML&P for about 45 years. He was raised in Honolua Camp and hunted the West Maui mountains for years. He has fished here his whole life, has been instrumental in saving endangered shore birds and knows the coastline like the back of his hand. He says, “Maui Pine needs to be more responsible… they don’t listen to what the ocean is saying. The reef is dying; the ecosystem has collapsed… listen to the kupuna.”

Glenn Kamaka is a fisherman, a dedicated community member and an “old school” surfer. He says, “My dad taught us how to live off the land and the ocean. Our families grew up fishing this West Maui area… the fish was very abundant, of all different varieties. Even the fresh water ‘opae were abundant, when the river used to run regularly into the bay. When it was decided to make Honolua a fishing sanctuary, we felt it would help the fish multiply. To this day that has not happened.”

On the second Wednesday of every month, informational/educational meetings open to the public are held at Lahaina Civic Center’s Social Hall from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. These meetings are televised on AKAKU.
www.savehonolua.org
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Wayne Cochran