(Image taken of RR3 Phase 1 Site on 8/19/2025)

Update: Oʻahu Island Burial Council – August 6, 2025 Meeting

📄 Full agenda + packet: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/.../2025-08-06-OIBC-Board-Packet.pdf

🎥 Meeting recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUCofC4As3Q

Agenda Items IV.H–N (1:13:34–1:21:53 in recording): The Council recognized multiple lineal and cultural descendants for iwi kūpuna in Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu.

✨ Lineal Descendancy Recognitions (Ulupehupehu Ahupuaʻa): Edwina Lopes & China Fong, Henry Ahiamana Spillner Sr., Henry Ahiamana Spillner Jr., Leona I.K. Tagana, Kimberly K. Kupukaa, Timothy J.K. Spillner.

✨ Cultural Descendancy Recognitions: Melissa Kaʻonohi Camit, Reign Mahinahinakauahiahi Aiyana Kaʻohiai Kaʻonohi Camit, and Lilian Moanikeʻalaokekilinoe Catalina Kaʻohiai Kaʻonohi Camit for unidentified iwi kūpuna in Hanakaoe, Ulupehupehu, Kahuku, Punalau, and ʻŌʻio.

Agenda Item V.A (2:51:31–2:58:42 in recording):

🔹Inadvertent Discoveries at Turtle Bay Resort (ʻŌʻio 1, Ulupehupehu, Punalau)

Update by Nick Belluzzo (Senior Archaeologist, ASM Honolulu).

Pre-excavation surveys continue for Buildings 3 & 4 to identify pathways prioritizing preservation in place.

No new intact iwi kūpuna have been found since the last update.

Six weeks ago, a cluster of previously disturbed remains (likely from WWII runway grading) was encountered and preserved in place.

🔹Collaboration & Oversight

Third-party cultural monitors remain on-site.

Engineers + architects are redesigning project plans with SHPD to preserve iwi kūpuna in place.

SHPD expressed appreciation for extended decision-making time (months vs. the usual 24 hours) and confirmed notification protocols are being properly followed.

Coordination with recognized lineal descendants is ongoing, with the number of recognized descendants growing.

🗓 Next OIBC Meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 – 10:00 AM

Mahalo to Aunty Mari Hartman for her letter to the editor published on August 17th, 2025, in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser:

"Letter: North Shore projects pose real danger

Daily on Kamehameha Highway from Sunset Beach to Haleiwa, we often find ourselves caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic. But during the tsunami alert on July 29, unusual gridlock exposed gaps in Oahu’s emergency planning.

With only one major road going mauka, it took my neighbor 3 1/2 hours to travel from Sunset Beach to Mililani. She left shortly after the first siren.

The incredible number of people having to leave the shoreline and inundation zones calls for a rethink of any more development plan approvals in North Shore zones until island officials and residents figure the infrastructure out. This includes the Turtle Bay Arete Collective expansion and the proposed Haleiwa Backyards project.

Can you imagine adding the occupants of 150-plus two-bedroom units and their cars to the queue? Guess they may get up the hill first.

Mari Hartman

Sunset Beach"

🌺🐝 “If the bee disappears from the surface of the globe, man would have no more than four years of life to live.” – often attributed to Einstein (though debated).

On August 10, community members joined us to learn from Dr. Jason Graham, a leading bee expert, about Hawaiʻi’s native yellow-faced bees — the only bees endemic to our islands. 🌊🌿 These tiny pollinators nest in coral and coastal plants like naupaka/tree heliotrope, making them deeply tied to Hawaiʻi’s fragile ecosystems.

We learned how we can all help protect them: 🌱 don’t burn coastal vegetation, mālama native plants, and share photos on iNaturalist.org to support conservation!

Mahalo nui to Hawaiʻi People’s Fund, Kahuku Farms, Katie Metzger + Hanai Hives, Da Meex Plate, Dr. Jason Graham, Nam Chi Anoche, and all our volunteers who made this enriching event possible. 💛 #SaveTheBees #AlohaAina #NativeHawaiianBees #MālamaʻĀina

Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea North Shore 2025

Mahalo nui to everyone who joined us at Kaihalulu Bay to honor Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea on August 3rd, 2025. ✨ Our oli, stories, and aloha served as a powerful reminder of our kūpuna’s resilience and the importance of carrying their legacy forward. Every voice and prayer lifted that day reaffirmed our kuleana to mālama ʻāina and uphold Ea. 🙏🏼Our gathering was a powerful act of peaceful resistance, reaffirming our commitment to stand for justice and pono change.⚖️

The images (posted to social media) capture the sacred lands of Ulupehupehu and Kaihalulu Bay, places that hold iwi kūpuna and vital ecosystems. 🌿🌊 Our gathering was a collective reminder that our kuleana is ongoing—to protect and mālama these precious ʻāina from ongoing development threats. Mahalo to everyone who stood, and continues to stand, with us in aloha ʻāina. ✊🏼

Stay Connected & Take Action!

Follow us @kupaakuilima on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated on urgent advocacy efforts and ways to protect Kahuku Lewa. The fight isn’t over—stay tuned for actions you can take!

We’re urging the Honolulu City Council, DPP, and developers to pause Turtle Bay’s expansion and give the community a real voice. Outdated agreements and waived reviews ignore critical issues like rising sea levels, endangered species, traffic, and cultural preservation. We’re calling for an updated SEIS, requiring a new SMA permit application and a renegotiated unilateral agreement with fair community benefits and full compliance with Native Hawaiian protections to safeguard our ʻāina and prevent further strain on overburdened local and natural resources.

• Use our easy letter-writing toolkit and learn more @linktr.ee/kupaakuilima 
• Sign and share our petition @ change.org/protectturtlebay
• Put your road signs up to let them know how the community feels!

Kūpaʻa Kuilima: Community-led, ʻāina-focused, rooted in tradition. Advocating for pono change from Waialeʻe to Keana.