LIHU‘E — There was quiet jubilation and celebration on Wednesday when Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami put the pen to Bill No. 2890 that ensures the preservation and public access to Halulu Fishpond located on the North Shore.
LIHU‘E — There was quiet jubilation and celebration on Wednesday when Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami put the pen to Bill No. 2890 that ensures the preservation and public access to Halulu Fishpond located on the North Shore.
“Bill No. 2890 culminates years of work by the Waipa Foundation, Trust for Public lands, Open Space commissioners, the Kaua‘i County Council, the county’s staff, and the support of the state of Hawai‘i Legacy Land Conservation Fund, and the state Legislature,” Kawakami said.
“This ensures that the Waipa Foundation will fulfill its vision to permanently own and manage Halulu Fishpond as an important resource and living learning center.”
Under Bill No. 2890, $850,000 of the Public Access, Open Space And Natural Resources Preservation Fund was approved for the Waipa Foundation to acquire the Halulu Fishpond and its access formerly owned by the Waioli Corporation.
“The hardest part of this bill was finding the right people to malama and steward the land,” said Kaua‘i County Council member and former mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.
Additionally, the county will secure a conservation easement to benefit and protect that resource in perpetuity.
An additional $450,000 of funding was also secured from the State of Hawai‘i Legacy Land Conservation Fund and state Legislature.
The acquisition guarantees that the properties and lands adjacent to the fishpond are not developed, and instead, protected in perpetuity through development restrictions along with the fishpond. This will bolster Waipa Foundation’s ability to continue impactful programming and steward the entire ahupua‘a, mauka to makai.
