The Nature Conservancy has donated 34 acres in East Maui to the National Park Service. The land will be used to create a "gateway" to the Kipahulu section of Haleakala National Park.

The donated parcel is directly above the coastal highway on the Hana side of 'Ohe'o Gulch. The land was bequeathed to The Nature Conservancy in 2005 by the estate of Cordelia May.

At present, there is no formal entrance to the Kipahulu portion of the national park. Park Superintendent M. Sarah Creachbaum said in a statement that the donated land will enable the agency to improve access to the park and "create an official gateway to Kipahulu and showcase the park's entrance."

She said the parcel also will protect access to upland parts of the park that are being used to educate the public about traditional cultural practices through the Kipahulu 'Ohana demonstration taro farm at Kapahu. In addition, it will provide space for a vehicle pull-off from the highway before the approach to 'Ohe'o Gulch, helping to relieve traffic congestion at the 'Ohe'o Bridge, a popular stop for camera-toting visitors.

Suzanne Case, executive director of The Nature Conservancy, said her organization asked May back in 1980 to consider a gift of the property with the understanding the conservancy would donate the land to Haleakala National Park. Upon her death 25 years later, that's exactly what May did.

May was a conservationist and ardent birder who supported environmental and conservation causes through the foundations she established, the Colcom Foundation and Laurel Foundation, based in Pittsburgh.

Case said the Conservation Fund was involved in early negotiations over the property and helped ensure the parcel was donated to the National Park Service and not sold to a private interest.

Dubbed "May's Mauka," the property is mostly pasture land covered by nonnative trees and grasses. According to The Nature Conservancy, the land does not hold significant biodiversity value, but does have value as open space, and provides access to culturally significant sites. It also is contiguous with other National Park Service lands at Kipahulu, making it an important addition to the park.

May's Mauka is the second parcel donated to the conservancy by Cordelia May. The first, a 35-acre Kipahulu coastal property, was sold with conservation restrictions to Sue Wong in 2007.

Wong, a Los Angeles-based fashion designer, paid $3.6 million. The money is being used to protect the native forests of East Maui and other Island forests.