PMRF, DLNR discuss plans for state ag lands

The future of over 6,000 acres of state land surrounding the Pacific Missile Range Facility is up for discussion.

The state Division of Land and Natural Resources is holding a special public meeting on Thursday, Nov. 13 at the Kalaheo Elementary School to address the issue.

The Navy is asking for the land, most of it stretching toward Na Pali Coast north of the Westside Navy base to be established as a “passive buffer zone.”

The meeting is to feature members from both the Navy and the DLNR, including Kaua‘i’s lone State Land Board member, Lynn McCrory, said Dede Mamiya, land division administrator for the DLNR.

“The Navy is requesting to establish a passive buffer zone on approximately 6,000 acres of land between the PMRF and the base of the pali,” a public notice published in Friday’s edition of The Garden Island stated. “These lands, which would be set aside by executive order to the Department of the Navy for a ‘passive encroachment buffer.'”

“The Department of the Navy is also requesting to amend its existing general lease…by adding the Mana Shaft, a parcel of land between Kaumuali‘i Highway and PMRF and a strip of land along the eastern PMRF boundary,” the notice continued.

The Navy is “requesting the lease expansion to comply with Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection guidelines regarding setback areas around bases, secure existing potable water sources and facilitate the operation and maintenance of drainage pumps,” the notice stated.

“This is merely a request at this point,” said Mamiya, adding “we hardly ever have public meetings” like the one scheduled for Nov. 13.

Public meetings are usually held on O‘ahu at the DLNR’s regular board meeting, she said.

“We realize people on Kaua‘i might have questions; it is an opportunity for the Navy to explain what they want and why,” she said.

Some Kekaha residents are already questioning what the 6,000 acres might be used for, and whether the buffer zone would make it easier for the base to shut down the entire area north of Kekaha.

“We’d like to see the agricultural use continue as it is now and has been for many years because it is perfectly compatible with our operations at PMRF,” said Agnes Tauyan, Deputy Public Affairs Officer for Navy Region Hawaii.

“This set-aside is needed to ensure that PMRF can continue its vital service to the defense of our nation, in a way that preserves the safety and security of both PMRF and the people of Kaua‘i,” she added in an e-mail reply to The Garden Island.

“We see this as a cooperative effort with the state on how the land outside the base is to be used,” said Tauyan.

But some residents see it as a “land grab,” as Andy Johnston, a beach access advocate, calls it.

“What they want is command and control. That’s definitely what (the set-aside) is all about – command and control,” said Greg Holtzman, a Kekaha resident. “PMRF is looking at what’s best for the US military and definitely not what’s best for the people of Kaua‘i.”

He added that the Navy has applied for a two-mile buffer zone out from the coast along the base, which would give them a say in how the ocean is used fronting PMRF. With this buffer zone at sea and a new one on land, the base would essentially control between two and three miles of territory outside of their gates and their original lease with the State of Hawai‘i.

The U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately return phone calls, but Congressman Edward Case explained the ocean buffer in a September 5 article published in The Garden Island.

Case, in response to the concerns of local commercial fishermen, has discussed the ocean fronting PMRF at length with PMRF base commander Capt. Robert J. Connelly. He said that the two-mile zone is not an in-place rule, but “a starting point for discussion.”

He said that there have been meetings between the County of Kaua‘i, the Coast Guard and PMRF officials about the buffer, but that it would be enforced on a need basis. “We’re not talking about total blanket, but during heightened security or training missions,” a buffer zone to protect the public and the base.

“What the PMRF wants to do is have more of a say” on the waters fronting the base, said Case in his TGI article. Since “the waters off PMRF are under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard,” not the Navy, PMRF would like to be able to close the waters at their discretion, in times of unusual activity, said Case.

Tauyan said that the impact on the public will be minimal.

“We will strive to minimize any adverse impact to the public. If we are required for any reason to secure the set-aside area, for example during missile launches, it will be by mutual agreement between the State of Hawai‘i and the Navy.”

Another concern is possible expansion. Although PMRF officials have repeatedly stated that they do not need to expand the base, Johnston worries about the future.

“Who knows if down the line, they decide to build on this land,” he said.

“Influencing the kind of land use adjacent to the base now would prevent development that could jeopardize PMRF’s operations in the future,” said Tauyan.

“We want to work with the State and County of Kaua‘i to ensure that the proposed set-aside land continues to be used for agriculture which is compatible with PMRF operations; we’re doing that for the safety and security of PMRF and the residents of Kaua‘i.”

As for the area north of the base, where most of the “buffer” would be, residents say that any closing of Polihale State Park would be too much.

Mamiya said that the proposed area does not include Polihale state park. In fact, she said the cane road leading to the popular camping, fishing, and surfing destination is excluded from the buffer.

She added that maps of the buffer will be available at public meeting. Mamiya said she would supply TGI with a map, but it was not received.

“Everybody should be wary” right now, said Johnston, adding that he hopes there is a lot of people at the Nov. 13 meeting so that all Kauaians can get the information on the proposed changes to the land.

Staff writer Tom Finnegan can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226)