OHA updates trustees on Kukaniloko master plan, REPI grant and agricultural due diligence

Laurie Walker, interim land director for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, briefed the committee on March 5 on implementation steps for the Wahiawa lands surrounding the Kukaniloko birthstones and on community stewardship partnerships that have advanced vegetation and education efforts.

Walker reminded trustees that the board approved the conceptual master plan (CMP) for the 511-acre property in 2018 and that implementation is guided by prior documents including a traditional and cultural practices report and the conservation easement inherited with the property. She said management authority over the five acres that contain the birthstones was transferred to OHA by gubernatorial executive order in 2020.

Walker described four programmatic outcomes that emerged from the planning process: an education continuum to support intergenerational cultural training; a vegetation continuum focused on soil remediation, invasive-species removal and native reforestation; a "hub-and-spoke" model linking Kukaniloko to other lands and resources; and integrated programming to combine cultural, educational and agricultural work.

Community partners…