Kahana Valley residents this morning will meet again with state officials to give their feedback on a proposal to resolve a dispute over who is allowed to live in the state park there.

Residents are expected to voice their opinions and the Kahana Community Association will submit its position on House Bill 1552 to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which manages the valley as a "living Hawaiian cultural park."

Protests broke out in the valley in October when the DLNR moved to evict six families who are living there without leases from the state.

The eviction was set aside to allow the Legislature to resolve the problem, resulting in HB 1552, which places a two-year moratorium on any evictions, allows for more leases to be issued and creates a panel to develop a master plan for the park.

Today's meeting is a follow-up to one attended in Kahana three weeks ago by DLNR Chairwoman Laura H. Thielen. Department staff will attend today's meeting but Thielen will not, as she is working on budgetary reduction and furlough plans for the department, DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward said.

At the previous meeting, Thielen met with community members and asked residents to talk to one another and decide if they could work within the parameters of the bill.

"They agreed they would spend time talking with each other about communications and valley needs and then report back to DLNR," Ward said. Residents had expected Thielen to attend the meeting and viewed her intentions with suspicion, but the governor's office said that the meeting will help the agency as it weighs in on the bill.

"I'm going with an open mind," said Ervin Kahala, who grew up in the valley and was expecting to obtain a lease. "I want her (Thielen) to put her cards on the table."

The 5,280-acre Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park is designated as a "cultural living park" where 28 families each provide 25 hours a month of cultural activities for visitors and do other work in exchange for a lease to live there.

The park was created 30 years ago to preserve the valley from development and protect one of the few intact ahupua'a in the Islands.

When issuing the evictions in October, Thielen said the law that created the park didn't allow for any additional leases and that legislators back then didn't intend to provide housing for future generations.

Thielen yesterday did not return calls for comment but Russell Pang, the governor's spokesman, said by holding the meeting Thielen was fulfilling her duty to gather input on the bill.

"All the departments affected review bills," Pang said. "The Attorney General's office reviews for legal issues, the Budget and Finance Department for fiscal implications. Then we try to get as much public input through e-mails, faxes."

Gov. Linda Lingle has until July 15 to veto bills but must notify the Legislature by June 30 of any possible vetoes. Lingle is not expected to announce any vetoes until or near June 30, he said.

If the bill is vetoed, most likely the Legislature would consider an override along with other bills that face a veto, said Sen. Clayton Hee, D-23rd (Kane'ohe, Kahuku).

Thielen sought a legislative solution and one was provided, Hee said. "Thielen has said several times that the Legislature would make the call and we did," he said.

Lena Soliven, whose family faced eviction last year, said the bill also helps the families that have leases and haven't fulfilled their obligations, making them vulnerable to eviction.

"For me it's a 100 percent positive," Soliven said. "It's not only about the six (families). This is about people who are having problems with their hours (of community service), people who haven't finished their homes yet. Their leases were issued 15 years ago."