(BIVN) – County officials are eyeing 2,000 acres of coastal land in Puna for possible preservation.

Hawaiʻi County Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz has introduced a resolution to acquire the lands at Kumukahi using the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund. 

The Kumukahi lands were previously identified as priority for preservation by the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission.

“The easternmost point of our islands, Kapoho, sits within Kumukahi, just makai (toward the ocean) of what is referred to as, “Four Comers,” the space utilized as the main entry point to Kumukahi,” the Commission wrote in its 2025 report to the Mayor. “Visitors currently access Kumukahi east of the new road construction at Highway 137, traversing through private property to make their way down to the bay.”

“The Kīlauea eruption of 2018 reshaped the landscape and covered the Kapoho and ‘Vacationland’ communities as well as a large section of Highway 132, cutting off vehicular access to Kumukahi. Much of Highway 132 was reopened in 2019,” the Commission wrote. “However, the section leading to ‘Four Corners,” that leads from the junction of Highway 132 and Highway 137 to the unaffected portion of Highway 132 near the nominated property(s) has not been reopened. Currently no public vehicular access to the property exists, though a rough 4-wheel drive access route across the new lava flow through private property is being used.”

Image of shows Cape Kumukahi Lighthouse in the distance, from video by Hawaiʻi DLNR recorded in 2021

“The reconstruction of this 0.15- mile section leading from “Four Corners,” is scheduled to reopen by December of 2026, increasing the need and urgency for established stewardship and management of this cherished cultural landscape,” the Commission stated.

The Hawaiʻi County Council Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions will discuss Resolution 516-26 at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center during its meeting on Tuesday, April 21, at 10:30 a.m.

The full text of Resolution 516-26:

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF LANDS OR CONSERVATION EASEMENTS FOR ALL OR A PORTION OF THE PROPERTIES IDENTIFIED AS TAX MAP KEY NOS. (3) 1-4-002:002, 017, 042, 047, 048, 058, 065, 072, 080, 082, 085, 092, AND 100, ALSO KNOWN AS KUMUKAHI, SITUATED IN THE AHUPUAʻA OF KULA, DISTRICT OF PUNA, UTILIZING THE PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION FUND.

WHEREAS, Chapter 2, Article 42, of the Hawaiʻi County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as amended)(hereinafter “the Code”) establishes a Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-214.1(c) of the Code provides that the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund “shall be used for acquiring lands or property entitlements in the County of Hawaiʻi for the following purposes:

1) Public outdoor recreation and education, including access to beaches and mountains;

2) Preservation of historic or culturally important land areas and sites;

3) Protection of natural resources, including buffer zones;

4) Preservation of forests, beaches, coastal areas, natural beauty, and agricultural lands; and

5) Protection of watershed lands to preserve water quality and water supply; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-217 of the Code provides, in part, that the duties and responsibilities of the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission (hereinafter ” the Commission”) include developing and submitting to the Mayor an initial prioritized list of qualifying lands worthy of preservation and updating the list annually by December 31 of each year; and

WHEREAS, Kumukahi, as shown in “Exhibit A”, attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference, consists of approximately 1,967.96 acres, and is ranked as the third highest priority for acquisition in the Commission’s 2025 Annual Report to the Mayor, dated December 31, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-218(a) of the Code provides, in pertinent part, that “[t]he council shall, by resolution, select the land or lands to be preserved…”; and “[w]here there are multiple lands under consideration at any one time, priority shall be given to coastal lands and lands where matching funding is available to leverage the County contribution”; and

WHEREAS, Kumukahi lies within the Ahupuaʻa of Kula, an area that supports a range of native species and interconnected ecosystems, and the integrity of this natural environment is increasingly threatened by unmanaged access, inappropriate use, and the introduction and proliferation of non-native invasive species along its coastlines; and

WHEREAS, the acquisition of title and conservation easements for Kumukahi properties would be significantly beneficial to the County and our island community in the following reasons:

1. Preservation of a renowned wahi pana and wahi kupuna containing burial sites, heiau, and other historical features, including its significance as the hikina eastern point) of Ko Hawaiʻi Paeʻaina, symbolically representing beginnings, birth, and new life;

2. Preservation of Kumukahi as leina, a transitional place of deep spiritual significance to the Hawaiian people and lineal descendants;

3. Protection and stewardship of native ecosystems and coastal marine resources with the Kula Ahupuaʻa that support traditional gathering and fishing practices;

4. Providing managed public access for education, shoreline recreation, navigation, ceremonial practice, and traditional cultural practices, in partnership with lineal descendants and community organizations; and

WHEREAS, the urgency of acquisition is heightened by the anticipated reopening of the Highway 132 section forming “Four Comers,” which leads to Kumukahi, by December 2026, which will significantly increase public access to Kumukahi, necessitating established stewardship and management infrastructure; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI that pursuant to Chapter 2, Article 42 of the Code, the Director of Finance is hereby authorized to enter into negotiations for the acquisition of lands or conservation easements, or both, for all or a portion of the properties identified as Tax Map Key Nos. (3) 1- 1- 002: 002, 017, 042, 047, 048, 058, 065, 072, 080, 081, 082, 085, 092, and 100, also known as Kumukahi, situated in the Ahupuaʻa of Kula, District of Puna, utilizing the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Finance is authorized to initiate any funding mechanisms required for the acquisition of this land, in accordance with the terms of this resolution.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the Honorable C. Kimo Alameda, Mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi; Diane Nakagawa, Director of Finance; and members of the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission.