Ho'opili Project Is Definition Of Insanity - From Transit System To Really Massive Land Development Scheme

Ho'opili Project Is Definition Of Insanity - From Transit System To Really Massive Land Development Scheme

John Bond,  Kanehili Cultural Hui

You have to really wonder why so many experts in soil science, traffic, farming and three former governors OPPOSED the Ho'opili Project. The main PROPONENT for Ho'opili was Ex-Governor Abercrombie and we all know how popular he became after shoving it forward in 2012 with his pro-developer stacked Land Use Commission panel.

H-1 is already a total nightmare and this project will way OVERBUILD West Oahu adding 12,000 more homes on top of many other large home and land development projects. This will literally create a major environmental DISASTER with completely grid locked traffic. Absolutely everything is BAD about this project because it also paves over West Oahu's best farmland and creates massive polluted water runoff that will be directed either into Pearl Harbor or the offshore reef system.

Just for those who don't know, the REAL NAME for this area is not Ho'opili but instead Honouliuli which was a 1000 year old native Hawaiian food bread basket and traditional cultural place (TCP) supporting the largest Hawaiian population on the island of Oahu.

http://www.stophoopili.com/watch-testimony.html

Honouliuli farm lands are the Golden Triangle of deep rich chocolate brown volcanic soil fed by a multitude of natural freshwater springs from the Waianae mountains. It remains an ideal location for high volume fresh farm vegetables and sustainable agriculture today and covering it with concrete and asphalt will literally be a crime against the public.

All open areas of the Ewa Plain are now being filled in with buildings, concrete and asphalt. All this polluted surface water has to run off through gutters into either the ocean or permanent holding ponds.

Nearly all of the once bountiful ocean resources are
being killed off around the Ewa Plain...It's becoming a huge, polluted, traffic 

choked nightmare with continuous building approvals by City and State government officials.

This last open farmland area will soon be filled in with buildings, asphalt and concrete. When this was sugar cane fields the water naturally percolated back into the karst aquifer.

FTA and HART Failed To Recognize 

Federal Judge Ruling On Rail Route TCP's

 http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/Judge-Tashima-HART-Rail-Lawsuit.html

 

Honouliuli Ewa's Makakilo Kalo'i Gulch - A Rare In Depth Survey Of This Important Cultural Property

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/honouliuli-ewa-makakilo-kaloi-gulch.html

 

Honouliuli Ewa TCP's Are Important Wahi Pana (Sacred Places) On Multi-Dimensional Levels

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/honouliuli-ewa-tcps-are-important.html

 

FTA and HART Rail Misrepresent The True Ewa Honouliuli Native Hawaiian Spirit Pathway

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/fta-and-hart-rail-misrepresent-TCP.html

 

West Oahu Residents Speak Out At Important Ag Lands And Hoopili Station Meetings

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/west-oahu-residents-speak-out.html

 

Ewa Plantation Prime Ag Land Still Retains Centuries Old Traditional Agricultural Features

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/05/ewa-plantation-prime-ag-land.html

A Tomb Stone To A 1000 Year Old Native Hawaiian Traditional Cultural Place

Ewa Plains HART Guideway and Stations Intersects with 1825 Malden Trail Survey

Ewa Plains HART Guideway and Stations Intersects with 1825 Malden Trail Survey

By John Bond, Kanehili Cultural Hui

Hawaiian royal cloak in Bishop Museum from 1825 HMS Blonde expedition to Oahu.

Ewa Plain Trails Map by Lt. Malden, Royal Navy

South Oahu Trails Map

Ewa Plain Karst (Ancient Coral Reef)

New AIS Testimony: HART Rail Route Damages 

Traditional Hawaiian Cultural Properties

by John Bond, Kanehili Cultural Hui

Numerous groups and organizations submitted comments and testimony on the 22 mile Honolulu Rail Archaeological Impact Statement (AIS) to the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) to meet the May 30th Deadline. The new AIS comment period had been extended because of last year's Hawaii Supreme Court ruling that the rail AIS cannot be done in phases or segments.

The previous 2009 AIS omitted a great deal of valid cultural information, many groups were not consulted, and data was skewed to fit a 'rush-to-begin-building-the-rail' agenda, rather than any attempt at honest historic and cultural preservation. The law finally caught up with them.

In his ruling, Federal Judge Wallace Tashima made a special point of noting his concern about the identification of Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs) along the HART rail route. It was later made clear in recent HART meetings that TCP's include all cultures, not just native Hawaiian, as per federal law.

HART is required to also adhere to Department of Transportation Act of 1966 special provision - Section 4(f) - which stipulates that US DOT agencies-including the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), cannot approve the use of land from wildlife and waterfowl refuges or public or private historical sites unless both of the following conditions apply:

1. There is no feasible and prudent alternative.
2. The action includes all possible planning to minimize harm to the property resulting from use.

Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner Mike Lee, along with Hawaii Thousand Friends, submitted approximately 800 pages of detailed comment and testimony on the HART Rail AIS covering the entire 22 mile route. This package included maps, photographs, emails with many agencies (HART, SHPD, DLNR, BLNR, Oahu Burial Council, HCDA, etc.) that go back nearly a decade, as well as news articles, historic research and citations, legal documents and filings, native Hawaiian rights, the Clean Water Act, and much more.

A key issue for Lee is the identification of the ancient coral reef limestone along the Oahu shoreline known as Karst, which connects volcanic mountain lava tube water to the shoreline Karst reef water systems. These water springs feed a shoreline ecosystem and was how ancient Hawaiians managed their fish ponds. The Karst was also of very high spiritual importance to ancient Hawaiians and used for sacred burials, such as downtown Honolulu on the grounds of I'olani Palace where there is an ancient Karst burial cave.

"I wanted them to know that I wasn't just making this up ten minutes ago" said Lee. "I am a Konohikist- I believe in the ecological management and protection of our very important natural island water systems. Protecting our Wahi Kapu sites is also very important to me."

Lee's testimony concerns identification and protection of important Hawaiian cultural sites along the rail route, including wahi pana (sacred sites) and wahi kapu (sacred burial areas) and their inclusion into a TCP (Traditional Cultural Properties) that would make sure these special sites, caves, caverns, springs, ponds and water systems are preserved and not contaminated during rail construction.

Also included were photographs of Kawaiaha'o Church which is a graphic example of early Karst limestone block construction. The church and surrounding walls are made of rough ancient reef from the shoreline and ancient sea shells and marine organisms can be clearly seen. The church is also located on the site of an important ancient Karst spring. Nearby I'olani Palace and the royal guard barracks are also constructed from Karst limestone blocks from the shoreline.

In addition, Kanehili Cultural Hui also submitted another approximately 250 pages of detailed comment and testimony on the the HART Rail AIS- primarily concerned with the Honouliuli - Ewa area and the documentation of previously unidentified Traditional Cultural Properties (TCP), Ewa Historic Districts, Ewa Dec 7, 1941 Battlefield Area and an outline for a Honouliuli - Ewa Cultural Landscape Report.

Many current or former Ewa Village residents helped by supplying historic documents, maps, photos and oral histories. The Kanehili Hui name comes from the original Hawaiian name for the Honouliuli - Ewa area and is mentioned by Hawaiian goddess Hi'iaka in her famous and often quoted chants when she traveled through the Ewa Plains area approximately 1000 years ago.

The Kanehili Cultural Hui 501-c-3 non-profit community organization is concerned with the entire cultural history of the area- from ancient times to modern times.

A key focus of the Kanehili Cultural Hui report and testimony was on the 1825 Malden Trails (ancient Hawaiian Trails- believed to have possibly been originally constructed by very early Tahitian arrivals to Kanehili) which played a major role in the Hawaiian cultural history of the Honouliuli-Ewa area, and which was entirely left out of the HART Rail AIS. 

The fixed guideway and stations directly overlay the 1825 trails as well as the Kalo'i Karst waterway that flows to the Ewa shoreline.

Also of major importance is the identification and location of the Leina a ka Uhane, a sacred spiritual leaping off place for souls returning to the ancient homeland of Tahiti. This is a National Register eligible TCP, yet HART and the SHPD administrator has continuously tried to minimize the importance and geographic area of this TCP as well as apparently intentionally misidentify its location, despite the error being brought to their attention several times since last year.

The previous Rail AIS also failed in many ways to adequately document important Honouliuli - Ewa cultural sites such as the greater Ewa Plantation and railway network that was the largest private railway in Hawaii. The Oahu Railway that served Honouliuli - Ewa plantation railway was chartered under King David Kalakaua.

A Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) is the primary report that documents the history, significance and treatment of a cultural landscape. A CLR evaluates the history and integrity of the landscape including any changes to its geographical context, features, materials, and use. 

 

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Honolulu City Council RESOLUTION 12-172, CD1 (2012) passed unanimously:

URGING THE HAWAII COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND THE STATE OF HAWAII TO RECOGNIZE AND PRESERVE THE HISTORIC TRAILS OF THE EWA PLAINS

WHEREAS, the trails in the Ewa Plains area later known as Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Ewa and Naval Air Station (NAS) Barbers Point, and today called Kalaeloa as administered by the Hawaii Community Development Authority, are part of the greater Ewa Plains of West Oahu; and

WHEREAS, the Ewa Plains is a massive ancient karst coral reef where ocean meets mountain streams and fresh rain water percolates through porous 100,000 year old coral to spawn freshwater shrimp and one of Hawaii’s most diverse limu varieties; and

WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails and their adjacent historic sites provide clues as to how communities were linked socially, economically, and politically; which areas were important in early times, places of commerce, and religion; and where valuable forest or sea resources were once located; and

WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails were first identified after Western contact by Lieutenant C.R. Maiden of the Royal Navy in 1825 and became known as the Maiden Trails on the first published Oahu maps; and

WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails identified by Maiden became used for ranching and horseback transportation and became an indelible part of West Oahu’s 150 year old Paniolo and Pa’u horseback culture and early Hawaiian Kingdom history of ranches and farms which were the original Western economic settlements of the Ewa Plains; and

WHEREAS, these identified trails became the location where the Ewa Mill and Plantation was established and why the Oahu Railway was extended to this very important trailside agricultural community which allowed sugar cane to become the major economic engine of the Ewa Plains; and

WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails in 1925, due to the nearby location of Ewa Mill and the Oahu Railway, became incorporated into the United States (U.S.) Navy development of Ewa Mooring Mast Field as a naval airship mooring site; and

WHEREAS, these trails, springs, and underground karst water transport system later became further documented in State and Federal land surveys and aquifer maps, and in 1941 when the Ewa Mooring Mast Field became a U.S. Marine Corps airbase known as Ewa Field, these walking and horse ranch trails continued to be used by the Marines and Ewa Plantation community for access to the shoreline; and

WHEREAS, after the Japanese air attack on December 7, 1941 and the great expansion of the area into military airports which became MCAS Ewa and NAS Barbers Point during World War II, these trails were important for military training, patrols on foot and mounted Marine Corps horseback security patrols; and

WHEREAS, after the closure of the Marine and Navy airbases, published I 950s maps show the trails on former MCAS Ewa that are still used today by the Barbers Point riding club; and

WHEREAS, these historic horse and foot trails also link with the over 100 year old Oahu Railway right-of-way and Pearl Harbor Historic Trail plan that allows travel by foot, horse or bike from Pearl Harbor to Nanakuli, and which places the Ewa Plains trails as a center junction point and provides access to the Ewa shoreline; and

WHEREAS, an educational feature of these Ewa Plains trails could also be restored karst sinkhole sites along the trailways explaining the ecological system that sustains the iimu, nourishes food sources such as freshwater shrimp and which helps perpetuate Ewa’s offshore fisheries and sustainability; and

WHEREAS, these trails’ could become a cultural, historic, recreational and educational experience of walking, biking or horseback riding over trails featuring native Hawaiian plants, bird and aquatic life, telling cultural histories, explaining geological facts; and

WHEREAS, an Ewa Plains historic trails project could be a community supported endeavor bringing together cultural practitioners, educators, scientists, environmental and veteran organizations in a positive, holistic concept for community education, recreation and restoration; and

WHEREAS, recreational trails in Ewa could qualify for federal National Park Service (NPS) Recreational Trails Program funding,as well as Surface Transportation Program Flexible, Transportation Enhancement, and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Program funding and would be consistent with the Oahu Regional Transportation Plan; and

WHEREAS, federal programs such as the NPS Service Battlefield Protection Program have already awarded a $53,000 grant to help define the Ewa Field battlefield as an historic site, and which could include walking trails and points for historic interpretation; and

WHEREAS, federal programs such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have programs to restore Ewa Plains karst sinkholes and have already demonstrated that native freshwater shrimp can be restocked and flourish in these unique karst sinkhole habitats, providing working environments for education and training; and

WHEREAS, there are many interested individuals from equestrian clubs, biking, recreational groups, schools, colleges and universities, active duty military family and morale, welfare and recreation organizations, that could benefit from and assist in supporting an Ewa Plains trails program; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City and County of Honolulu that it supports the mapping and identification of historic trails in the Ewa Plains; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the State of Hawaii, the United States government, and the City and County of Honolulu are urged to participate in the mapping and identification of the Ewa Plains historic trails; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City and County of Honolulu will not expend any monies to provide for the mapping and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the Governor, the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the President of the United States, the Commander of United States Pacific Command, and the Mayor.

DATE OF INTRODUCTION: 2012 (Passed unanimously 2012)

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Ewa Plantation Prime Ag Land Still Retains Centuries Old Traditional Agricultural Features

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/05/ewa-plantation-prime-ag-land.html

West Oahu Residents Speak Out At Important Ag Lands And Hoopili Station Meetings

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/west-oahu-residents-speak-out.html

FTA and HART Rail Misrepresent The True Ewa Honouliuli Native Hawaiian Spirit Pathway

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/fta-and-hart-rail-misrepresent-TCP.html

Honouliuli Ewa TCP's Are Important Wahi Pana (Sacred Places) On Multi-Dimensional Levels

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/honouliuli-ewa-tcps-are-important.html

Honouliuli Ewa's Makakilo Kalo'i Gulch - A Rare In Depth Survey Of This Important Cultural Property

http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2015/06/honouliuli-ewa-makakilo-kaloi-gulch.html

BILL 65 Ewa Development Plan Community Amendments

BILL 65 Ewa Development Plan Community Amendments

Ewa Development Plan Amendments Suggested from Previous EDP Community Meetings

 

1.      There should be NO BIOLAB allowed in Ewa under the Ewa Development Plan. The planned Level 3 Bio Lab will work with some of the most dangerous viruses in the world. There should be no deadly diseases brought into Ewa for experimentation on live animals. The proposed Level 3 Bio Lab will be built in very close proximity to a child day-care center and many very large nearby home rental developments and Hawaiian Homelands developments. Beyond them in close proximity are elementary, junior and senior schools with thousands of students.

2.      DHHL DeBartolo Shopping Center Compliance With Ewa Development Plan. The DHHL DeBartolo Shopping Center project, proposed as the second largest in the State of Hawaii with two large hotels and a massive parking structure, needs to be re-examined by DHHL and conformed to the intent of the Ewa Development Plan. Public hearings are needed along with meetings with DHHL administration to encourage compliance with the EDP. The State and City governments should arrange land swaps with DHHL in the central Kapolei business district so that DHHL can achieve their revenue goals while also being in compliance with the EDP.

3.      No desalination plant in EDP. The concept of Hawaiian ahupua'a sustainability and the Konohiki system should be the guiding policy with no desalination plant in the Ewa Development Plan. New development in the Ewa Plains should cease when there is the clear warning that natural aquifer water resources are being maximized. Without a wise guiding water supply policy based upon centuries of observation and knowledge the Ewa Plains are doomed to a future landscape that is vastly over built, over crowded and over polluted with exhausted water resources and ever higher public and private maintenance fees.

4.      Requirement that before any new schools in the Ewa Development Plan can be constructed with air-conditioning that all current schools be provided with air-conditioning first.

5.      Ewa Village Master Plan Needs To Be Completed. Recommend a Special Cultural and Historical Preservation District be established in Kalaeloa / 'Ewa to include: Ewa Field battlefield, the Hawaiian archeological features,  the OR & L Railway, the three (3) 'Ewa Historic Villages (Renton, Tenney and Varona), the plantation Manager's Mansion and the old grave yard and have all of these sites placed on the National Historic Register.

6.      East West connector road-  no Hoopili/Dr Horton development allowed until that road is built first and completed, from Kualaka`i Parkway to Aawa Drive.

7.      The Critical Need To Preserve Top Grade Irrigation Ready Food Sustainability Farmland. The State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture has confirmed that a majority of the Ho'opili lands slated for development are classified as "A" or "B" grade, or "prime" lands under the state's agricultural land grading system.

 

8.      Ewa Historic & Cultural Resources. This area was known as Kanehili and encompasses Hawaiian trails, habitation sites, burial sites and traditional cultural practice areas. Leina a ka Uhane (spiritual leaping off place back to the homeland of Tahiti) – wahi pana (sacred place) which was in the very recent April 2012 HART TCP (Traditional Cultural Place) Survey Report.

9.      Preservation of Special Ewa Plains Historic Heritage Trails. Recognize that there still are very special Ewa Historic Trails, first identified on Western maps in 1825 with coordination with the State of Hawaii “Na Ala Hele” Hawaii Trail and Access Program to begin the geographic information system registration of the Ewa Plains trails into the State’s historic trails inventory.

10.   HCDA Kalaeloa Coordination with City Ewa Development Plan. HCDA should conform to the Ewa Development Plan and not allow Spot Zoning projects which may not be compatible with the adjacent Ewa communities and commerical/industrial areas.

11.   Kapolei Business District. Build the downtown business district in Kapolei proper defined by boundaries of Kalaeloa Boulevard to the west and Ft. Barrett Road to the east parallel between Kapolei Parkway and Farrington Highway.

 

12.   Ewa Plains Karst Water System. The Ewa Plains is composed of a major ancient coral reef Karst fresh water system with important hydrological and geological features that requires special mitigations, as well as possible land development hazards. This Ewa Plains underground Karst water system is documented by the US Geological Survey, US Fish & Wildlife, University of Hawaii’s SOEST and Coastal Geology programs, State Water Board and Honolulu City and County commissioned hydrology studies. Restored Ewa Plains sinkholes have been documented to show that native Hawaiian shrimp will naturally appear without restocking due to the interconnected below ground water flow.

13.   North South Rd. Kualaka`i Parkway should terminate at Roosevelt Road and Coral Sea Road becomes main arterial thoroughfare to the Ewa shore and as second access route for Haseko development.

14.   Move Urban Growth Boundary. Move Urban Growth Boundary south to Mango Tree Blvd  - East to Ft Weaver- and West to Kualaka`i Parkway to ensure preservation of important high quality agricultural lands.

15.   Ewa Transportation. Change from "should" to "shall" in 4.1.6 GENERAL POLICIES. Adequate capacity for peak-hour H-1 freeway commuting is agreed to be Level of Service D.  The H-1 freeway has been at E for years, and will be at F by 2030—with Rail and without Ho’opili.  The ‘Ewa Neighborhood Board approved of changing “should” to “shall” in all of these statements. Provide adequate capacity for major peak-hour commuting to work in the Primary Urban Center. Adequate capacity for major peak-hour commuting shall be the national standard: Level of Service D. (Although the share of residents who will both live and work in Ewa is projected to increase from 17% in 1990 to 44% by 2020, a majority of residents will still commute to jobs outside the region.)

Welcome To Kanehili News - Sacred caves destroyed by Navy Contractors

Welcome To Kanehili News

ancient sacred Hawaiian cultural areas

Sacred caves in Hawaii may soon be destroyed by Navy Contractors

By John Bond | Mar 06, 2013   Kanehili Cultural Hui

 

HAWAII - Incredible Kanehili Ewa Karst Caves may be destroyed by Navy Contractors drilling and burying ancient sacred Hawaiian cultural areas without benefit of an Archaeological Inventory Survey. A Federal consultant said that this area likely contains hundreds if not THOUSANDS of Hawaiian burials as an area of the Leina a ka Uhane- spirit leaping place within Kanehili.

Most images are from a video camera placed down into cave entrances as we lacked cave exploration equipment to venture into them. The Kanehili Cultural Hui (KCH) is working to bring National Geographic and other investigative news organizations on the mainland to send out reporters to do a story about this major injustice.

The Navy has refused a request for consultation with KCH about archaeological discoveries and supplied documentation about major Karst Caves which are below their HECO (Hawaiian Electric Company) Power Line and PV Farm construction project. Prior military history notes Karst caves as large as railway cars and storage of WW-II bombs in such caves next to the airfield that was attacked on December 7, 1941.

The Navy's own test surveys also indicate caves but they have refused to share this data, which they had promised to do earlier. In addition they are not allowing cultural monitoring, which they had also promised to do earlier. In addition, the Section 106 for the project was completely rigged and not signed off on by any of the local Ewa Community because of the Navy arrogance to fix the outcome the way they wanted it.

Many of the Incredible Kanehili Karst Caves areas are surrounded by walls. Numerous important sinkholes and cave entrances have been found just this past weekend and shot on high-definition video. It is an established fact that these caves are hydrologically connected and water flows through them to the ocean. Further this area was designated by a Federal HART TCP survey as a major "Leina a ka Uhane" sacred place and recommended for the National Historic register as a Traditional Cultural Property.

The Navy has refused Archaeological Inventory Survey despite all of the documented evidence that goes back to 1925 when the Ewa Mooring Mast was first constructed in this area. 1925 photos show the extensive coral limestone sinkholes and caves of the area and 1941 Ewa airfield construction further documents them.

These cave discoveries are makai (ocean side) of the Ewa Field area where Hunt Corp is currently putting in their solar farm and HECO is drilling down 9 feet below the surface to install a major 46 kV power line. An ancient Hawaiian implement which may possible be a kukui nut oil lamp was previously found, possibly used for going down into and exploring such caves by ancient Hawaiians.

The Navy refuses to do an Archaeological Inventory Survey despite all the evidence that they will be busting into ancient Hawaiian caves just below ground using boring and drilling equipment. This entire area was a major ancient Hawaiian cultural site with rich cultural significance and mentioned in the 1000 year old chants of Hi'iaka.