When Aaron Lowe was in his mid-teens, he backpacked into the Sierra Nevada mountain range as a member of a summer trail-building crew.

“It was on that trip that I saw things in the backcountry … evidence of human disrespect” for the wilderness, such as illegal firepits and random tree-chopping for firewood. A few years later, while sifting through options for studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Lowe thought about his love of the outdoors and recalled his feeling of indignation upon seeing pristine terrain marred by misconduct.

He settled on a major in forestry conservation and also took on outdoorsy student employment as a worker at Lyon Arboretum and as a trail leader for a UH recreation program. In the mid-1990s, Lowe started working for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources as a trail specialist. Today he serves as Na Ala Hele trail and access program’s acting statewide program manager.

What does he enjoy most about the job? “Being able to make a difference … if we’re able to protect the public trust and find ways to have the public use our natural resources respectfully, that’s very satisfying.”

Established in 1988 in response to public concern about the loss of public access to various trails and the threat to historic trails from development pressure, the Na Ala Hele program works in tandem with other DLNR programs to acquire land or rights for public use as well as construct and maintain the trail and access system.

Among the access issues the program is looking at is the status of an old coastal trail that passes through the 700-acre Kauai property of Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg. The Aha Moku council, which advises DLNR on Native Hawaiian matters, contends that the trail is part of an ancient path, or Ala Loa, which is protected for public use under the Highways Act of 1892 — a law that still remains on the books.

The law applies even if the trail is not physically on the landscape, and some trail segments have been wiped out over the years from land use or by natural events. The burden of proof rests with the state, which must weigh archaeological reports, historic maps, surveyor’s notes, deeds and other bits of information, such as oral accounts from area residents, that might help determine ownership.

(More information about Na Ala Hele and HEA is available online at hawaiitrails.org and hawaiiecotourism.org, respectively).

Question: The most accessible example of an Ala Loa trail is the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on Hawaii island, which is preserved by the National Park Service. The actual path of the Ala Loa on Kauai remains unclear. How do the Ala Loa trails, which are thought to be on each of the major islands, figure into the Na Ala Hele program?

Answer: Of course we want to protect them if we can, but to open them and maintain them is challenging. … I’m not sure anybody knows … where all the historic trails are. Surveys tend to be costly, but if we feel confident in our findings then we will pay for a formal survey.

Q: How do you deal with public access disputes?

A: We research the history of the trail in question and try establish if we can prove that laws protect it and where the original alignment is.

Q: Are the access disputes clustered at specific areas in the islands?

A: No. Unfortunately, there are many … access disputes all over the state.

Q: In the Zuckerberg case, the state’s documentation indicates the trail is not directly on the coast, but 300 to 400 yards or farther inland. A Kauai activist, meanwhile, is trying to prove that the path crosses close to the shoreline. What’s the next step in putting the subject to rest?

A: This is a tough one. We would really like to come to a consensus with the community on this trail. Our findings show the trail (on the Zuckerberg property) to be inland, away from the coastline. … Many Ala Loa paths historically (traversed inland) for reasons of commerce. It is reasonable to assume that trails went down to or along the coastline … but our research does not show that in this area. If new research has come to light, then we would be more than happy to review it.

Q: The Na Ala Hele program is approaching its 30-year mark; what’s now within its scope?

A: There are now a total of 124 program trails and roads open and managed for public use. (Trail and road access features cover 855 miles statewide.) The trails all require steady maintenance, which includes in most cases clearing vegetation and downed trees. Fixing washouts and erosion caused by heavy rains also requires staff attention. This is a lot of work, so overall we are not doing too bad considering having only 10 full-time staff statewide.

Q: What do you see as the program’s top successes?

A: Being able to provide and maintain a reasonable amount of trails to an assortment of uses, such as hiking, hunting, horseback riding, mountain bikes, dirt bike and four-wheel drive vehicles. Being able to open new trails. Using social media to gather information about trail problems … addressing them then posting accomplishments. Establishing federal funding to help support trail maintenance and operations.

Q: Top challenges?

A: Maintaining the mission of protecting public accesses and historic trails from development, private interest, and now, overuse problems. Keeping the balance between on-the-ground trail operations and in-the-office administration has become way more challenging. For example, you may be working on researching the true alignment of an old historic trail on maps and survey notes, then you get an email about a dangerous tree over a popular trail. … We try to stay focused on the mission of the program but many times public safety has to take priority.

Q: Greenery grows so quickly in the islands. How do you handle maintenance demands?

A: OMG! Sometimes I think you can hear the grass growing. … At times, our trail crews must hike in for miles, carrying in all their supplies before even starting up their weed-whackers. This is hard labor. It’s not for everybody but, fortunately, we have hard-working staff … that gets the job done. We have been experimenting with contracting this type of work out but that comes with challenges, also.

Q: What does the financial picture look like for Na Ala Hele?

A: If recent bills like SB 709 and HB 479 (allocations earmarked for trail access/maintenance and hiker safety/preparedness, respectively) go through, then our funding will be better. Federal dollars are our primary means of funding. With more (state) funding we could expand our capacity … and keep the program more balanced.

The program plan — published in 1991 – states: “There are ways of acquiring trail/accesses, without major public funding, and Na Ala Hele staff should be trained in various acquisition methods. However, insufficient funds and staff and liability concerns will continue to hamper Na Ala Hele’s ability to expand. Solutions to these problems will require persistence and collective effort.”

Here we are 25 years later and now more than ever these words stand true. We need to be positive, persistent and work together to make a collective effort toward protecting public trails and access. This means being pono by practicing good trail etiquette, being respectful to trail head residents, hiking safely, agreeing to open your land to recreation, helping agencies find true documents and maps that support claims, and volunteering to do trail work. (Na Ala Hele’s island trails specialists handle volunteer requests.)

Q: You’re also serving as president of the Hawaii Ecotourism Association, which established a sustainable tourism certification program a few years back. How’s that effort going?

A: Over the years, I had witnessed … some tour operations falling short of providing an enriching experience for their guests … also some tour operators who could care less about the environment or Hawaiian culture. … We don’t get as many calls now (regarding misconduct). HEA has almost 50 certified sustainable tour operators statewide. The program focuses on sustainable practices that meet federal, state and local regulations. Each tour operator or tourism business needs to have a written sustainability plan, offer direct experiences with nature and/or culture, and contribute to the conservation of the communities in which they operate.