May 2013 Kanehili Hui Comments Sent To Hawaii State Preservation Division Regarding Rail Lawsuit

May 2013 Kanehili Hui Comments Sent To Hawaii State Preservation Division Regarding Rail Lawsuit

Extensive Testimony and Comments Delivered To SHPD

SHPD Confirmation of Receipt of Comments on Honolulu Rail AIS May 31, 2013

by John Bond,   Kanehili Cultural Hui

Aloha,

The ruling of Federal Judge Wallace Tashima on the City rail lawsuit made a special point of noting his concern about the identification of TCP's 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 that SHPD, HART and FTA must follow. A great deal was left out of the original 2009 AIS (Archaeological Inventory Survey) of Honouliuli-Ewa that these new comments and documents hope to correct.

The Federal FTA HART rail project is required to also adhere to what is known as "Section 4f." Department of Transportation Act of 1966 special provision - Section 4(f) - which stipulated that DOT agencies- including FTA, cannot approve the use of land from wildlife and waterfowl refuges, public or private historical sites unless 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.

Mike Lee, along with Hawaii Thousand Friends, submitted approximately 800 pages of detailed comment and testimony on the the HART Rail AIS- the entire 22 mile route. This package included maps, photographs, emails with many agencies (HART, SHPD, DLNR, BLNR, OIBC, 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 Mike 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 Hawaiian cultural practitioner Mike 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 "

The Mike Lee testimony and comments concern 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 aprroximately 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.

John Bond

Kanehili Cultural Hui

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From:  <Susan.A.Lebo@hawaii.gov>

Date: Fri, May 31, 2013 at 9:17 AM

Subject: Confirmation of Receipt of Comments on Honolulu Rail AIS

Hello John,

I'm writing to confirm receipt of your public review comments on the

HART AIS via in-person delivery at 3:02pm 5/30/2013.

Thank you in advance for your public comment.

Sincerely,

Susan

Susan A. Lebo, PhD

Oahu Lead Archaeologist

State Historic Preservation Division

Kakuhihewa Building

601 Kamokila Blvd., Suite 555

Kapolei, Hawaii 96707

Susan.A.Lebo@hawaii.gov

(808) 692-8019

###################################################### 

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

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. 

 

***********************************************************

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)

##############################################################

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

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Rare native plant stalls land plans for Kalaeloa

Native Hawaiian Akoko Hinders HCDA Development Plans In Kalaeloa, West Oahu

By William Cole

Apr 21, 2013

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XUtiyzqfbY

An endangered native shrub found naturally on a plot of Navy land at the old Barbers Point Naval Air Station and nowhere else on the planet is at the center of a stalled land swap involving the Navy, state and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The population of Chamaesyce skottsbergii var. kalaeloana, otherwise known as the Ewa Plains akoko, dwindled from about 5,000 plants in 1979 to just over 630 last year, according to the service.

"If something isn't done to conserve this plant, then it's going to go extinct," said Aaron Nadig, a Fish and Wildlife biologist.

 

What should be done — and by whom — appears to be the million-dollar question in a time of ever-tightening budgets.

 

The Hawaii Community Development Authority, which is responsible for redeveloping the shuttered Navy base, said about 250 acres on three parcels, including the one that's home to the akoko, were offered to it after the Fish and Wildlife Service and state Department of Land and Natural Resources turned the land down.

 

The akoko occupies 150 to 160 acres at what used to be the Navy's northern trap and skeet range.

 

In 2011, the HCDA, a state agency, proposed an ambitious solar energy farm for that parcel, as well as on 80 acres of the adjoining southern trap and skeet range. No akoko has been identified on the southern parcel, officials said.

 

That later became a plan for 5 to 10 megawatts of photovoltaics on the northern site and 5 megawatts on the southern parcel, said Anthony Ching, HCDA's executive director.

 

Ching said prospective solar companies could work around the akoko. But in addition to a Fish and Wildlife Service recommendation that 99 acres of the northern site be set aside for an akoko preserve, the service said HCDA would have to be responsible for the ongoing preservation of the plant, Ching said.

 

Developing a conservation management plan, putting in fencing and a firebreak road, doing clearing work, and hiring people to maintain the site and the akoko could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in short- and long-term costs, Ching said.

 

"Let's call it a million-dollar commitment," he said.

 

Ching said Fish and Wildlife is "trying to establish an unfunded mandate (for HCDA) for a situation for which they themselves chose not to take responsibility."

 

He noted that an earlier proposal had HCDA setting aside 50 acres for akoko on the northern site. The Fish and Wildlife recommendation now is for 99 acres.

 

Both the northern and southern trap and skeet ranges were designated as "critical habitat" for the akoko, officials said.

 

"It (the akoko preservation) is a worthy effort. It's the law. We should protect our endangered species. I have no problem with that," Ching said. "But it can't be unreasonable. You can't expect to create an unfunded mandate and expect and then ask for the world and then seemingly create challenges for that to happen."

 

A photovoltaic field on the northern site alone could bring in a "couple hundred thousand" dollars in rent annually, but Ching said the costs and responsibility for the akoko make the plan — as well as HCDA taking the three sites from the Navy at all — unattractive.

 

Ching said he wasn't sure that the return on 50 acres for solar production on the northern site would justify a $1 million investment to take on responsibility for the akoko.

 

Given the potential costs, the solar plan on the northern and southern sites "is a decision for (the HCDA board) to consider, but my recommendation would not be likely to support that," Ching said.

 

"It doesn't look good, but I'm still seeking to confirm all the particulars," he said.

 

Ching said HCDA will pursue a 5-megawatt solar farm on a separate land parcel it already received at Kalaeloa.

 

The Fish and Wildlife Service, meanwhile, disputes Ching's contention that it didn't want the three parcels of land, which include the two former skeet ranges and Ordy Pond, a nearby 10,000-year-old water-filled karst sinkhole.

 

"That wasn't the situation," said Nadig, the Fish and Wildlife biologist. "The situation was that the Fish and Wildlife Service did want it, and they've actively pursued trying to include that as part of their conservation lands out there at Barbers Point."

 

But Fish and Wildlife didn't have the ability to take the land because of lead contaminants at the old skeet ranges and military dumping in and around Ordy Pond, Nadig maintained.

 

"Without the Navy maintaining liability for those contaminants, then Fish and Wildlife does not have the ability to acquire those lands," he said.

 

The Navy "essentially refused to maintain that (responsibility) and said, ‘You need to take it as is,'" Nadig said.

 

As for the "unfunded mandate" claim that Ching makes against Fish and Wildlife, Nadig said, "We did not impose anything on HCDA, or we're not telling HCDA they have to do anything."

 

Fish and Wildlife has been in contact from the beginning with HCDA and the solar companies that wanted to operate on the land.

 

"We're at a point where we need to protect a large chunk of this land for the species, because it only exists there," Nadig said. "We were very upfront from the beginning — if they can't do that, then maybe they shouldn't look to doing it, and look elsewhere."

 

A 2011 Navy environmental assessment for the disposal of surplus property at the old Barbers Point said the northern trap and skeet range was in active use in 1950 and abandoned sometime before the early 1960s.

 

A lead and arsenic removal project was conducted in 2003 and 2004, with about 52,000 cubic yards of material "stabilized" using "triple super phosphate" and 42,000 cubic yards processed through mechanical screens.

 

The assessment said soil with akoko clusters was manually excavated to preserve the plants.

 

The Navy said the actions cleaned the site to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "unrestricted use" levels.

 

Nadig said there is still the potential of finding contaminants.

 

"You can still find lead out there," he said.

 

Bill Doughty, a spokesman for Navy Region Hawaii, said a "finding of no significant impact" for the reuse of Barbers Point land requires that the Navy have an akoko conservation and management plan in place before it transfers the land.

 

A nearly $1 million Navy cleanup of Ordy Pond was mounted earlier this year.

 

The endangered native plant that's creating all of the fuss is an unassuming shrub that grows 2 to 4 feet tall with roundish leaves that are shed in the summer. It has very small flowers and fruit, and milky sap.

 

A plant relative that grows on Molokai is genetically different, officials said.

 

Ewa Plains akoko thrived on the coral shelf substrate that underlies the area and which is full of karst sinkholes and underground water ways as a result of erosion.