Just over 40 miles to the south of the main entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park lies the Kahuku Unit, a separate, lesser-known section of the park. Acquired by HVNP in phases between 2003 and 2022, it now covers over 160,000 acres, stretching from the island‘s rugged southern coast, through the Ka‘u desert and forest and up the slopes of Mauna Loa.

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Just over 40 miles to the south of the main entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park lies the Kahuku Unit, a separate, lesser-known section of the park. Acquired by HVNP in phases between 2003 and 2022, it now covers over 160,000 acres, stretching from the island‘s rugged southern coast, through the Ka‘u desert and forest and up the slopes of Mauna Loa.

HVNP recently completed an environmental assessment for a management plan for the unit, which currently has limited hours, infrastructure and resources. As part of the process, HVNP staff have solicited input from the public over the past several years, on what they would like to see on the land. The answer, overall, seems to be: not much.

“I would say the overwhelming majority want to see low impact types of experiences, so they want to keep that sort of rustic experience where you‘re immersed in the environment and nature,” said HVNP Superintendent Rhonda Loh. “There‘s not a whole lot of desire to see a lot of buildings and roads, so mostly low impact.”

Currently, infrastructure within the Kahuku Unit includes several buildings left over from the area‘s ranching days, a vault toilet, trail markers, an unpaved parking area and a visitor contact station. The current hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

While it sees fewer people than the main section of the park, visitation at the Kahuku Unit has been on the rise, jumping from 18,926 in 2022 to 26,280 last year.

One thing that people have said they want to see is increased accessibility, especially to Kahuku-Pohue, the coastal section of the unit that was acquired by HVNP from a private owner in 2022. Since then, public access has remained restricted while management plans are developed.

“The main thing people have asked for is access to Pohue,” said Danielle Foster, HVNP environmental protection specialist. “Previously it was under a private landowner, so the permits were very regulated … we‘re hoping to get more access to people — and (make it) more affordable too.”

She said one of the goals of the management plan is to figure out how to balance that desire for access with safeguarding the natural area and resources. The Kahuku Pohue parcel is part of the largest remaining undeveloped coast in Hawaii and home to historic cultural sites.

Foster said there are plans to pilot a managed day-use program for the area as well as eventually install limited amenities including composting toilets, picnic tables and campsites, which are laid out in the 194-page management plan and environmental assessment.

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Discovery Harbour resident Wendy Doniger said curiosity about this document — which she did not find particularly user friendly — drew her to the recent community meeting on the plan.

“I‘m relatively literate and educated; however, it was a challenge for me to read,” she said.

Doniger said she and her husband are regular users of the park, where she likes to hike and he mountain bikes. After talking to park staff and reviewing the visual presentations about the plan at the meeting, she was generally supportive of what she saw.

“I think, as long as they preserve the integrity of the land and respect the native culture,” she said, but added that she would like to see more effort to reach community members beyond online channels — which is primarily how the plan and meetings have been advertised.

“I think they need to get feedback from those that are older, who have been here for years, who don‘t have access, maybe, to a device,” she said.

There is still time for those interested to learn more and provide feedback on the plan. HVNP is hosting another community meeting today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Naalehu Community Center. After that, public comments will be accepted online until July 1.

From there, Foster said they will proceed with finalizing the environmental assessment for the plan, which she anticipates could be done by this fall. Once that is approved, HVNP will begin the process of bringing it to fruition over the next two decades, which Foster said will be reliant on the ability to secure money and resources.

“That allows us to then start requesting funding for these projects and looking for ways to get them completed,” she said. “The plan is a 20-year plan, and it‘s not guaranteed that we‘re going to do every single component of it. These are the things that we would love to do if there‘s funding and the staff to run the place.”

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More information can be found at tinyurl.com/3hhkanhd.

Email Grace Inez Adams at [email protected].