Conserving and Protecting ʻĀina Along the Kaʻū Coast
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
5:30-6:30 PM
On Hawaii island’s Southeastern Coast, signs lined the highway promoting the sale of some of the makai (seaward) portion of the historic ahupuaa (land division) of Kaunamano (photo above). These 1,363-acres of stunning Kau shoreline and pasture include four miles of the ancient Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail that once circled the island, and a web of traditional trails leading to hundreds of ancient Hawaiian cultural sites. The Trust for Public Land and several community stakeholders like the Ala Kahakai Trail Association partnered to purchase and protect the Kaunamano property as a living legacy of the storied district of Kau. The protection of Kaunamano is one among several successful Kau conservation projects over the years.
How can conservation real estate protect aina and cultural sites from future development? What public policy tools can help conservation efforts in Hawaii? In this presentation, the Trust for Public Land and Ala Kakahakai Trail Association discuss how communities can partner with land trusts to conserve and protect aina threatened by subdivision, sale, or development. Reyna Ramolete Hayashi, Aloha Aina Project Manager at Trust for Public Land, and Keoni Fox, volunteer Board Member with the Ala Kahakai Trail Association, will discuss how the Kau Community on Hawaii island has successfully protected their beloved coastline for future generations through community stewardship and management.
Reyna Ramolete Hayashi is the Aloha Aina Project Manager at Trust for Public Land (TPL). Trust for Public Land’s mission is to protect land for people ensuring healthy livable communities for generations to come. Reyna works to preserve lands that perpetuate Hawaiian culture and return those lands to Native Hawaiian organizations for community and cultural stewardship. Prior to joining TPL, she worked as a fair housing and workers’ rights attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and Empire Justice Center (New York). Reyna was born and raised in Kapalama, Oahu, graduated from Moanalua High School, University of British Columbia, and Seattle University School of Law.
Keoni Fox is a volunteer Board Member with the nonprofit Ala Kahakai Trail Association (ATA). ATA’s mission is to support and guide a community-managed trail that honors those who came before and perpetuates for those to follow – with protocols and respect for Hawaii past, present and future. Keoni attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a Bachelors of Economics with a concentration in Marketing and Environmental Management. As a cultural practitioner with ancestral ties to Naalehu, Keoni is a strong advocate for the protection of cultural and natural resources in Kau. He is an avid hiker and native Hawaiian plant enthusiast. Keoni also manages a small family farm in Waikane, Oahu specializing in local, free range poultry and eggs.