Dear Army Personnel,
Aloha, I am a native Hawaiian and a retired infantryman. I firmly oppose the Armyʻs retention of any "State" lands at Mākua, Kahuku, and Kawailoa-Poamoho, which is in the Stewardship of the State of Hawaii due to the unlawful and illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. I also strongly support the "No Action Alternative" that would allow the three leases to expire and require the Army to comply with all lease terms that include the clean-up of these lands.
I am also a lifelong resident of Wai'anae. The word Wai'anae means "water mullet" or "mullet water" the history of Wai'anae is that we were once the breadbasket of Oahu, but due to the theft of our water, we can no longer sustain ourselves. Our mountains are no longer green and teaming with wildlife. Our oceans are missing a plethora of native marine life due to the cut-off of stream water. Makua has 16 million gallons of water per day, which is more than enough to give back to our streams.
The beachfront of the proposed Makua Alternative is flawed and should not be up for discussion because there is federally protected prehistoric tadpole shrimp in the area. Tadpole shrimp is a federally protected species, and this is throughout the United States. To have another federal entity not acknowledge this is puzzling. The History of Makua is also a concern as the Army has not completed its study on its impact on the wildlife that locals gather to eat. There has never been a study published, nor have there been any conservation efforts in conjunction with the State to protect the native species that call Makua's streams home.
I have personally picked up casings from 50 cal to 7.62mm and 5.56mm. I have also picked up 5.56mm blanks used in training, which are visible on the beachside and dirt roads. The discussion about finding dunnage at Makua beach made its way to the Waianae Neighborhood Board on more than one occasion.
I understand that the Military has readiness. Still, there are already areas in use that the Community does not have a problem with the Army using, such as Bellows for any beach exercises or maneuvering. Additionally, Schofield has multiple ranges. Since there is no longer KoleKole pass, there is absolutely no reason this area isn't taken advantage of.
The Wai'anae Community has been at the mercy of the Military since the World Wars. As noted in the Bishop Museum, Hawaiians had their titled lands stolen by the Military, and sometimes at gunpoint, Cultural heiaus were destroyed and used for target practice. The remnants still litter our coastline.
The Wai'anae Community would like to have the beachfront back so that they can restore its natural beauty. they would like to implement traditional practices and teachings. They would also like to become stewards of the Streams, land, and ocean. It would only seem right to allow this to happen because the Military has broken so many promises and cannot use the Makua Valley as a range successfully. It is a waste of taxpayers' money to continue to operate this Range.
ATI was created as a broad category to refer to all cultural resources significant to native, aboriginal, or local groups. These resources include, but are not limited to, landscapes, sacred sites, shrines, and "property[ies] of traditional religious and cultural importance" (PTRCIs) whether or not they have been formally evaluated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, HONOLULU DISTRICT. Environmental Impact Study, July 2021. http://oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/Doc_Library/2021-07-23-OA-EISPN-Army-Training-Land-Retention-on-Oahu.pdf PDF file. Pg. 3-4
These affiliations also illustrate how Native Hawaiian spirituality and religion are intertwined with the natural environment and woven into an intricate yet loosely defined relationship among the land, landforms, plants, water, ocean, sky (cosmology), mountains, and all things natural and supernatural. Please refer to the Hawaiian story of our creation.
To the west of Farrington Highway lies the Muliwai. This State-owned land at Makua Military Reservation lies in the Kea'au aquifer system in Wai'anae hydrologic unit, with a sustainable yield of 16 million gallons per day. No public water wells are documented within one mile of the State-owned lands at MMR. Five wells were noted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the State-owned lands. Due to their proximity to the shoreline, all of these wells likely have high salinity. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, HONOLULU DISTRICT. Environmental Impact Study, July 2021. http://oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/Doc_Library/2021-07-23-OA-EISPN-Army-Training-Land-Retention-on-Oahu.pdf PDF file.Pg. 3-10
There are UXO on State-owned lands at MMR because of past military training activities that involved bombing, shelling, and small arms. UXO disposal on State-owned lands at MMR only happens when the Community finds it, and to include several tons of ordnance material has been collected. Army operations and access to the State-owned land are highly restricted to maintain safety (USACE-POH & USAG-HI, 2017c). Firebreak roads and fire suppression facilities, including a water tank, foam storage facility, and wet standpipe system, have been established (USARHAW, 2003). Police, fire, and medical services at KTA, Poamoho, and MMR, including on State-owned land, are provided by the U.S. Army and the Honolulu Police and Fire Departments. The Honolulu Police and Fire Departments service the City and County of Honolulu. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, HONOLULU DISTRICT. Environmental Impact Study, July 2021. http://oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/Doc_Library/2021-07-23-OA-EISPN-Army-Training-Land-Retention-on-Oahu.pdf PDF file. Pg. 3-4 Pg 3-14
Please return areas of Makua to its lineal descendants as they have their paperwork from Kamehameha to show actual and legal ownership.
Mahalo,
Joseph K. Simpliciano Jr.
