Beach Access Rally This Saturday 2/2/08

[red]

Beach Access Hawaii and 20 other grassroots organizations say it's time that state legislators and county governments work together to address the problem of diminishing public beach access throughout the islands of Hawaii. To draw attention to past and present battles over shoreline access, simultaneous rallies will be held on Sat., Feb. 2, 10 a.m. until noon on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, and the Big Island.

"It's like the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day. We keep reliving the same problems over and over when it comes to beach access issues," said Rich Figel, cofounder of Beach Access Hawaii, one of the groups involved. Scott Werny, co-chair of the Surfrider Foundation Oahu Chapter, added: "Not only that, but some of these private landowners are acting like ground hogs when they deny the public access to our own beaches."

The event will kick off with a press conference in front of the State Capitol building at 9:30 a.m. Speakers will include activists and government officials who support their call for legislation to protect shoreline access, and the need for action to acquire more public rights of way.

Following the press conference, supporters and media will ride the "Beach Access Trolley" from the State Capitol to selected rally spots on East Oahu where conflicts over beach access have repeatedly flared up. "On Oahu, a plan for beach access acquisition was first developed in the 1980s. We have seen very little progress since. State law, affirmed by the Hawaii Supreme Court, clearly states the right of Hawaii's people to go to the coast," said Miwa Tamanaha of KAHEA, the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance. "This is an islands-wide issue, and this day is an opportunity for individuals in Hawaii to affirm to their elected representatives their desire to access our public shorelines."

Organizations that will hold sign-waving rallies in support of the cause include: The Surfrider Foundation (Oahu, Maui and Kauai chapters); Beach Access Hawaii; KAHEA; Defend Oahu Coalition; Common Ground Hawaii, which is fighting to keep free parking at the Ala Wai harbor for surfers and beach users; plus a coalition of East Oahu groups and associations that have been waging battles for years over rights of way in Portlock, Aina Haina, Niu Valley and Hawaii Kai.

There will also be rallies on Kauai in the Princeville resort area; at Kahului Harbor, Maui, where expansion plans could severely affect existing surf spots; in Kona at the site of the Ahu'ena heiau by the King Kamehameha hotel, which has been a focal point of Hawaiian access issues there. Molokai residents are getting involved. There will even be sign wavers on the island of Kaho'olawe to remind the public of past abuses of the aina.

"At present, on Oahu we only have 86 public rights of way for over a hundred miles of coastline," Figel noted. Werny says the county of Oahu should tap into the newly-created Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund to purchase rights of way where they are needed, with matching funds provided by the state. According to Werny, many shoreline paths were created with the intent to provide beach access and are tax assessed at only $100 -- yet they remain closed to the public.

After-rally potluck gatherings are being planned in Kailua, the North Shore, and the Ala Moana Bowls parking lot area. For details on the participating organizations, event coordinators contact information, or specific locations, please visit http://www.surfrider.org/oahu or reach Scott Werny at (808) 391-4488 or clearwater@hawaii.rr.com.

Beach Access Hawaii http://www.beachaccesshawaii.org/
Keep the North Shore Country
Box 356
Haleiwa, HI 96712

http://www.KeepTheNorthShoreCountry.org

[goro]

thanks for posting this red...wish i'd known about it earlier, but maybe good ting i didn't as today was a crappy day with all the wind and rain...