POLIHALE — Ever since he was a child, Kalaheo resident Mark Stiglmeier said he has enjoyed the many recreational activities Polihale Beach has to offer. Not having the continued privilege of driving on the sand would prohibit him — as
POLIHALE — Ever since he was a child, Kalaheo resident Mark Stiglmeier said he has enjoyed the many recreational activities Polihale Beach has to offer. Not having the continued privilege of driving on the sand would prohibit him — as well as many others — from partaking in those pastimes.
“You can only access certain portions of the beach from a vehicle,” he said Friday. “It’s our lifestyle and we don’t want that taken away.”
Efforts are reportedly underway to prevent further access by motorized vehicles on the beach and some residents are voicing their displeasure.
“The only way you can get down there is by a vehicle; you can’t be traipsing around on the hot sand,” Stiglmeier said.
Fred Deckwitz of Kapa‘a agreed, saying he feels “very strongly” about this issue.
At 81-years-old, he said the only way he can reach the end of the beach once a month to visit the site where his youngest son’s ashes were scattered is by four-wheel drive.
“I doubt there’s a single one of us that wouldn’t resent this,” he said, regarding recent threats of permanent enforcement of the state law restricting motorized vehicles on the sand. “It’s an awful mistake to tell us local people not to drive on the beach.”
The Department of Land and Natural Resource’s Chapter 13-221 Land Division Unencumbered Lands rule states, “No person shall drive a motor vehicle on the premises except on roads, trails, or tracks designated or provided for vehicular use.”
In addition, the state parks administrative law says, “No person shall drive vehicles and motorized bikes, including but not limited to, automobiles, trucks, vans, motorcycles, motor bikes, mopeds, scooters and trail bikes except on designated roads.”
When a complaint is phoned into the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, an officer will respond, said Deborah Ward, DLNR’s information specialist.
“When officers do respond, they will investigate the complaint accordingly and issue citations or warnings (or educate park users about the administrative rules),” she said in an e-mail Thursday.
DLNR has recently been receiving “several e-mails from the Kaua‘i community complaining” about DOCARE officers carrying out enforcement.
“They felt that being able to drive on the beach allowed them to bring their gear with them to their desired recreational location and to avoid having to walk long distances from a parking area, where a car might be subject to illegal acts,” Ward wrote. “They also felt that having a vehicle nearby was an aid for safety in the event of an emergency.”
Stiglmeier said surfers have made many rescues on the remote Westside beach and it was only possible because they had close access to a truck.
When asked if he thought driving on the beach was detrimental to the environment, Stiglmeier said he personally did not think so.
However, state aquatic biologist Don Heacock said the ecosystem could be impacted by vehicle use.
Environmental concerns include the use of fuel-inefficient vehicles that use “lots of gasoline,” internal combustion engines that can drip petroleum, grease and oil onto the beach, as well as impacting the sand where turtles nest, he said.
“The overall intent of driving on the beach was to allow fishermen to launch their boats,” he said Friday, but added that some have been “abusing the original intent” with activities such as drinking and “joy riding” on the beach.
Stiglmeier agreed there are some who “take advantage of the situation,” but said most people only use the opportunity to access areas of the beach that wouldn’t be possible without some form of vehicular transportation.
“It would be sad to lose this,” he said.
• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.
