Honolua Bay Saved!
Community support works

Every day we hear of a new cause to support,  a call to action appears on our Facebook stream, one more issue that needs our attention, our vote or our money. It can be overwhelming as we wonder what difference does the contribution actually make?  We also become calloused by pleas for help, as we become suspicious of motives and political interests, this confusion leading to yet another reason to deny involvement or contribution. While this is understandable, we must never give up hope and go quietly into the night, or fail to support those in our community who are called to stand for what they believe in.

A great example is the Save Honolua Coalition, which was started in 2007 to protect the land from developers who were hoping to build condominiums, many said it couldn’t be done and that the Save Honolua Coalition would only delay the inevitable. It seemed that way for a while, but the coalition persevered even after major setbacks, including the passing of Senator Daniel Inouye, a staunch advocate of ancestral homelands. Fortunately state representative Angus McKelvey stepped up to the plate and crafted house bill 1424, which encouraged the state to buy Honolua, and believe it or not the state came through and allocated the $20m to do so.

“The bay is safe, in perpetuity, with the people of Hawaii, the trust is now in the hands of the public.” – Angus McKelvey

This is a community and environmental victory, in a time when so many pristine places and cultural treasures are vanishing to development, a great example of community effort with successful results. We are so proud of the volunteers who made this happen and even our own customers who have made contributions or signed petitions & friends who have given testimonies, this is indeed something we can all be proud about and an encouragement to continue supporting our local charity’s and non-profits in the Hawaiian Paddle Sports giving back program.

Those of us who grew up or spent most our lives on Maui have seen how quickly things can change, if we don’t protect what we love and cherish, who will? As Maui tour guides, Kayak tour operators and stand up paddle instructors we have an awesome job of sharing Maui’s precious places with Maui visitors, and what many land developers and big business don’t understand is that this is why people come to Maui, not for the hotels, not for the swimming pools or the restaurants (which are great btw), but truly we know they can find others elsewhere, but what they won’t ever find is another Hana, another Makena, Ho’okipa or Honolua. This is where the magic Maui moments happen, when we’re alone and sharing nature with nature.

Hawaiian’s are caretakers, by nature but also by belief, it is part of the Hawaiian culture to consider man’s role as the guardian and care taker of the land, it is his kuleana, his/her responsibility. This is why we support the Save Honolua Coalition, because we too heed the call of the ancient Hawaiians to care for the land and protect it for the future.

Please go to the Save Honolua website to learn about how you can help them in restoring the ecosystem.

Our mission is to maintain open space, public access, and revitalize the ecosystem of Honolua Ahupua’a through community based management utilizing Hawaiian practices and values.

Take action today! Learn more about Save Honolua Here!