STATEMENT OF P. DANIEL
SMITH, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF
THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, RECREATION, AND PUBLIC
LANDS OF THE HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE CONCERNING, H.R. 1906, A BILL TO AUTHORIZE
THE ADDITION OF LANDS TO PU’UHONUA O HONAUNAU NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK IN THE
STATE OF HAWAII.
Mr. Chairman, thank you
for the opportunity to present the Department of the Interior’s views on
H.R. 1906, a bill to
adjust the boundaries of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, in the
State of Hawaii.
The
Department supports H.R. 1906, if amended in conformance with this
testimony. The legislation will adjust
the authorized boundary of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park to
include the remainder of Ki’ilae Village and other adjoining lands within the
park. The proposed expansion is located
on lands immediately adjacent to, but outside the park boundary, and would add
approximately 805 acres to the 182 acres already within the park. About one-half of the proposed new acreage
contains known important physical remains of the native Hawaiian culture
associated with the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau.
The
Department previously testified in support of S. 1057, a similar bill that
passed the Senate on October 17, 2001.
That bill would add only 238 acres to the 182 acres already within the
park and would authorize the addition of another 165 acres by donation if the
lands were ever acquired. In light of
the National Park Service’s interest in protecting the entire Ki’ilae Village
and its archeological resources, we recommend that H.R. 1906 be amended to
incorporate the language of the Senate-passed bill.
Ki’ilae
is an ancient Hawaiian settlement dating back to the late 12th or early
13th centuries. The
settlement remained active until the 1930’s, making it one of the last
traditional Hawaiian villages to be abandoned.
The proposed boundary adjustment consists of adding lands containing the
archeological remains of this Hawaiian village. Lands to be added to the park contain more than 800 archeological
sites, structures and features. These
include at least 25 caves and 10 heiau (Hawaiian temples), more than 20 rock
platforms, 26 rock wall enclosures, over 40 burial features, residential
compounds, a holua (recreational slide used by Hawaiian royalty), canoe landing
sites, a water well, numerous rock walls and a wide range of agricultural
features.
The
proposed expansion dates back to a 1957 archeological survey conducted by the
Bishop Museum. This survey found that
the greater part of the ancient village of Ki’ilae, as well as other
significant Hawaiian archeological resources, were left outside of the park
boundaries established by Congress in 1955.
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau’s 1972 Master Plan identifies Ki’ilae Village as
one of the park’s major resources and the master plan graphics show village
remains extending well beyond the existing park boundaries. In 1992, a boundary study was prepared for
the park. Both the master plan and the
boundary study call for adding the “balance of Ki’ilae Village” to the
park. Up until last year, the property
was unavailable because its ownership was not clear. The three heirs to the
property have now settled the ownership issue, thereby clearing the way for the
Park Service to acquire the land. This bill, if amended, would allow the
boundary of the park to be expanded to protect this significant cultural
resource.
In
light of the President's commitment to reducing the backlog of deferred maintenance
needs within the National Park System before incurring additional financial
burdens, it is encouraging to note that the present owner of the land
authorized for acquisition in the Senate-passed bill may consider donating one
portion of the property to the National Park Service, while the other portion
would be available for purchase and has been appraised at $4.6 million. Funds to purchase this property would be
subject to NPS servicewide priorities and the availability of appropriations.
Since no development is contemplated within the boundary adjustment area, no
line item construction or significant development costs are anticipated,
although there would be some one-time costs after acquisition to conduct an
inventory of archeological resources and remove non-native vegetation. We do
not expect an increase to the park’s base-operating budget.
There
is strong local support to protect and include these resources within the
Pu’uhonua o Honaunua National Historical Park, and it reflects the high level
of cooperation, consultation, and strong commitment of local communities and
governments toward the park. Local
support for land acquisition projects is an important part of the Department's
support for this legislation.
That
concludes my testimony. I would be glad to answer any questions that you or the
members of the subcommittee may have.