Environmental resources of selected areas of Hawaii : cultural, environment and aesthetic resources

Author:

Trettin, Lillian D., Petrich, Carl H., Saulsbury, J. W.

Title:

Environmental resources of selected areas of Hawaii : cultural, environment and aesthetic resources

Year:

1996

Pages:

viii, 72 p.

Subject:

Natural resources Ethnology Hawaii

Summary:

This report has been prepared to make available and archive the background scientific data and related information collected on the cultural environment and aesthetic resources during the preparation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for Phases 3 and 4 of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP) as defined by the state of Hawaii in its April 1989 proposal to Congress. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice in the Federal Register on May 17, 1994 (Fed. Regis. 59, 25638) withdrawing its Notice of Intent (Fed. Regis. 57,5433) of February 14, 1992, to prepare the HGP-EIS. Because the state of Hawaii is no longer pursuing or planning to pursue the HGP, DOE considers the project to be terminated. The background scientific data and related information presented in this report focuses on several areas of Hawaii County, including the southeastern coast, a potential development corridor along the Saddle Road between Hilo and the North Kohala District on the northwestern coast, and on the southeastern coast of Maui County. In this report, these areas are referred to as study areas rather than areas where proposed or alternative facilities of the HGP were to have been located. The scientific background data and related information are being made available for use by others in conducting future scientific research in these areas. This report describes the cultural environment and aesthetic resources present in the areas studied (i.e., the affected environment) and does not represent an assessment of environmental impacts. The cultural environment in the Geothermal Resource Zone (GRZ) and associated study area consists of Native Hawaiian cultural and religious practices and both Native Hawaiian and non-Native Hawaiian cultural resources. "Native Hawaiian" refers to persons of full- and part- Hawaiian heritage except when explicit reference is made to a percentage of native ancestry (Native Hawaiian Study Commission 1983). The following discussion of cultural resources consists of three sections: (1) a description of Native Hawaiian cultural and religious rights, practices, and values; (2) a description of historic, prehistoric, and traditional Native Hawaiian sites; and (3) a description of other (non-native) sites that could be affected by development in the study area. Within each section, the level of descriptive detail varies according to the information currently available. The description of the cultural environment is most specific in its coverage of the Geothermal Resource Subzones (GRSs) in the Puna District of the island of Hawaii and the study area on South Maui. Ethnographic and archaeological reports by Cultural Advocacy Network Developing Options (CANDO) and International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc. (IARII), respectively, supplement the descriptions of these two areas with new information collected specifically for this study. Less detailed descriptions of additional study areas on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and the island of Hawaii are based on existing archaeological surveys. The type of cultural description also varies according to the planning approach deemed most appropriate for a particular study area (Downer and Roberts 19%). Two approaches have been used, a comprehensive approach for identifying the full range of resources in two broadly defined areas - the Puna GRSs and South Maui - and a selective approach for identifying other key resources in additional study areas.

URL:

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc670772/

Collection:

Monographs