State should take lead in North Shore conservation talks

The North Shore of Oahu is a treasured refuge for residents and visitors from around the world.

A spectacular five-mile stretch of wild coastline from Kawela Bay to Kahuku Point lies at the northern-most point of Oahu. Beachcombers, hikers, fishers and surfers, as well as Hawaii’s native monk seals, turtles and birds, find a unique haven in this isolated area.

The rugged Kawela-to-Kahuku coast connects the 1,100-acre James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge in Kahuku, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary offshore and the scenic cove of Kawela Bay. Protecting this wild coastline in perpetuity — with appropriate access and protection for cultural and historic values — will ensure that an authentic, living connection to the traditional ahupua‘a from Kawela to Kahuku is conserved and perpetuated.

Visitors travel to Hawaii to experience not only the natural beauty, but also the cultural, recreational and historical significance of our protected areas. This results in a significant contribution to our growing economy and also to the need for more vigorous and thoughtful conservation efforts.

In Hawaii, outdoor recreation generates $6.7 billion in consumer spending, 65,000 direct jobs and $478 million in state and local tax revenue. Conserving the North Shore coastline further stimulates our green economy by sustaining a natural landscape increasingly beloved as a sanctuary from the urban Waikiki experience.

The fate of this irreplaceable coastline will soon be permanently decided: Will it be forever wild, or will the grounds of a resort hotel spill over?

For the next several months, a working group consisting of the state, nonprofits, community members and the landowner of the Turtle Bay Resort (which sits in the heart of this coastline) are engaging in serious discussions to shape a win-win "conservation partnership" that strikes the right balance for Hawaii’s future environment. The proposed conservation plan will keep the hotel lands in private ownership and, at the same time, permanently restrict development in the areas outside the existing resort for the benefit of native species, public recreation and wide-open natural areas.

A timely state investment in this conservation plan could leverage and attract other local, state, federal and private partners. Hawaii’s congressional delegation could also take notice and join the effort to recognize this special area. The pathway to success is complex but fully within reach based on recent voluntary land conservation achievements.

The amount spent now by conservation partners would be a wise investment by this generation, much like the preservation of state parks in decades past in key coastal areas across Hawaii is priceless by our standards today.

By agreeing to take the lead in the working group negotiations, the governor and the Department of Land and Natural Resources would have a historic opportunity to work with a highly motivated landowner and steadfast community, as well as a multitude of partners, in a cooperative approach that could resolve an issue that has simmered since the 1970s.

We applaud the Legislature for sparking further willingness by the landowner to negotiate in good faith toward an expanded voluntary land conservation agreement.

With the hoped-for passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 164/Senate Resolution 121, the next six months will be a critical window for negotiations.

The state and other stakeholders are poised to take bold steps now to conserve the natural lands at Turtle Bay. Doing so would sustain Oahu as a world-class destination where residents and visitors would always be able to enjoy and benefit from the wild coastlines of Hawaii.