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The Maui News
The National Park Service has released the Kalaupapa National Historical Park General Management Plan, with a focus on preserving the small community's history and resources.
"The plan provides guidance to move forward together and to ensure the long-term sensitive and respectful management of the resources and legacy of Kalaupapa," Amy Sakurada, acting Kalaupapa superintendent, said in a news release last week.
With malama i ka 'aina (care for the land and waters) at its core, the plan navigates the NPS and its many partners in the protection and legacy of the Hansen's disease-impacted community at Kalaupapa, while also providing direction for the preservation of Kalaupapa's cherished resources and future visitation beyond the next 20 years.
NPS continues to work with the patient residents and the community in implementing this plan and future projects at the park, the news release said.
The primary story at Kalaupapa is the forced relocation from 1866 to 1969 of people from Hawaii afflicted with Hansen's disease (leprosy) to the remote northern Kalaupapa Peninsula on the island of Molokai. Today, Kalaupapa serves as a place for education and contemplation, where many families can reconnect with an ancestor once considered "lost," according to the news release.
Before Kalaupapa became a settlement for individuals with Hansen's disease, it was home to Native Hawaiians who lived within the boundaries of what is now the park for more than 900 years.
Kalaupapa National Historical Park was designated as a unit of the national park system on Dec. 22, 1980. The park's authorized boundaries encompass 8,725 acres of land and 2,000 acres of water, though only a small part of the park -- 23 acres -- is owned by the National Park Service.
For more information about the general management plan and to view the environmental assessment, visit nps.gov.
To learn more about Kalaupapa National Historical Park, visit www.nps.gov/kala.