Big Island coastal land being bought for park
Advertiser Staff
HILO, Hawai'i — The state has released $1 million toward the acquisition of the historic Honu'apo coastal area in Ka'u.
The money will be used to complete the purchase of land from California-based developer Landco, which had planned 18 lots for beachfront homes. The property will be turned over to Hawai'i County for public recreation and for preservation of wildlife habitat and cultural sites. The 225-acre parcel includes tidal ponds that have been used for fishing by generations of Native Hawaiians and are visited by sea turtles and monk seals.
The acquisition also will allow for the expansion of Whittington Beach Park, creating the largest county park in the state.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources helped arrange the deal along with the Trust for Public Land.
A state appraisal determined the fair-market value of the property at nearly $3.7 million, but the developer agreed to sell for $3.4 million, according to Josh Stanbro of the Trust for Public Land, an organization that acquires land for conservation purposes.
The $1 million in state funds will be combined with $500,000 from the county to match a $1.46 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Conservation and Estuarine Land Conservation Program. Other funds include an additional $267,632 the county received via the state from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and a nearly identical amount collected by the Trust for Public Land.
"We are excited to support this collaborative conservation effort to protect Honu'apo estuary on the Ka'u coast of Hawai'i from development," Gov. Linda Lingle said. "This is the sort of public-private partnerships we need to focus on in order to protect the things that make Hawai'i special."
Stanbro called the acquisition "one of the most remarkable community-based conservation efforts we've ever been a part of." He said he was impressed by the way the 7,000 residents of the rural, wide-ranging Ka'u district banded together to push for the land purchase, including holding a barbecue fundraiser that earned $20,000 in one day.
Some of the residents are part of a new nonprofit community group, Ka 'Ohana o Honu'apo, formed with the trust's assistance to help maintain the property, which is expected to be in county hands by the end of March.
