Molokai boat tours can resume next month, protester says

Molokai protesters and the operator of American Safari Cruises have agreed to a truce that will allow the tour boat company to resume its weekly visits to Molokai next month.

Protesters blocked Kaunakakai harbor to prevent an American Safari vessel from docking on Nov. 26, and another tour was cut short after a fallen tree and a stalled car blocked the main road to Halawa Valley on Nov. 27.

The cruise company then suspended Molokai visits that had been planned for Dec. 2 and 16.

Walter Ritte Jr., a leader of the protesters, said there will be a series of five community meetings hosted by the organization ‘Aha Kiole o Molokai beginning tonight to give residents an opportunity to air their concerns about the potential effects of tourism on Molokai.

After the fifth meeting, which is scheduled for Jan. 1, American Safari will be able to resume its weekly visits, Ritte said.

State Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairman William Aila visited Molokai on Dec. 7 at the request of Gov. Neil Abercrombie to help the administration get a better understanding of the dispute and to search for a resolution.

"We’re working on it," Aila said in an emailed response to questions. "There appears to be some agreement for American Safari Cruises to return to Molokai. There will be meetings scheduled in the five moku (districts) on the island. The state will facilitate another discussion regarding the requirements for future visits by vessels to the island, to comply with all state and federal laws."

Dan Blanchard, owner and chief executive officer of American Safari Cruises, said the next Molokai visit his company has scheduled is for Jan. 21. The boat can hold up to 36 passengers, and brings an average of 30 visitors for its two-day stops at Molokai, he said.

Blanchard said he has been attending meetings on Molokai and was surprised at the number of people who turned out to support his operation.

The tour boat operation spends about $5,000 each day it is on the island, and even the protesters don’t seem to object to the way the boat is operating, he said.

"What they want really is a process or a protocol that the community can agree on," Blanchard said. "It’s really, I think, more of a question of Molokai coming together and deciding what is the future of the visitor industry on Molokai."

Ritte, a longtime Molokai activist, said the community meetings are supposed to result in a document that reflects the community’s concerns. Among other things, Ritte said it is important to establish the carrying capacity for Molokai.

Guidelines developed from those meetings should be incorporated into the Molokai Community Plan, which is being formed, he said.

Ritte also wants to see administrative rules or a law that mandates that the state Department of Transportation engage in some kind of consultation with the community. That might take the form of a permit process for would-be boat operators to offer an opportunity for community input, Ritte said.

He also said there should be "profit-sharing," meaning the companies that make money bringing tourism to Molokai should share their profits beyond merely hiring Molokai residents.

"We need to talk about this. It’s a huge impact," Ritte said. "This is the beginning of tourism on Molokai; it’s like 50 years ago in Hawaii. We have a chance to do this thing right. Let’s do it right."

Rural communities are increasingly becoming magnets for visitors who seek an authentic, eco-tourism experience, and "the community wants to be protected so we don’t lose what they’re coming to see," Ritte said.