| Current Access Problems | |||
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It is important to remember there are two major entities involved in this dispute:
the city and the state. To understand the situation it may help to boil it down to
this supposition: the state is supporting the Haiku Valley residents (by blocking
Haiku Stairs) while the city is supporting the Haiku Stairs hikers (by renovating and
attempting to open Haiku Stairs). Here is what has happened. On August 18, 2003, Representative Ken Ito (D-Kaneohe) responded to his constituents' complaints by holding a public, informational meeting with officials from the DLNR, HDOT, and DHHL present. Scores of Haiku Valley residents testified against hikers. Only two hikers were given the opportunity to speak. Also, about 150 Haiku Valley residents offered a signed petition seeking a solution, including permanent closure and/or dismantling of the Stairway to Heaven. Ito attempted to condemn the stairs with HB1748 in January 21, 2004 which would have forced its dismantlement if passed. Enough opposition in the House prevailed forcing him to withdraw the bill as quickly as it emerged in committee. Barely two months later, Ito was back with a new approach - if he couldn't destroy the stairs, he could try some legal (aka "trespassing") tactics to block hikers by shutting down the access between the road and the trailhead. Thus, HCR199 & SCR213 were introduced on March 24, 2004 demanding a much needed land swap (necessary for the opening of the Stairs) be halted until several issues are reviewed and worked out. Worded this way, both bills passed the House and Senate. It prevented that small sliver of state-owned land between the Haiku Stairs neighborhood and the stairs' trailhead from being passed from the state agency that controls it (DHHL) to the city. Thus, it effectively made it a trespassing issue if one crosses that sliver of land to get to the bottom of the stairs. Currently, the argument over that very strip of state land is what is keeping the stairs from the public. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE STAIRS With the loss of the planned Hope Chapel access point in 2002, the solution is still to open the H-3 Access Road (which is already there!) and its entry points near the state hospital and on Likelike Hwy. All that needs to be done is expand the access road to accomodate traffic and parking right at the trailhead! WHAT TO DO? Here are two effective things you, your friends, and your family can do if you want to see public access and use of the Stairs returned to the community: 1) Voice your support to your own state representatives, senators, the mayor, and the governor! It's best to put it in writing and "snail-mail" it in. The links below will point to e-mail forms and addresses.
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| Area History | |||
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Haiku Valley & the U.S. Coast Guard Haiku Valley, a bowl-shaped valley along the central windward section of the Koolaus, was the home of the USCG's "Omega" Station. The station operated as Hawaii's transmitting facility for the Loran-C nautical navigational system. This was virtually a radio "homing beacon" which, for decades, mariners extensively to aid trans-Pacific voyages. However, the advent of the highly accurate satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) presented maritime operators with a far more reliable means of navigation. As such, the slow loss of popularity, first among military and commercial fleets followed by civilian flotillas, pushed the station into obsoletion. The USCG began shutting down its national network of Loran stations. Another factor in the shut down of the Haiku Valley Omega Station was the H-3 Highway. Project engineers and state planners were afraid of the potential hazard caused by the intense electromagnetic field (EMF). The antenna was using the bowl-shape of the valley as a large "dish" to focus the station's signal across the Pacific. As such, would the drivers utilizing H-3 be exposed to harmful doses of EMF with every drive through Haiku Valley? Prior to the completion of the highway, the station was shut down. The mile-long length of antenna wire and related mounts were disconnected and removed. The control and operations structures on the valley floor as well as several concrete emplacements along the crest were stripped and abandoned. | |||
| Trail Map | |||
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| The Area & Ancient Hawaiian Culture | |||
| Puu Keahi a Kahoe is a legendary story in Hawaiian folklore. Keahiakahoe is Hawaiian for "Kahoe's fire". |