HART Rail And The State of Hawaii Should Preserve the Historic Trails of the Ewa Plain
The Governor of Hawaii, The Hawaii State Legislature, The Mayor of Honolulu and the Honolulu City Council should absolutely and unequivocally follow state law and preserve the ancient historic native Hawaiian trails of the Ewa Plain as originally identified in the British Royal Navy surveyed map of Oahu published in 1825. A City Council resolution passed in 2012 urged the same initiative.
This painting, HMS Blonde, 1825, hangs at Washington Place,
the historic home of Queen Lili'uokalani
The survey team on the HMS Blonde was the first to identify and record for historic record the ancient Hawaiian trails that became known as the 1825 Malden Trails. The survey crew landed in the ancient 1000 year old community of Honouliuli where many other natural features, flora and fauna were recorded including the native Pueo owl, today a very endangered species on the island of Oahu.
The HMS Blonde played an important role in early Hawaiian history, see link:
http://honouliuli.blogspot.com/2014/12/British-Royal-Navy-HMS-Blonde.html
Hawaiian royal cloak in Bishop Museum from 1825 HMS Blonde expedition to Oahu.
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Honolulu City Council RESOLUTION 12-172, CD1 (2012) passed unanimously:
URGING THE HAWAII COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND
THE STATE OF HAWAII TO RECOGNIZE AND PRESERVE
THE HISTORIC TRAILS OF THE EWA PLAINS.
WHEREAS, the trails in the Ewa Plains area later known as Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Ewa and Naval Air Station (NAS) Barbers Point, and today called Kalaeloa as administered by the Hawaii Community Development Authority, are part of the greater Ewa Plains of West Oahu; and
WHEREAS, the Ewa Plains is a massive ancient karst coral reef where ocean meets mountain streams and fresh rain water percolates through porous 100,000 year old coral to spawn freshwater shrimp and one of Hawaii’s most diverse limu varieties; and
WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails and their adjacent historic sites provide clues as to how communities were linked socially, economically, and politically; which areas were important in early times, places of commerce, and religion; and where valuable forest or sea resources were once located; and
WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails were first identified after Western contact by Lieutenant C.R. Maiden of the Royal Navy in 1825 and became known as the Maiden Trails on the first published Oahu maps; and
WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails identified by Maiden became used for ranching and horseback transportation and became an indelible part of West Oahu’s 150 year old Paniolo and Pa’u horseback culture and early Hawaiian Kingdom history of ranches and farms which were the original Western economic settlements of the Ewa Plains; and
WHEREAS, these identified trails became the location where the Ewa Mill and Plantation was established and why the Oahu Railway was extended to this very important trailside agricultural community which allowed sugar cane to become the major economic engine of the Ewa Plains; and
WHEREAS, these Ewa Plains trails in 1925, due to the nearby location of Ewa Mill and the Oahu Railway, became incorporated into the United States (U.S.) Navy development of Ewa Mooring Mast Field as a naval airship mooring site; and
WHEREAS, these trails, springs, and underground karst water transport system later became further documented in State and Federal land surveys and aquifer maps, and in 1941 when the Ewa Mooring Mast Field became a U.S. Marine Corps airbase known as Ewa Field, these walking and horse ranch trails continued to be used by the Marines and Ewa Plantation community for access to the shoreline; and
WHEREAS, after the Japanese air attack on December 7, 1941 and the great expansion of the area into military airports which became MCAS Ewa and NAS Barbers Point during World War II, these trails were important for military training, patrols on foot and mounted Marine Corps horseback security patrols; and
WHEREAS, after the closure of the Marine and Navy airbases, published I 950s maps show the trails on former MCAS Ewa that are still used today by the Barbers Point riding club; and
WHEREAS, these historic horse and foot trails also link with the over 100 year old Oahu Railway right-of-way and Pearl Harbor Historic Trail plan that allows travel by foot, horse or bike from Pearl Harbor to Nanakuli, and which places the Ewa Plains trails as a center junction point and provides access to the Ewa shoreline; and
WHEREAS, an educational feature of these Ewa Plains trails could also be restored karst sinkhole sites along the trailways explaining the ecological system that sustains the iimu, nourishes food sources such as freshwater shrimp and which helps perpetuate Ewa’s offshore fisheries and sustainability; and
WHEREAS, these trails’ could become a cultural, historic, recreational and educational experience of walking, biking or horseback riding over trails featuring native Hawaiian plants, bird and aquatic life, telling cultural histories, explaining geological facts; and
WHEREAS, an Ewa Plains historic trails project could be a community supported endeavor bringing together cultural practitioners, educators, scientists, environmental and veteran organizations in a positive, holistic concept for community education, recreation and restoration; and
WHEREAS, recreational trails in Ewa could qualify for federal National Park Service (NPS) Recreational Trails Program funding,as well as Surface Transportation Program Flexible, Transportation Enhancement, and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Program funding and would be consistent with the Oahu Regional Transportation Plan; and
WHEREAS, federal programs such as the NPS Service Battlefield Protection Program have already awarded a $53,000 grant to help define the Ewa Field battlefield as an historic site, and which could include walking trails and points for historic interpretation; and
WHEREAS, federal programs such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have programs to restore Ewa Plains karst sinkholes and have already demonstrated that native freshwater shrimp can be restocked and flourish in these unique karst sinkhole habitats, providing working environments for education and training; and
WHEREAS, there are many interested individuals from equestrian clubs, biking, recreational groups, schools, colleges and universities, active duty military family and morale, welfare and recreation organizations, that could benefit from and assist in supporting an Ewa Plains trails program; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City and County of Honolulu that it supports the mapping and identification of historic trails in the Ewa Plains; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the State of Hawaii, the United States government, and the City and County of Honolulu are urged to participate in the mapping and identification of the Ewa Plains historic trails; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City and County of Honolulu will not expend any monies to provide for the mapping and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the Governor, the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the President of the United States, the Commander of United States Pacific Command, and the Mayor.
DATE OF INTRODUCTION: 2012 (Passed unanimously 2012)
Lt. Charles Malden's 1825 Map
Lt. Charles Malden's 1825 Map - Honoruru was ID'ed as the best harbor for trade
The Honouliuli Ewa Plain trails featured in Lt. Charles Malden's 1825 Map
