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Not the place to be when the rocks slide.
The word from Dan Quinn was that Black Sand would only be reopened with signage approved by the Board of the Department of Land and Natural Resources after the October 15, 2006 earthquake. Ten months later Black Sand opened on August 22, 2007. Signage was approved by the Board of the Department of Land and Natural Resources at the August 10, 2007 meeting at least this is what Governor Lingle advised regarding a question on this issue in Dr. Leisure's letter of July 30, 2007.
Eleven signs were added to Makena State Park and one was removed. The eleven signs had language approved by the Board of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Five signs
now clutter the landscape as one approaches the climb over access to Little
Beach. Interestingly the signs suggest the rocks will fall from the ocean
side of the beach rather than the hillside. Oh, Well! It could be worse.
Over
at Black Sand Beach the sign posted shortly after the earthquake was taken
down and replaced with two apparently approved signs shown. Actually three
sets of these signs were placed. One set adjacent to the parking lot at
Black Sand beach. One set on the path coming around the cinder cone from
Little Beach. ( On the trail leading up the hill.) And the final set of
signs was placed directly under the slide area on the beach!
The view of the hillside where the falling rocks come from. The placement
of this sign is not by accident and stupidity. It's placement is a manifestation
of the contempt held by various members of the DLNR staff for the park
visitor to Makena State Park be they residents or tourist.
This is the
previously posted sign which apparently was not satisfactory. It clearly
states on the bottom of the sign that it is a sign of the Department of
Land and Natural Resources. You are not in danger when you read this sign.
The new sign is to the left of where this one was located and directly
under the slide area. Be careful!
The DLNR has the capabilities to make its own signs and this one was
done in house. Interesting the new approved signs lack any indication of
the authority under which they are produced. A small tag on the back indicates
they are the product of Maui Signs.
Where one sign that appeared to be perfectly adequate as a warning there
have now been eleven additional signs added to the park.
THE CLOSURE OF BLACK SAND BEACH AT MAKENA STATE PARK
Daniel S. Quinn in a letter dated May 15, 2007 explains the closure
of Black Sand Beach since Oct 15, 2006 thus: “The Black Sand Beach area
has been determined to be unsafe due to cracks on the edges of Pu’u Ola’i
caused by the earthquake of October, 2006. This area has been closed since
that time for public safety reasons We will be seeking the Board of Land
and Natural Resources’ approval to post new warning and danger signs in
this area . Once this has been done,
a portion of the Black Sand Beach section of the park will be reopened,
with signage posted to protect the public from venturing into unsafe areas.”
Before
After August 21,2007
Sonny Vic inspects the warning sign which has been in place shortly
after the earthquake of October 15, 2006. Dan Quinn states that they are
still waiting on clearance from the Board of the Department of Land and
Natural Resources for approval of signing. This sort of verbal non sense
has resulted in a request for his dismissal in a letter
to the governor the end of July.
Addresses and other information on the current stewards
of Makena.
Friends of Makena State Park was formally formed in 2003 to assist the Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources in the stewardship of Makena State Park.
Consider a contribution to Doctor Leisure's Friends of Makena State
Park if you want to help defray the cost of this site and the efforts
to save Makena State Park and the adjacent lands from unneeded and unwanted
development. Twenty dollars pays for the gasoline necessary to get
Dr. Leisure to the park for five days. Forty dollars pays for the ink cartridge
for the printer. Twenty five dollars covers the cost of the web site for
one month.
Membership is open to anyone interested in the stewardship of the unique natural resource that constitutes Makena State Park situated on the island of Maui in the Hawai'i 'i Islands. The world famous nude beach known as Little Beach is contiguous to Makena State Park.
To declare your membership and to receive the electronic newsletter
of
Dr. Leisure's Friends of Makena State Park click this link: LittleBeachMaui-subscribe@topica.com
and send a blank email.
Dr. Leisure's Friends of Makena State Park
PO Box 1137
Kihei, HI 96753
808-250-4160
--Dr. George R. Harker can be reached by email at drleisure1@aol.com.
Article
may be reproduced with appropriate credit: drleisure.com
Copyright 2007, Dr. Leisure
©Copyright
2007 Dr. Leisure. All rights reserved.
