Closure ‘long time coming’

MAKENA - Beginning on Friday, much of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve will be closed for two years to allow resources to recover and officials to find ways to preserve and study the geology and other pristine areas being trampled and damaged by humans.

Bill Evanson, Natural Area Reserve Maui manager for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, is pleased that the closure is coming up, saying that now the state can really focus on preserving, protecting and studying the marine, geological and cultural resources to protect the area for the future.

"It's been a long time coming. Much talked about, finally here," he said during a visit to the area Wednesday.

Around 100 signs have been erected around the closed areas and will be unveiled Friday. Signs informing people about the closures have already been posted. Five rangers will be on hand Friday to educate and inform the public on the closure.

Evanson said a heavy presence of reserve staff will be in the area for around two weeks.

"We are walking the talk. This time I am so proud to say we are acting," he said about the closure.

Although Evanson said much of the 2,000-acre reserve between the Ahihi and La Perouse bays will be closed, popular swimming, snorkeling and surfing spots at the northern end of the reserve will remain open. These are Waiala Cove and the coastal area along Ahihi Bay and the "Dumps" surfbreak, otherwise known as the Maonakala area, with the unpaved parking lot.

On Wednesday, Gov. Linda Lingle announced the release of $50,000 for improvements to the Maonakala area. The money will pay for site preparation and infrastructure for a ranger station to provide officials a central location to manage the reserve. Construction is scheduled to begin in September, with completion in March.

During the closures, the road through the reserve, Makena-Keoneoio Road, will remain open, with access to La Perouse Bay, which also will be open to the public. However, people may not venture onto the lava rock alongside the road to La Perouse.

"The road is not closed, and La Perouse Bay and all other parts outside the reserve are not included in the closure," Evanson said.

Closed will be the unofficial trails to Kalua o Lapa (cinder cone area); Kalaeloa, known as the "Aquarium"; and Mokuha, also known as the "Fishbowl."

The closure was approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources in May, and it will remain in effect until July 31, 2010. The reserve's hours will continue to be from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.

On Wednesday, some visitors were aware of the closure and understood the reasons behind it.

Southern California resident Mike Kearns was pleased to visit Ahihi-Kinau one last time before the two-year closure.

"It's such a unique experience," he said.

Kearns has been coming to Ahihi-Kinau for five years, ever since a friend from Kihei brought him to the area and to see the "Fishbowl" snorkeling spot. On Wednesday, he was bringing other visitors to the area.

"I love walking over the lava. The hike itself is great," he said.

Kearns said he loves to see the "yellow flashes" of the tang fish at the "Fishbowl."

"You don't need fins" to enjoy it, he said.

As for the closure to the "Fishbowl," he said "I totally understand it. It's such an enclosed spot."

Kearns said he knows that children urinate in the snorkeling area and stand on the coral.

San Diego resident Jack Berkman, who was visiting the "Dumps" area, said he felt "fortunate" to be able to visit the reserve, as he called it "one of the most tranquil places on the Earth."

Honeymooners Dustin and Jennifer Keys of Portland, Ore., also were pleased to be able to visit the reserve several times this week before parts of it close. They were encouraged by friends to visit the area.

"It's pretty cool," Dustin Keys said.

Evanson said many people he's spoken to understand the reasons for the closure.

When the closure takes effect, he said, rangers will educate the public and also enforce it. He said rangers will make contact with violators who are

in the prohibited areas and ask them to leave.

He said they will not immediately contact state enforcement officials unless it becomes necessary.

"We are expecting cooperation and assistance from most of the people," he said.

Rangers will also foray into the closed areas to make sure no one is violating the closures.

Violators may be cited and/or arrested. Convictions can result in a misdemeanor conviction and fines up to $1,000 and/or as much as a year in jail.

Two more rangers will be on hand in the near future to assist with the closure, increasing the number of rangers at the reserve to six, Evanson said.

Currently, volunteers are not working at the reserve, as naturalists from the Hawaii Wild-life Fund left the "Dumps" parking lot at the end of last year because funding for the naturalist program ran out.

The Action Ahihi Program, with volunteers at Waiala Cove, was suspended at the state's request recently so that the state could focus on the pending closure and multiple tasks associated with it, Evanson said.

State reserve managers need to come up with an information and education outreach plan that more clearly defines when and how volunteers are used to ensure that they can perform in a safe and appropriate manner, he said. The state also wanted to ensure that visitors were receiving accurate and credible information about the reserve.

But Evanson said he would like volunteers back in the reserve "as soon as possible."

While most of the reserve is closed, permits for access will be available for cultural or educational purposes.

Access into restricted areas will require an approved permit from the Natural Area Reserve Commission and a ranger escort at all times.

Public meetings are also planned to discuss the future for the reserve.

At the end of the two-year period, the department will present its findings to the Board of Land and Natural Resources. The panel will determine if future restrictions are warranted or if the entire reserve will be reopened.

For a map of the restricted areas or more information on the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, see: hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw/nars or call the Division of Forestry and Wildlife office on Maui at 984-8100.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.