Waikane: A new vision for the valley

A landowner wants to restore native koa and farm cacao in the mauka half of the forest

By Susan Essoyan

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 13, 2013

~~<p>The valleys of Waiahole and Waikane hold an iconic place in the history of community resistance to development in Hawaii, with residents rising up and even blockading a highway to stop threats to their rural way of life.</p>
<p>So when landowner Paul Zweng, an exploration geologist who made his living prospecting for copper and gold, formed a company to buy 1,444 acres of Waikane Valley, he was advised not to expect a welcome mat, no matter what his intentions were for the property.</p>
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The valleys of Waiahole and Waikane hold an iconic place in the history of community resistance to development in Hawaii, with residents rising up and even blockading a highway to stop threats to their rural way of life.

So when landowner Paul Zweng, an exploration geologist who made his living prospecting for copper and gold, formed a company to buy 1,444 acres of Waikane Valley, he was advised not to expect a welcome mat, no matter what his intentions were for the property. Login for more...