Proposed creation of Nakula Natural Area Reserve on Maui considered

By Wendy Osher

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is proposing the designation of more than 15-hundred acres on Maui for inclusion in the Natural Area Reserve system.  The land is located in the Nakula region of Haleakala and includes a tract of Koa dominated forest that state officials say is rapidly disappearing from the leeward slopes.

Map courtesy: State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

A public hearing on the proposed withdrawal of section of the Kahikinui Forest Reserve for designation as the Nakula Natural Area Reserve will be held on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 on Maui.  An informational meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Kula Community Center, followed immediately by a public hearing at 6:30 p.m.  Public testimony will be accepted.

The item came up for review before the Board of Land and Natural Resources in February.  At the time, DLNR had sought inclusion of 1,517 acres into the state’s Natural Area System.