A bigger sanctuary for turtles

It’s fitting that honu conservation is figuring prominently into redevelopment plans in the works at Sea Life Park. Among an estimated $30 million in upgrades: an expansion of a green sea turtle center. It will have three outdoor pools with underwater glass viewing areas, and spotlight turtle-focused science and environmental issues in displays and programs, including one offering an up-close look at hatchlings.

As a sanctioned breeding colony for honu, the park has released more than 16,000 since 2005. The exhibit is slated to rightly stress care for the indigenous turtle — listed as a threatened species under federal and state law — over entertainment value.

Limiting a visitor deluge on Maui

In place since February 2017, Haleakala National Park’s sunrise reservation policy has helped ease pre-dawn overcrowding and damage to resources. So, it makes sense to try out a similar limit on access in another popular and environmentally fragile section of the park.

Last year, an estimated 800,000 people made the trek into Haleakala’s remote Kipahulu District. Access starts about 12 miles beyond Hana. A proposed Park Service plan for the district favors a permit or reservation system — including use of wristbands — for visitors to the photogenic Pools of Oheo. The pools are now closed due to landslide concerns. Due to demand, one proposal calls for reopening as an at-your-own-risk attraction. Offer your input, through Wednesday, at parkplanning.nps.gov/HALEKCP.