The City and County of Honolulu and the Hawaii Kyodo Foundation are planning to build a kyudojo at the Mau'umae Nature Preserve near 16th Avenue and Claudine Street.  The kyudojo will include a 4,200 square feet archery range, two buildings built on concrete slabs (a shooting house and a target house).  It also includes a 19-stall parking lot and driveway.  The dojo is being proposed again here despite the fact that the Neighborhood Board disapproved of the dojo in 2002 due to community opposition.  However, this time the Hawaii Kyodo Foundation obtained approval from the Mayor's office, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board before the community knew about the kyudojo and therefore, before they had any of these entities had any community input.

This is valuable green space in a community with very little remaining greenspace.  The kyudojo is proposed to be built on top of a watershed area which absorbs runoff during heavy rains, which eventually are diverted out to the ocean through the park.  The arrows also pose a safety risk to people and animals.  

In the past, community members took care of the park and planted trees.  There was a section where the community members could garden, and there was also an apiary.  There is a trail that was better maintained, but the City has not maintained it.  

We understand that the area has become overgrown with invasive species due to the lack of care by the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. We propose that the City and County maintain the trails and plant fire retardant plants to replace the invasive species.   Putting a building in an area with brush will not help control a fire.  We are open to possibly having open garden space in the area that is proposed for the kyudojo or other suggestions that may serve more people in the community like a playground.   There is no reason why the City should give away land in a preservation area to an organization when the organization obviously has money ($850,000), and can buy their own land.    In addition, the kyudo archers can continue to practice at the Soto Zen Buddhist Temple anyway.  

If the Hawaii Kyudo Foundation is able to move forward with the project, it will set a precedent for letting developers and other foundations use preserved park land for their own purposes.  We have to stop this now before it gets started.