Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Leave a Comment

Kāne‘ohe Bay – UH SOEST Image

 This image accompanies the story of dredging in Kāne‘ohe Bay.
The attached image generally shows Kāne‘ohe Bay as it is today.
The Marine Base is at the bottom/right, the “Ship Channel” runs from there, all the way to the top of the image, past Mokoli‘i (Chinaman’s Hat) across from the Kualoa Park.
Zoom in and you can follow the channel from the Base, weaves through the Bay, to the entrance/exit at Mokoli‘i.
Notice the patch reefs with discernible straight edges … that’s the result of the dredging operations.
               
Likewise, you can see areas that have clear cuts in reefs that look submerged (almost like shadows between untouched reefs and deeper water) – these were the areas dredged to lesser depths.
(Here’s a link to download a high resolution of the UH SOEST Kaneohe Bay Poster:

by Leave a Comment

Shoreline Certifications – Some Interesting Issues

We previously discussed some aspects of shorelines and their impact on shoreline access and shoreline hardening (i.e. seawalls and revetments.)
Today, I want to bring up an interesting quirk about shoreline certifications – the impact of ancient fishponds and other artificial structures on certifying where a “shoreline” should be.
Remember, shorelines are “certified” for County setback purposes; they do not determine ownership. They serve as points of reference in determining where improvements may be placed on coastal property.
When the State surveyor is satisfied with the location of the shoreline, after reviewing the public comments, the maps and photos prepared by the private surveyor and site inspection, he forwards the shoreline maps to the Chairperson of DLNR, for final review and approval.
When I was Chair at DLNR, I signed each of the maps and certified the shorelines.
Certified shorelines also serve as managerial and jurisdictional dividing lines. Issues mauka of the certified shoreline fall under the County jurisdiction (zoning, SMA and setback regulations;) lands makai of the line are under control of the State (and are automatically “conservation”.)
Consistent with the overarching purpose behind shoreline certifications, certified shorelines sometimes deviate from the CZMA definition (HRS §205A-1) of “shoreline.”
Example where “shoreline” is makai of boundary line:
State law (HRS §205A-42(a)) provides that where legally constructed artificial structures are involved, the shoreline is certified not at the upper reaches of the wash of the waves, but, instead at the “interface between the shoreline and the structure,” i.e., at the seaward edge of the artificial structure.
“Artificial structures” include such things as seawalls, piers, boat ramps, groins, revetments and harbor facilities. When such structures are placed on state lands with the State’s permission and consent, but are for private use, the State charges the private user for the use of state lands.
Thus, even though the certified shoreline may be makai of the artificial structure, the State’s property boundary, as acknowledged by the State and the private user, is somewhere mauka of the certified shoreline.
Example where “shoreline” is mauka of boundary line:
On the other end of the spectrum, the lands makai of the upper reaches of the wash of the waves are not always the property of the State.
Some coastal fishponds, although on submerged lands makai of the upper reaches of the wash of the waves, are privately owned. Nevertheless, the certified shoreline is at the natural shore and not the artificial wall of the fishpond.
Hawai’i Administrative Rule §13-222-16(7) states: “Where an artificial wall seaward of the natural shore is used to create a fishpond, the shoreline shall be at the natural shore and not at the artificial outer wall.”
That is because the existence of a coastal fishpond does not alter the rationale for not allowing developments too close to the coast. In these cases, therefore, the certified shoreline is mauka of the property boundary line.
To illustrate this, I am using a Google Earth image of the coastal area from our old neighborhood on Kaneohe Bay, where I grew up as a kid.
The parcel boundaries are shown; note the boundary line (blue arrow) of the parcels goes out to the end of the seawall of the old fishpond.
The “shoreline” in this case, would be along the coast (white arrow,) rather than at the fishpond wall.

by Leave a Comment

John Young

It’s hard to tell the story of John Young without including Isaac Davis.
They arrived in Hawai‘i at the same time (on different boats) and they served Kamehameha I as co-advisors.  I’ll try to keep the focus on Young, here (but remember, their roles in Hawai‘i are pretty similar.)
John Young, a boatswain on the British fur trading vessel, Eleanora, was stranded on the Island of Hawai‘i in 1790.  Kamehameha brought Young to Kawaihae, where he was building the massive temple, Pu’ukoholā Heiau.
For the next several years, John Young, and another British sailor, Isaac Davis, went on to assist Kamehameha in his unification of the Hawaiian Islands.
Because of his knowledge of European warfare, Young is said to have trained Kamehameha and his men in the use of muskets and cannons.  In addition, both Young and Davis fought alongside Kamehameha in his many battles.
With these powerful new weapons and associated war strategy, Kamehameha eventually brought all of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule.
Young was instrumental in building fortifications throughout the Islands, which included the conversion of Mailekini Heiau (below Pu‘ukoholā Heiau) into a fort, which he armed with as many as 21 ship cannons.
Because of his common practice of yelling “All Hands!” during battle and training, the Hawaiians came to know Young by the name Olohana, a Hawaiian use of this English phrase.
Young also served as a negotiator for the king, securing various trade and political agreements with many of the foreigners that visited the Islands.
When Captain George Vancouver visited Hawai‘i Island in 1793, he observed that both Young and Davis “are in his [Kamehameha’s] most perfect confidence, attend him in all his excursions of business or pleasure, or expeditions of war or enterprise; and are in the habit of daily experiencing from him the greatest respect, and the highest degree of esteem and regard.”
Of all the lands given to Young (on various islands,) he chose a homestead near Pu‘ukoholā Heiau in Kawaihae to raise his family; he called it Pahukanilua.  He built his houses of basalt, the heavy, dark lava rock readily available near his site.
Young also had coral blocks brought by canoe from the reef at Puako, dried them, and made a plaster of sand and burnt coral mixed with poi and hair.
Kamehameha appointed John Young as Governor of Kamehameha’s home island, Hawai‘i Island, and gave him a seat next to himself in the ruling council of chiefs.
In 1819, Young was one of the few present at the death of Kamehameha I.
He then actively assisted Kamehameha II (Liholiho) in retaining his authority over the various factions that arose at his succession to the throne.
Young was also present for the ending of the kapu system in 1819 and, a few months later, advised the new king to allow the first Protestant missionaries to settle in the Islands
He was married twice.  His descendants were also prominent in Hawaiian history.  The most prominent of his descendants was his granddaughter, Queen Emma.
Besides her most notable accomplishment, the founding of the Queen’s Hospital, which still serves the people of Hawai‘i, she gracefully represented the Kingdom throughout the world, making official visits to the White House and Buckingham Palace.
Both Davis and Young lived out their lives in the Islands. When Davis died in 1810, Young adopted the Davis children.
Finally, in 1835, at the age of 93, John Young, statesman, high chief, friend and advisor to Kamehameha the Great, died at his daughter’s home on O‘ahu.
Although Young had died by the time of the Great Māhele land division, his property was awarded to his wife and children, including the children of Isaac Davis.  His service to Kamehameha was considered to be so great that Young’s heirs did not have to pay commutation for their māhele awards.
John Young and his granddaughter Emma are buried at Mauna ‘Ala (the Royal Mausoleum on O‘ahu,) the final resting place of the high chiefs and royalty of the Kamehameha and Kalākaua dynasties.
The image is of John Young, a colorized drawing initially by Jacques Arago.  I have also added some additional images related to John Young (including his granddaughter Queen Emma and Queen’s Hospital) in a folder of like name in the Photos section of my Facebook page.

by Leave a Comment

Do Cats Have Nine Lives?

I am not sure, but I know Patches, our cat, has survived a few circumstances that suggest it could be true.
Years ago, on a quick trip into town in the old Trooper, at a stop at the traffic signal in the middle of Waimea, Nelia heard a faint and fearful “meow” coming from outside.
She got out and found Patches cowering on the roof of the car, having traveled al fresco for a couple miles through the neighborhood.
On another occasion, returning from a weekend trip to Volcano, we looked high and low for Patches.
She was nowhere to be found.
At the time, she was an ‘outside’ cat, so we feared she ran away or something worse.
We were relieved to see her scamper out of the storage room in the garage when we put away our Volcano gear.  (She snuck in when we initially packed the truck with our stuff.)
Over the weekend, she somehow managed to pierce a grape soda can and apparently survived on soda and cardboard for the weekend.
Speaking of eating, Patches’ new “adventure” is not eating.
As of today, is has been 17-months that she has not eaten on her own.
Using needleless syringes, we force feed her soft food four to five times a day.
The adventures continue.

by Leave a Comment

Aka‘ula School, Moloka‘i – A Model In Environmental Education

Education has always been important to me; while I was at DLNR, environmental education was a focus.
Ultimately, the goal was about making sure young people understand the interrelationship of the things around us and the responsibility we share on making sure we do the right thing.
Ultimately, it’s about the future, not what’s in it for any of us, now.
We started meetings with the DOE and looking at opportunities and programs to consider around the state; Aka‘ula School on Moloka‘i kept coming up in peoples’ conversations.
Something good was obviously happening there and we needed to understand what it was and include them in the process.
I called the principal and asked if I could visit the school; I spent the day watching what they were doing and interacting with the kids.
On that visit I was inundated with pointed questions from the student body about invasive plants and animals, endangered species, ballast water, etc.
The students demonstrated a surprising awareness of their surroundings and factors that may impact the quality of life for them, their family and future generations.
It was immediately evident that these students were engaged by the curriculum developed at Aka‘ula and by fields of study in which their “laboratory” was in their back yards and neighborhoods.
The lessons they learned about our fragile and precious resources were obviously strong, clear and lasting.      
Aka‘ula School is a private middle school in Kaunakakai Moloka‘i.  Their school motto is “Learning and Leading Together.”
The school incorporates the concept of PRISM (Providing Resolutions with Integrity for a Sustainable Molokai) it its curriculum.
The PRISM program has a long history on Molokaʻi and has received recognition and awards at local, state, national and international levels as an exemplary environmental education program.
PRISM was started to engage students in learning skills to become effective participants in their community.
To do this, teachers bring students, community resource managers and other leaders together on issues such as solid waste, land use, energy, ecotourism and biodiversity.
Developing these connections and networking with the community has led to increased interest in school by students, parents and community members. 
The ultimate intention of PRISM is to prepare environmentally literate citizens who are willing and able to make informed decisions which promote both the quality of human life and the quality of the environment.
In 2003, National and Molokai-specific research showed that PRISM students improved their critical thinking and problem solving skills and demonstrated the ability to be contributing community members.
Students participating in the program were reported to be more mature, have more poise, self-esteem and leadership ability, and were more autonomous than their peers.
Based on this commitment to education and recognizing there were good models to follow, at DLNR we initiated a legislative bill to expand the number of Charter Schools in the State through the establishment of new environmental education-focused charter schools (at least one per island.)
We suggested the Aka‘ula School was a perfect model for schools with a curriculum based on environmental issues.
Unfortunately, the legislature did not pass the bill.  Hmmm.
Too often, neighbor island initiatives are overlooked and must yield to Honolulu-centric thinking.  It’s too bad, Moloka‘i and Aka‘ula School have a lot to teach the rest of us.