VIDEO: Hirono Pushes to Advance Kaena Point National Heritage Area Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, delivered remarks at a Senate National Parks Subcommittee hearing, emphasizing the importance of the Kaena Point National Heritage Area Act, which she introduced earlier this year. This bicameral legislation would require the Department of the Interior (DOI) to study the feasibility of designating Kaena Point, on Oahu, as a National Heritage Area. Representative Ed Case (D-HI) introduced companion legislation, which passed the House this past March.

“Kaena Point is located on the westernmost tip of Oahu and is considered by Native Hawaiians to be one of the most sacred landscapes on the island,” said Senator Hirono during the hearing. “It is home to numerous cultural, historical, and archaeological sites as well as natural resources—making it one of the last remaining intact coastal ecosystem sites in Hawaii.”

The Kaena Point National Heritage Area Act directs the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with state and local stakeholders, to study the possibility of designating Kaena Point as a National Heritage Area. It requires the study to be completed within 3 years and that upon completion the Secretary submit a report to Congress on the findings. The bill is supported by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Kaena Point is currently managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and includes the second-most visited park on Oahu—Kaena Point State Park. The State Park also serves as a gateway to the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve, which was established over 30 years ago to help preserve one of the last intact dune ecosystems in Hawaii. The coastal ecosystems and nearshore waters at Kaena Point offer critical habitat to numerous endemic and endangered species.

“A National Heritage Area designation would bring much-needed federal support to the management and educational activities at Kaena Point, including enhanced interpretation and resource protection,” continued Senator Hirono. “The historic, cultural, and natural resources found at Kaena Point indeed tell a nationally significant story—a story told nowhere else in our country. This legislation will help ensure that story can continue to be told and appreciated for generations to come.”

Senator Hirono’s full remarks are below and can be viewed here.

I would like to briefly discuss the importance of S. 4464, the Kaena Point National Heritage Area Act.

The National Park Service defines National Heritage Areas as “places where historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to form cohesive, nationally important landscapes.” Since 1984 there have been 55 National Heritage Areas established across the country, none of which are in Hawaii.

This bill seeks to change that by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Kaena Point as a National Heritage Area. Kaena Point is located on the westernmost tip of Oahu and is considered by Native Hawaiians to be one of the most sacred landscapes on the island. It is home to numerous cultural, historical, and archaeological sites as well as natural resources—making it one of the last remaining intact coastal ecosystem sites in Hawaii.

Kaena Point is currently managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and includes the second-most visited park on Oahu—Kaena Point State Park. The park offers numerous recreational opportunities for visitors—fishing, hiking, beachgoing, wildlife viewing, and picnicking. The State Park also serves as a gateway to the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve, which is also managed by the state. The 34-acre Reserve was established over 30 years ago to help preserve one of the last intact dune ecosystems in Hawaii.

The coastal ecosystems and nearshore waters at Kaena Point offer critical habitat to numerous endemic and endangered species. Green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals are often spotted in the nearshore waters. Numerous endangered plant species, like Ohai or Kaena akoko, spot the landscape and endangered Yellow-faced bees nest in the local driftwood. The unique vegetation at Kaena Point also offers prime nesting habitat for 17 different bird species, such as the laysan albatross and Wedge-tailed Shearwater.

There is no question that Kaena Point’s many historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to make a nationally significant landscape—a landscape that offers one of the last glimpses of undisturbed coastline in Hawaii.

S. 4464 simply directs the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with state and local stakeholders, to study the possibility of designating Kaena Point as a National Heritage Area. The bill requires the study to be completed within 3 years and that upon completion the Secretary submits a report to Congress on the findings. It is supported by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, which currently manages the area. The House companion bill, H.R. 1908 introduced by my colleague Representative Case, passed the House earlier this year in March.

A National Heritage Area designation would bring much-needed federal support to the management and educational activities at Kaena Point, including enhanced interpretation and resource protection. I urge my colleagues to join me in advancing S. 4464 out of the Committee so that the Senate can pass the bill and allow the Secretary to get the study underway.

The National Park Service notes that “through their resources, National Heritage Areas tell nationally important stories that celebrate our nation’s diverse heritage.” The historic, cultural, and natural resources found at Kaena Point indeed tell a nationally significant story—a story told nowhere else in our country. This legislation will help ensure that story can continue to be told and appreciated for generations to come.

Thank you.

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