Aloha mai kākou,
Mahalo to all of you who have signed our petition (1054 signatures and counting!) As well as spreading the word and following us on social media.
It has been 7 weeks since the road closure. We have been working hard to negotiate some type of interim ocean access for island residents. We have had meetings with various members of our County, including Sherise Kanae-Kane DPW, Councilwoman Heather Kimball and Cyrus Johnasen of Mayor Roth’s administration. These meetings have led to the creation of a short term working group, focused on solutions for interim access during this emergency proclamation.
Unfortunately we are finding that county leaders like Heather Kimball are steadfast in their decision to follow the flawed study and keep the road closed to some. We now believe that legal action is the only way to get Mayor Rothʻs attention and we are pursuing that with attorney Steven Strauss.
As you may know, we have created a community group dedicated to this effort, Mālama i ke kai ‘o Waipiʻo (MaKa).
MaKa will be represented as a plaintiff in the upcoming litigation against the Mayor, along with other members of our ocean community, and the litigation will be costly. Please consider donating to this effort to restore ocean access to our local community.
Showing how diverse and large a group we are is also vital to our cause, by joining us and increasing our numbers we can show the Mayor how important ocean access is for this community.
Want to help?
*Join us! Become a member of MaKa
*Donate to the legal effort (any excess monies will be used for future Waipi’oValley Stewardship)
*follow us on IG
We also want to be very clear that our intention moving forward is to support and contribute to better management of Waipiʻo over the long term.
Many have shared that Waipiʻo access has been mismanaged for many years and something needed to be done. We too, feel like Waipi’o needed a break from the hundreds of tourists entering the valley. They were unregulated and uneducated about the importance of this wahi pana.
MaKa has been invited to join the long term Steering Committee. This group includes major valley stakeholders and its purpose is to address many of the problems created by poor management and overuse over the years. These are the real problems facing Waipi’o.
Our goal in this process is to hear from you and carry your voices forward so that they are heard. Join us so we can all care for Waipi’o better.
Mahalo for your support!
Mālama i ke kai ʻo Waipiʻo
To ensure ocean for Hawaii Island residents to perpetuate traditional forms of wave riding, fishing, gathering, and other shoreline activities that sustain a thriving Waipiʻo Valley.