HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

78

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of land and natural resources, land division, to include the royal order of kamehameha in the stakeholders assembled to meet and develop a hanapepe salt pond resource management plan.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Hanapepe Salt Ponds (Salt Ponds), on the southwestern coast of Kauai at the mouth of the Hanapepe Valley, are home to ancient authentic Hawaiian salt ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Salt Ponds are listed on the State Historic Preservation Register and are extremely important cultural resources to the community; and

 

     WHEREAS, salt from the Salt Ponds is created by accessing underground saltwater from a deep ancient source through wells and transferring the saltwater to shallow pools called wai ku, then into salt pans that are shaped carefully with clay from the area, and dried with brine shrimp that add sweetness to the salt; and

 

     WHEREAS, this type of salt-making is unique and authentic, and the harvested traditional Hawaiian sea salt mixed with alaea, a form of red dirt from Kokee, is used for traditional Hawaiian ceremonies to cleanse, purify, and bless, as well as for healing rituals for medicinal purposes; and

 

     WHEREAS, over the years, the Salt Ponds have been burdened by the surrounding uses of land, which pollute surface water runoff that flows into the Salt Ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hanapepe Bay or Harbor was placed on the federal Clean Water Act Section 303(d), 2004 final list of impaired waters in Hawaii for its excessive levels of total suspended solids, nutrients, temperature, and toxic substances; and


     WHEREAS, the development of an airfield runway, a heavily used beach park, a road cutting through the salt beds, a makeshift beach access route blocking drainage, the cutting down of the kiawe forest (which provides evapotranspiration), and runoff from the cane fields and highway, have all potentially contributed to the decline of the health of the Salt Ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, a close examination of the watershed, moku, and ahupuaa to identify the sources of pollution is needed to recommend projects to reduce the sources of pollution and create a comprehensive resource management plan to revitalize the Salt Ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hanapepe and native Hawaiian communities are eager to assist in planning for ways to ensure the long-term protection and management of the Salt Ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaiian community possesses unique and inherent rights (i.e., konohiki and genealogical) and claims to the Salt Ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, a prudent comprehensive resource management plan should encompass coastal zone management and ocean resources management planning, as the Salt Ponds are affected both by tidal influence and land activities; and

 

     WHEREAS, the development of a comprehensive resource management plan would require:

 

 (1) The identification and assessment of the problems and issues;

 

(2)  The involvement of all applicable stakeholders, government agencies, and the Hawaiian community to ensure the plans are workable and acceptable to all parties; and

 

(3)  The identification of the source of the salt and brine shrimp, and explanation of how they migrate to the area;

 

and

 

WHEREAS, during the Regular Session of 2008, the Legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution No. 117 S.D. 1, requesting the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Land Division, to assemble various state, county, and community agencies to meet and develop a comprehensive Hanapepe Salt Pond Resource Management Plan (Management Plan); and

 

WHEREAS, the Royal Order of Kamehameha was unintentionally omitted from the list of stakeholders to be included in the meetings; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Land Division, is requested to include the Royal Order of Kamehameha, as a stakeholder, in the stakeholders' meetings to develop the Management Plan; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Hanapepe Salt Ponds Resource Management Plan; Stakeholders