Maui Tomorrow 30th birthday party celebrants gather for a prayer before lunch Saturday at Makena State Park at Oneloa, or Big Beach. The group marked its 30th year of the organization, as well its effort to stop planned development at the pristine beach and preserve it as a park.

“It’s just great,” said Maui Tomorrow President Michael Williams. “If Maui Tomorrow had not fought to keep this an undeveloped beach it would be another Kaanapali. Maui Tomorrow continues to try to support good development and restrict bad development.”

Maui Tomorrow founders Dr. Rick Sands (from left), Anthony Ranken and Albert Perez talk Saturday on the beach they helped save from development. The effort to stop development at the beach began in 1983 with the creation of State Park at Makena, which, at the time, was nicknamed SPAM.