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Committee forwards conservation‑easement plan to protect Kealakekua parcel
Summary
The Hawaii County committee voted to forward Resolution 552‑26, authorizing the director of finance to negotiate a conservation easement over about 1.26 acres near Kealakekua, after community testimony and assurances of matching funds; the committee recommended the measure to the full council by unanimous voice vote (9‑0).
The Hawaii County Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions voted to forward Resolution 552‑26 to the full council with a favorable recommendation, authorizing the director of finance to negotiate acquisition of a conservation easement over roughly 1.26 acres at Kokuakealakekua in South Kona.
Community leaders and nonprofit partners urged the committee to approve the measure, saying the easement would help protect cultural and natural resources and provide a community‑managed gateway to Kealakekua Bay. "I humbly ask for your support in passing Resolution 55,226," said Kanani Enos, director of cultural and community affairs for Hoʻala Kealakekua Nui. Reina Ramulet Hayashi, project manager at the Trust for Public Land, said TPL has secured $700,000 in matching funds from the State Legacy Land Conservation Program to support the purchase and described a planned sequence in which TPL would purchase the property, transfer it to Hoʻala Kealakekua Nui, and have the County hold a conservation easement in perpetuity.
The testimony stressed unmanaged tourism and resource pressures at Kealakekua Bay. "Over 65,000 people annually go up and down just the trail alone," said Shane Palakat Nelson, executive director of Hoʻala Kealakekua Nui, arguing that community stewardship of the parcel would help manage access, parking and safety.
Why it matters: supporters said the parcel is a strategic, community‑led step toward restoring ahupuaʻa connections and protecting cultural landscape features that have been damaged by unmanaged visitation. Trust for Public Land officials told the committee the project ranked first on the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission list and that state matching funds are secured, reducing the county’s share to complete the deal.
Committee action and next steps: Councilmember Galimba moved, and Councilmember Villegas seconded, to forward Resolution 552‑26 to the full council with a favorable recommendation. The committee recorded nine ayes and the motion carried; the full council will consider the measure next per its regular agenda process.
No formal conditions or amendments to the resolution were recorded at the committee level. The county’s stated plan in committee testimony is that the Trust for Public Land will purchase the property and transfer it to Hoʻala Kealakekua Nui while the County will hold the conservation easement to protect the site in perpetuity.
