Another Step Forward - The Signing of House Bill 1183

On Thursday, June 8, 2023, the Hui Makaʻainana o Makana welcomed Governor Josh Green for the signing of House Bill 1183. Also in attendance for this event was Hawaii State Representative Nadine Nakamura, Hawaii Island State Senator Loraine Inouye, Department of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Dawn Chang, and administrator of Department of Land and Natural Resources's Division of State Parks Curt Cottrell.

The signing of House Bill 1183 into law will allow nonprofits exemption from bidding requirements as it pertains to parking lot and concession operations at certain state parks. This bill works by granting the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources the ability to enter long-term contracts with place-based nonprofits, allowing them to work directly with community groups that have deep connections to the parks and the lands. The intention behind House Bill 1183 is to mitigate over-tourism and its impacts within state parks.

"Over the past two decades, this community has crafted a thoughtful master plan, worked so hard to clear the land, and to introduce a cultural landscape. They worked in partnership with DLNR, and working with the Hui, and working with the Hanalei initiative, they manage short-term the parking lot, reservation, and shuttle systems, and in the process have developed a model for the state of regenerative tourism and destination management." - Hawaii State Representative Nadine Nakamura

The coordination between the government and Hui Makaʻainana o Makana in stewarding Hā‘ena State Park is hoped to be a destination management example for other state parks in resource protection and land stewardship. The Hui has already collaborated with DLNR by setting daily visitor caps, a reservation shuttle system, and visitor parking fees. This collaboration has additionally created new jobs for local residents, as well as aiding in the protection of the natural and cultural resources at Hā‘ena State Park.

Following the signing of House Bill 1183, we held a press release for "The Transformation of Hā‘ena State Park - A case study on how to manage a visitor hotspot," a handbook written through a coordinated effort of several people and edited by Hawaii State Representative Nadine Nakamura and Chipper Wichman, the Hui's secretary and founding board member. This handbook was tailored for the Hui and Hā‘ena State Park, however, it was written to additionally serve as a model for other state parks. 

Check out more articles that featured this event through the following links:

www.hawaiinewsnow.com

There’s a new law that officials hope will allow more community-based non-profits to control the number of visitors at state parks in Hawaii.

www.hawaiipublicradio.org

An expansion of a model in place at Hāʻena State Park on Kauaʻi, the new law exempts nonprofits from bidding requirements for parking lot and concession operations at state parks. The measure is part of the state's efforts to address growing community concerns about the impact of tourism on natural resources.

www.civilbeat.org

New crowd control and parking enforcement measures at Haena could help bring special places back into balance statewide.

www.hawaiitribune-herald.com

Gov. Josh Green signed a bill into law Thursday at Ha‘ena State Park on Kauai that would exempt nonprofit parking lot and concession operators from bidding requirements for certain state parks.