Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 12, 1 December 2004 — Protecting the ʻKūpuna Islands' [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Protecting the

ʻKūpuna Islands'

The cultural and natural treasures of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands could be safeguarded by designation as a permanent national marine sanctuary.

By Naomi Sodetani Editor's note: Naomi Sodetani, a former editor of Ka Wai Ola, now serves as communications specialist for the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. Hānau ka uku ko'ako'a Hānau kana, he 'āko'ako'a, puka Born the coral polyp Born of him eame the reef — Kumulipo, a Hawaiian creation ehanī AHawaiian monk seal basks with her pups on a gleaming heaeh free of humans. On another island miles away, thousands of birds fill the air with a deafening chorus of flapping wings and squawks. Meanwhile, crystalline waters house a thriving ehain of life: huge canyons of coral, lush limu (seaweed) beds, swirling schools of giant ulua (jacks) and sharks. While such scenes no longer occur in the main Hawaiian islands,

they remain a daily reality in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), the eldest in the Hawaiian ehain. Unique geology, biology and cultural history make this remote area a natural treasure for Hawai'i and the world. For Native Hawaiians, the "Kūpuna Islands," as they are now being called, are also sacred repositories of a forgotten past. Both oral traditions and archaeological remains - such as Stonehenge-like rock structures on Mokumanamana (Necker Island) - offer evidence that Polynesian seafarers onee voyaged to and from the islands. On Dec. 4, 2000, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve was created by an executive order of President Bill Clinton. The reserve is the largest nature preserve ever established in the U.S. The reserve, whieh extends 1,200 miles northwest of Kaua'i and encompasses 132,000 square miles of marine waters and submerged lands, contains 70 percent of the

coral reefs in the U.S., the largest intact coral reef system in the world. The 10 islands and atolls within the reserve are home to more than 7,000 species of birds, fish, marine mammals and sea turtles. Many are threatened or endangered, including the Hawaiian monk seal and the green, leatherback and hawskbill sea turtles. Approximately onequarter are endemic, found nowhere else on earth. These coral reef ecosystems, though among the healthiest in the world, are not immune from outside threats. A wide range of factors - including marine debris, climate conditions, fishing and even research activities - could potentially impact the natural halanee and health of NWHI resources. With authorization for the reserve due to expire on Sept. 30, 2005, a puhlie process is now underway to designate the reserve as a pennanent national marine sanctuary. Sanctuary designation would ensure that the unique resources of this region will be kept healthy and

diverse through continued funding and interagency management. The reserve has completed the puhlie scoping process for the reserve management plan and is now shifting gears to develop the management plans and conduct the environmental studies required to receive congressional approval to designate the NWHI a national marine sanctuary. Drafts of the management plan and EIS will be released for puhlie review and comment by next fall. Because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Hawai'i maintain longstanding stewardship responsibilities in the NWHI, the executive order creating the reserve explicitly called for federal and state agencies with overlapping jurisdictions to coordinate their efforts. Thus, the state has also embarked on a process to adopt regulations for a NWHI marine refuge encompassing a three-mile radius of land to complement the management regime of the proposed See NWHI on page 18

NWHI from page 9

sanctuary. Public hearings were held this summer, and a draft proposal is expected to be released for public comment next year. Since the Northwest Islands are not open for general public use, very few Hawai'i residents will ever be able to visit this vast, remote wilderness personally - although they ean experience some of its wonder at the reserve's Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo. Still, the conservation of these heritage resources directly impacts the economy and quality of life in the main islands. Growing evidence suggests that seabirds, turtles, limu and fish migrate between the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and here - just as voyaging Polynesians did in ancient times. Please read Kekuewa Kikiloi's essay on page 9 to learn why Native Hawaiians ean, and should, assert their kuleana to cherish one of Hawai'i's most significant natural treasures by participating in efforts to designate the "Kūpuna Islands" as a sanctuary, a pu'uhonua (plaee of refuge) for future generations. For more information on the reserve and how you ean participate in the sanctuary designation process, visit hawaiireefnoaa.gov. ■