LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Council plans to fund a North Shore nonprofit’s purchase of an access route to the Halulu Fishpond in Waipa, in hopes of preserving the property in perpetuity.
At a Wednesday meeting that was delayed due to heavy Kuhio Highway traffic, the council unanimously approved Bill No. 2890 on second and final reading, which allocates $850,000 in county funds for the Waipa Foundation nonprofit to make the buy.
“I have a lot of confidence in the organization and really recognize the gift they are to the North Shore community and the island as a whole,” said Council Member Felicia Cowden, a North Shore resident, who said she has previously volunteered with the nonprofit. “I am enthusiastically supportive of keeping the pathway and the fishpond in its renovated state.”
Founded in 1994, the Waipa Foundation acts as stewards over the Waipa region, caring for natural resources, growing and distributing cultural food, and providing educational opportunities for thousands of visitors.
The one-quarter acre access in question, located on the makai side of Kuhio Highway, is owned by the nonprofit Waioli Corporation, which expressed interest in selling the property. The Waipa Foundation leases the neighboring Halulu Fishpond and 1,600 acres of surrounding land from Kamehameha Schools, the largest private landowner in the state.
The total cost of the access purchase will come out to between $1.1 and $1.3 million, pending a new appraisal. The purchase is so costly because of the location in the highly valued area near Hanalei Bay.
Waipa Foundation has already put together $50,000 in grant funding from the state Board of Land and Natural Resources Legacy Land Conservation Program, along with $400,000 in capital improvement projects funding from the state Legislature.
The route will be managed by the nonprofit, which will grant limited public access in order to keep the property well-maintained.
“What we advocate for is our traditional value of access for kuleana (responsibility),” said Waipa Foundation Executive Director Stacy Sproat at the bill’s introduction in November 2022. “For cultural practice and gathering or if people malama (take care of) the area, then absolutely we allow them access. We just need to manage it.”
The group hopes to prevent the land, which is utilized for educational tours and for fishpond management, from being bought out and developed by a third party. A neighboring two parcels have already been developed.
The bill was submitted by request of the county Public Access, Open Space & Natural Resources Preservation Fund Commission. It will now go to Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami for final disposition.
The Waipa Foundation initially formed as Hawaiian Farmers of Hanalei in the 1980s, in opposition to resort and golf course development plans in the region. In 1986, the community group was able to obtain the lease from Kamehameha Schools. The Waipa Foundation organized as a nonprofit in 1994 and took over the master lease for Waipa in 2005.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
