In my State of the State address, I introduced the idea that the state, in collaboration with private, public and nonprofit partners, should purchase the 850-acre Turtle Bay property on O'ahu's North Shore.

As I stated in my address, and firmly believe, we cannot speculate or sell ourselves into prosperity. There is a time and a place for large-scale land development projects. We have many such places on O'ahu, such as the downtown and Kaka'ako urban areas and the developing second city in Kapolei.

But, there is also a time and place to preserve our natural environment and our heritage. The Turtle Bay property on the North Shore is the place and now is the time.

For too long, and too often, important pieces of rural Hawai'i have been sold to the highest bidder and then developed into something that forever changed the essence and character of the entire area.

The Turtle Bay property is an important part of the North Shore community. It is a community that remains a rural countryside, removed from the more populated areas of Honolulu and which represents a vestige of Hawai'i that is precious and significant to us all.

The property includes approximately five miles of coastline, much of which is pristine and undeveloped, as well as other large pieces of land that currently remain in their natural state.

Many Hawai'i residents, as well as people throughout the world, know the North Shore as a place of refuge from our increasingly urban surroundings and also as an area of surfing meccas such as Sunset Beach, the Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay and other world-class surfing beaches.

This area is world renowned because it is the ideal Hawai'i to many and one of the few remaining places like it. We should work together to preserve this treasure for future generations.

Currently, the Turtle Bay property has one hotel, which includes 443 rooms (375 guest rooms, 26 suites and 42 beachfront cottages), restaurants and other amenities. There are also two 18-hole golf courses, which host well-known tournaments. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the existing hotel, golf courses and related services, and they provide jobs for many in the community. These should be kept in place and continue to operate.

But, if developed as currently planned, Turtle Bay could turn into something very different, with five additional and separate hotel sites, five separate resort condominium sites, a shopping village, an equestrian center, a commercial clubhouse and a beach club. It is reported that this could add another 3,500 rooms to the property, a significant increase over the existing conditions.

I have proposed that the state purchase the Turtle Bay property to protect the remaining areas and to allow the community, as a whole, to shape its preferred future.

I do not propose that the state operate the hotel or go into the resort business. Rather, I have suggested that the resort portion of the property could be sold as part of financing the remaining purchase. I believe such a sale is possible and that there are ways to allow the hotel to succeed as an integral part of the community, without needing to overbuild its surroundings.

Since I introduced the idea to purchase Turtle Bay, many have speculated on the cost. Some have suggested figures that are significantly inflated and which I believe have no basis. I do not believe it will cost anywhere near $500 million, as reported in the media and on Internet blogs. Local real estate experts and those familiar with the history of Oaktree's attempts to sell the property agree.

Before beginning specific discussions with the property owners, we are talking and meeting with many individuals and organizations with knowledge of the specific property as well as the subject of large land preservation projects.

Some are concerned that I have not presented a specific plan to purchase the land or explained what will be done with the property once it is acquired.

I believe this proposal touches our entire community, and therefore requires discussion, collaboration and input from all sectors to develop a plan to finance the purchase, as well as the best way to manage and preserve the land.

I ask that we all work together to pursue this truly worthy effort, for the benefit of those here today and for those generations to come.

Linda Lingle is the governor of Hawai'i.