(Posted 2/4/11)
Last September, the Board of Land and Natural Resources approved adding about 6,600 acres around the old Kulani prison, near Hilo, to the Pu`u Maka`ala Natural Area Reserve.
As with all reserves, the Legislature has authority to disapprove the transfer, subject to the vote of two-thirds of either chamber or a majority in both. Still, public testimony was overwhelmingly in favor of the addition. The chief concerns expressed at a public hearing was over the Lingle administration’s decision to close the prison facility, which occupied around 600 acres (not included in the NAR).
Now, however, resolutions in the House (HCR 9) and Senate (HCR 14) have been introduced to disapprove the NAR. The objections they cite deal mainly with the loss of the prison and the proposal that the Department of Defense use the facilities on the 600 acres for a Youth Challenge Academy, operated by the Hawai`i National Guard.
For many years, the area outside the prison campus was managed as though it was a NAR – often with labor provided by Kalani inmates. Under the DLNR’s jurisdiction, educational programs and service projects are offered to the public. For more information, visit:
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