Limu Coalition wants state to initiate better management plan for Kalalau. By LESTER CHANG TGI Staff Writer LIHU’E — Some 40 years ago, the Kalalau Trail on the Na Pali Coast was probably one of the most pristine and unused
Limu Coalition wants state to initiate better management plan for
Kalalau.
By LESTER CHANG
TGI Staff Writer
LIHU’E — Some 40
years ago, the Kalalau Trail on the Na Pali Coast was probably one of the most
pristine and unused hiking trails in the world – because it was not well
known.
Forty years later, the 11-mile trail has become one of the busiest
hiking trails in Hawaii as its reputation has grown worldwide.
Some Kaua’i
residents, including members of the Limu Coalition, claim parts of the trail
have undergone severe erosion because of overuse and the effect of rain and
wind.
The Limu Coalition, a citizens group from the North Shore that wants
the state to institute a better management plan for the trail, says up to 500
people hike on the trail daily during the summer.
Robert Culbertson of the
Kaua’i Sierra Club likens it to a “stampede.”
And the erosion will only
accelerate, trail defenders say, if maintenance programs aren’t kept up and the
number of hikers isn’t restricted.
Wayne Souza, who heads the state
Department of Land and Natural Resources state parks division on Kaua’i , said
he and his staff also want to protect and properly maintain that trial and 45
miles of trails in Koke’e State Park, another popular hiking area for visitors
and residents.
The job is being done, but it has taxed his 18 workers to
the limit, Souza said. His division, he said, is grossly understaffed and
underfunded.
The trails are important to Kauai’s economy in that they have
played a key role in bolstering the island’s eco-tourism industry and have
helped attract visitors. Each year, thousands of visitors hike along the
trails.
Hanakapiai Trail — the first two miles of the Kalalau Trail —
has suffered the most extensive erosion of any trail on Kaua’i, Souza said.
Heavy rains have washed away soil, and hikers contribute to the problem by
“carrying out soil” as they walk on the trail, he added.
A three-year
drought that has gripped the state has played havoc on the trail’s terrain, he
said.
“Most of the most serious erosion on the Hanakapiai Trail occurred
during the drought,” Souza said. “If I was to speculate why, I would say that
the clay soil there is held together by moisture. But when it dried up, it
became brittle and fell apart.”
Only about the first 200 feet of the trail
has been spared from severe erosion by rocks that were planted at the beginning
of the 1900s, Souza said.
The DNLR office on Oahu has denied requests for
funds to shore up more parts of the trail with rocks as a way to reduce
erosion, he said.
Officials are philosophically divided over whether such
an improvement is needed, according to Souza. Some want the rocks put in to
help make the hike easier, while others don’t want any rocks. They prefer a
“wilderness hike,” he said.
“We don’t want all trails to be wilderness
trails, nor do we want all trails to be recreational trails,” Souza said. “So
this is where we are balancing things.”
Erosion also has occurred on other
trails, but not to the degree that has occurred on the Hanakapiai Trail, Souza
said.
By contrast, Koke’e State Parks trails, perhaps because of drier
weather and the makeup of the soil, have experienced far less erosion, he
reported.
Workers routinely check the Kalalau Trail for erosion and make
repairs when needed, Souza said. DNLR is conducing a geology study to determine
ways to curb erosion, he said.
Ray Chuan, a member of the Limu Coalition,
said the trail is in “bad shape” because of overuse.
“It is distressing
that DNLR would care about other state trails on Oahu when it reaches 200
persons a day, but not care about this trail when it is used by 500 people on a
daily basis during the summer,” he said.
A survey done by Limu showed as
many as 500 people used the trail daily in the summer, up to 350 people used it
daily in the winter and 150 people used it daily during the rainy season.
Visitors comprise the bulk of the trail users, Chuan said.
The best
way to reduce the erosion is to set a limit on the number of people that would
be allowed on the trail, and to charge fees to generate funds for repair work,
he said.
Chuan said he will send the survey results to DNLR with the hope
that they can be used for a better management plan for the trail.
The
Kalalau Trail and the Koke’e State Park trails are safe to use, and they and
other park properties and equipment on Kaua’i are maintained the best they can
be in spite of lack of staff and funds, Souza said.
His 18 staffers are
confronted with an almost overwhelming task, Souza said.
“The state park
system has 26,000 acres, and half of those acres are on Kaua’i,” he said.
Five caretakers and one truck driver maintain state parks properties and
equipment in Ha’ena, Wailua and parts of Hanakapiai Trail.
Another five
caretakers and a supervisor are responsible for properties and equipment in
Koke’e State Park, Waimea Canyon, the Russian Fort in Waimea, Polihale State
Park and the Na Pali Coast. The balance of the 18 employees are office workers.
“We are grossly understaffed,” Souza said. “We have had this problem for
at least 15 years.”
There are no plans to hire new employees, he added.
Because of their heavy workloads, state workers don’t have time to
maintain the trails in Koke’e State Park, he said. That job is left to
volunteers, including those from the Koke’e Museum.
“If ot weren’t for
them, we might have to consider closing some of the trails,” Souza
said.
Budget constraints also affect the ability of his employees to do
their jobs, Souza said. A few years ago, his division was allotted more than
$700,000 for its operations and employee salaries, he said. Because of state
budget constraints, the budget has shrunk.
“Under the circumstances, we are
doing the best we can,” Souza said.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be
reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
