The Kaena Point State Park Reserve, a wild and beautiful public treasure, needs help. Years of uncontrolled off-road vehicles scouring the land on the Mokuleia side of the reserve have left great swaths of erosion, trampled vegetation and exposed soil washing into the ocean.

The effects are easily observable using Google Earth: On the Waianae side, the unpaved path to Kaena Point is clean and relatively unscarred; on the Mokuleia side, tire tracks cut through exposed dirt in every direction, from the beach to the upland marked dirt roads. Off-road enthusiasts post YouTube videos showing drivers gouging the dirt with oversized tires.

After years of gingerly tiptoeing around the issue — hoping in vain that park users would show more respect for the land — the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has, finally and rightfully, taken action. Beginning Dec. 1, DLNR will install a locked gate at the entrance to the dirt road beyond the paved parking area. Only drivers with permits and an accompanying vehicle decal will be allowed past the gate. Signs and other markers will indicate where vehicles may roam. Permittees will receive more detailed information about what’s allowed, making it easier for DLNR officers to enforce the rules.

The new rules reflect a politically realistic desire to reasonably accommodate most uses of the park. The permits are free, and generally valid 24 hours a day. The state already allows the use of both an upper road away from the beach and roads to the shoreline. Full access by bicyclists and pedestrians would not be affected.

This long overdue action is relatively modest. Given the abuse the park has suffered, there’s a valid argument for banning vehicles altogether. The park contains not only threatened native flora and unmatched natural geographic features, but Native Hawaiian treasures such as burial sites, fishing shrines, canoe landings and traditional cultural deposits and properties. Park users have vandalized road signs and removed rock barricades designed to keep vehicles on designated roads.

Furthermore, the new permit system should come as no surprise. The state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the system in 2011 as part of an action plan to protect the park. The plan identified the main culprit: "Unrestricted motor vehicle use is currently the source of the greatest negative impact to the environment and other park users." The plan noted that the administrative rules then in place were vague and enforced spottily, if at all.

Even though DLNR was authorized to act sooner, Land Board Chairman William Aila chose first to give voluntary compliance a try — to no avail. Now that DLNR has taken action, it must make sure its plan will be effective. It begins with greater on-site enforcement of the rules to make sure those without permits don’t slip through the gate.

Also, the rules must be clear and widely promulgated to the public, so there’s no ambiguity about what is allowed and what is not. Conscientious self-enforcement by park users would help DLNR’s overstretched Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement meet its obligations. To that end, DLNR plans three informational meetings to educate the public about the new permit process:

» 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Kalani­moku Building (DLNR Boardroom), 1151 Punchbowl St., Hono­lulu (free parking in the underground garage).

» 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Waia­lua Elementary School cafeteria, 67-020 Waia­lua Beach Road, Waia­lua.

» 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Mili­lani High School cafeteria, 95-1200 Mehe­ula Parkway, Mili­lani.