TRI Fellows Research Projects, 2006

North America

 Elizabeth Pickett

Malama Kiholo: Caring for the Land and Sea Through Community-State Partnerships, Kiholo Hawai'i

A local Hawaiian artist makes jewelry from shells she finds at Kiholo. She is also a regular camper and brings her children to Kiholo to play in the water and share time with family. Here, she contributes to preservation and community-based management efforts by painting signs in Hawaiian and English to remind beach users to take care of Kiholo.

Recent years have brought increased development to the coastal areas of Hawaii Island, significantly altering the social landscape. Non-state beach areas that previously enabled local residents to fish, camp, surf, and maintain the way of life that comprises much of their culture have been closed off, bulldozed, and developed into resorts and multi-million dollar houses in gated communities. This is true statewide, and particularly so on the leeward side of Hawaii Island. While the beaches are still accessible, the activities once enjoyed in those areas are no longer permitted or possible. Regulations have replaced freedom on many beaches, removing the social institutions that once utilized and cared for the coast. Instead of families, recreationists, and fisherman creating the make-up of coastal areas, there are parking lots and large resorts with signs, curfews, and restrictions. These changes threaten a way of life, a culture, and disempower local citizens that have little power over resources and political decision-making to begin with.

An opportunity to manage with a different set of goals and perspectives emerged this summer when a land swap with a wealthy resident gave the state a strip of coastal land in exchange for inland acreage elsewhere. The coastal land comprises an area that has not undergone the same changes as the recently developed coastline on either side of it. It is a place with no paved road, no sign on the highway announcing its presence, no developed restrooms, and no heavy-handed regulations. Local citizens have found ways to maintain their cultural and recreational activities within the few state-instituted regulations. This is a place where local culture is alive and well, even if shaken by development and changes to the north and south. And it is not only a refuge for culture and recreation- it is home to endangered species and archaeological remains, and connects to an entire strip of land owned by the state that stretches miles inland, creating the opportunity to manage resources in the traditional Hawaiian way of the ahupuaa.

Creating community-state partnerships began early in the research process. As shown in this photograph, local students contribute to management efforts by documenting the concerns, ideas, and hopes of beach park users.

The objectives of my research were to identify user groups in the area, document public sentiment and recommendations for future management, and determine options for community-state partnerships for decision-making and coastal resource preservation. The underlying purpose of this research was advocacy-based, with the intent to incorporate local citizens' perspectives into state decision-making in a manner that encouraged participation regardless of socio-economic status or user-group affiliation. The goal was for any person who spent time on the beach from the months of May through August to have the opportunity to lend insight and offer his or her voice to a report I am currently creating for use in upcoming state park planning. The research culminated in a volunteer community-state workday that removed invasive species, painted signs, and removed litter from the beach, while also connecting beach users to each other and to state representatives and planners.

The objectives of this project were met successfully and have initiated social momentum that others and I will continue to carry out through the school year and beyond. This will be done with continued research, community action and advocacy, and future employment opportunities to aid in creating a bridge between state managers and the community-at-large. With three local junior high school assistants to aid in data collection and the volunteer day organized to unite the state and the community under one purpose, state-community partnerships in management and stewardship have been forged. The turnout for the volunteer day was exceptionally high, indicating a strong potential for user commitment and dedication to the preservation and caretaking of this important place. The groundwork has been laid for continued involvement and communication between user groups and the state. Future action and advocacy will continue to build on the alliances established by this project.

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