Back to the Beach (if you can find it)

Just returned from a 3-week trip to Europe and NYC, and am nearly caught up on the latest beach access-related developments that occurred while I was away.

The Sunday Star-Bulletin (June 1) ran a front page story on overgrown vegetation blocking shoreline access in Kahala and other parts of the islands. Above is a photo of a part of Kailua Beach where naupaka extends about 50 yards from the homeowner's property.

The Star-B then followed with a good editorial on the subject in Wednesday's paper (June 4). It noted that erosion is an ongoing problem -- which could have been addressed in State legislation to increase shoreline building setbacks. However, our do-nothing Legislature let that bill die in the last session.

Speaking of setbacks, our coalition lost the battle to keep all of the free parking spaces at the Ala Wai harbor near the Bowls surfing spot. But the State Board of Land and Natural Resources did yield somewhat to public pressure and agreed to keep 300 of the parking spaces free, while only charging 25 cents per hour for metered parking on the other 266 spaces. We don't like the precedent this sets for pay-to-play in our oceans. Here's the Advertiser article on that compromise deal.

In the Honolulu Advertiser, Lee Cataluna's May 13 column was about Iroquois Beach being reopened to the public. She notes that the restrictions allow limited access, but also succeed in keeping that beach clean and litter-free... sadly, she's right: as long as locals trash our beaches, you will find opposition to increased public access via private roads. Here's the link to her column.

Mahalo to Roxanne for her guest blog while I was on vacation! Much more to follow, including tentative plans for a Beach Access Hawaii entry in the upcoming Kailua Fourth of July parade. If you haven't already registered for email updates, please use the link on the right hand side of the page to do so. And don't forget to donate a few dollars if you can spare it! We're gearing up for Groundhog Day 2009, and need to build up a war chest for legal action against locked gates on private and public roads.