Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 8, 1 August 2005 — Army to hold meetings on Mākua environmental study [ARTICLE]

Army to hold meetings on Mākua environmental study

By Sterling Kini Wong The U.S. Army will be holding puhlie meetings for comment in late August on its newly released draft environmental study of military training in Mākua Valley. The environmental study, whieh was released in late July, has been criticized by some for not thoroughly considering alternative locations and not conducting the expected archaeological surveys. There are concerns that military training threatens the cultural and environmental resources of the valley, whieh is the home of 45 endangered plants and animals, and a host of archaeological sites. The U.S. military began training in Mākua in the 1920s, and operations increased after World War II when the valley 's territorial lands were conferred to the Army, and private lands were either purchased or condemned. Today, the Mākua Military Reservation encompasses 4,190 acres. After a misfired mortar scorched 800 acres in the valley in 1998, the community group Mālama Mākua filed a lawsuit calling for the Army to prepare an environmental impact statement for its training in Mākua.

A series of legal issues prevented training in the valley from resuming until after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when the Army and Mālama Mākua reached a settlement agreement that allowed for a limited number of livefire training exercises. In 2003, the military lost control of a planned fire that consumed more than 2,000 acres of the valley. Puhlie meetings for comment will be held at the following locations: Wai'anae District Park 85-601 Farrington Hwy. Aug. 23, 7-10 p.m. Aug. 27, 2-6 p.m. Nānāikapono Elementary School 89-153 Mano Ave. Aug. 25, 7-10 p.m. Written comments may be sent by Sept. 20 to Mr. Gary Shirakata, US Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu Engineer District, Building 230, Fort Shafter, HI 96858-5440. To view the document or to submit comments electronically, visit the Army's Mākua website at www.makuaeis.com. The document is also available at the Wahiāwa, Wai'anae, Pearl City and Hawai'i State libraries. ?J