Truly Outrageous

I’ve written before about efforts to prevent major development on Punalu`u, a black sand beach in the Ka`u region of the Big Island of major cultural and environmental significance. (Visit Save Punalu`u for more background.)

Well, the good news is people are paying attention to the public response — and the right people, at that. Today the Hilo Tribune-Herald published an article detailing recent efforts by Hawaii County councilman Bob Jacobson and Congresswoman Marie Hironzo to designate the area a protected conservation region.

Punaluu black sand beach and adjacent lands would be purchased by Hawaii County under a bill introduced Friday.

Councilman Bob Jacobson, whose district encompasses the popular Ka’u beach, sent in legislation to authorize county Finance Director William Takaba to enter into negotiations for the Punaluu Beach Park, Ninole Pond and adjacent lands.

Preserving the Ka’u coastline from development is a longterm goal of Jacobson and other conservation groups, most notably Ka’u Preservation.

“We’ve been working at this for 10 years,” Jacobson said.

The bill has not yet been placed on a County Council agenda for discussion, Jacobson said late Friday.

If the bill survives the legislative process and is signed into law and after negotiating county ownership of the area would begin at the certified shoreline, extend at least 2,000 feet inland and include about 150 acres.

The lands would then be given a conservation designation.

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At least some of that money would come from a land purchasing fund that voters approved in the 2006 election. Jacobson would also look for money from state, private and federal sources, if the bill passes.

During an April 4 visit to Punaluu, U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, discussed a request to provide $3 million in matching federal funds for Hawaii County to purchase lands adjacent to the beach, Jacobson’s office said.

Hirono’s office is doing more than that. She introduced a bill in Congress on March 29 to study the feasibility of designating the Ka’u coast, from Kapaoo Point to Kahuku Point, as a unit of the National Park System. No debate has been scheduled on her bill, which has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.