The Planning Commission unanimously decided this week that Island Helicopters Kaua‘i must complete a state environmental assessment before permits will be considered for a proposed landing site near Manawaiopuna Falls in Koula Valley. The popular aerial tour company wants the
The Planning Commission unanimously decided this week that Island Helicopters Kaua‘i must complete a state environmental assessment before permits will be considered for a proposed landing site near Manawaiopuna Falls in Koula Valley.
The popular aerial tour company wants the county to approve the pad “for visitation and viewing” of the falls featured in the movie “Jurassic Park.”
The commission made its decision based on the recommendation of the county Planning Department, which found a trigger for the study in Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 343.
A public hearing Tuesday at the Mo‘ikeha Building was continued to a date pending the completed assessment.
Attorney Walton Hong, representing Island Helicopters owner Curt Lofstedt, called the impact of the proposed landing site and its subsequent use “insignificant.”
But residents claimed the plan would set a bad precedence and invite lawsuits from competing helicopter tour companies.
The county Planning Department determined an environmental review is necessary because the company’s proposed use may affect a state land use conservation district, a sensitive area on the island that warrants protection.
The assessment will include a look at secondary and cultural impacts as well as mitigative measures. The study could result in the company having to undergo a more comprehensive review called an environmental impact statement, which are more costly and can take years to complete.
Resident Elaine Dunbar said a landing this close to a waterfall has never been permitted before and could lead to major clearings for helicopter pads at other sites. She also feared an eventual installation of restrooms and trash accumulations at sacred sites.
“There’s no way this won’t end up in the courts,” she said.
There is no public access to Manawaiopuna Falls on Grove Farm property. The company has an exclusive deal with the Robinson Family to land there, Lofstedt has said.
Kapa‘a resident Ken Taylor said the county should clean up its rivers before approving more development.
Elaine Bowles, representing the Sierra Club’s Kaua‘i Group, asked the commission to deny the requested permits until meaningful regulation is put in place to control helicopter overflights.
The current “fly neighborly” rules are failing to keep the choppers in check, she said.
The industry “only cares about the bottom line,” she added.
North Shore resident Maka‘ala Kauamoana said Island Helicopters Kaua‘i’s cultural survey of its proposed landing site is “junk.”
This area “should be protected in public trust,” she said.
Lofstedt attended the public hearing, but let his attorney do the talking as he sat listening.
In a previous interview, however, he said, “We’ve been working on this for over four years and have done much of an environmental assessment already.”
Evaluating the use of the landing area has included cultural, geological, flora and fauna independent studies, Lofstedt said, and “no impact” findings were found across the board.
The impact of a helicopter landing is minimal, especially when compared to the impact that the approved ziplines, ATV, tubing, horseback riding and biking tours have on other agricultural lands, he said.
“There will be no effect on the watershed at all,” the long-time pilot said, adding that the path to the falls is an existing trail.
The tour would include a very short walk up the existing and accessible maintenance trail adjacent to the existing agricultural ditch, he stated in a November press release.
Lofstedt also has said that the Federal Aviation Administration has been taken to the site, and that it approved the landing patterns.
Lofstedt and his wife Bonnie, of Po‘ipu, have owned and operated Island Helicopters since 1980.
The company maintains two helicopters, which fly out of a heliport at Lihu‘e Airport, and employs 18 local residents, he said.
“The tour will lessen the number of flights that Island Helicopters can take around the island, due to the ground time,” Lofstedt says in the release. “The stop will be for approximately 20 minutes.”
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
