THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	61
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of land and natural resources state historic preservation division to nominate kawainui marsh to be designated as a national historic landmark.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Kawainui Marsh is a historically significant site that illustrates the cultural, agricultural, and ecological practices of Native Hawaiians; and

 

     WHEREAS, Kawainui Marsh is the largest remaining wetland and largest ancient freshwater fishpond in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, Kawainui Marsh was one of the first places in the State to be settled by the ancestors of Native Hawaiians; and

 

     WHEREAS, before European contact, Kawainui Marsh was a thriving loko ia kalo, or freshwater taro fishpond, where Native Hawaiians cultivated fish and grew taro to sustain the surrounding community; and

 

     WHEREAS, Native Hawaiians developed and used advanced aquacultural and agricultural innovations at the ancient loko ia kalo that once flourished at Kawainui Marsh; and

 

     WHEREAS, Kawainui Marsh includes at least three significant heiau, including Ulupo, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its noted cultural value; and

 

     WHEREAS, Kawainui Marsh is an important habitat for native water birds, including endangered species like the aeo, alae ula, alae kea, and koloa; and

 

     WHEREAS, national recognition of Kawainui Marsh would draw attention to the agricultural achievements of Native Hawaiians and commemorate the broader history of Oahu's windward coast; and

 

     WHEREAS, National Historic Landmarks are sites determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture; and

 

     WHEREAS, National Historic Landmarks receive many benefits from the federal government, including access to federal funds and additional forms of maintenance assistance; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the State to preserve the proud history of Kawainui Marsh by working towards a National Historic Landmark designation; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources State Historic Preservation Division is requested to nominate Kawainui Marsh to be designated as a National Historic Landmark; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Administrator of the State Historic Preservation Division.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Kawainui Marsh; Department of Land and Natural Resources; State Historic Preservation Division; National Historic Landmark