MAKENA IS A CHANGED PLACE
The Maui News
Letter to the Editor
Monday, March 08, 2004
Makena once had a native pristine dryland forest, now it is a wasteland with the notorious kiawe trees, whose roots reach down and tear up the layers of dirt and rock in the greedy search for water. The proposal from Makena Resort is just an extension of the resort which was approved some 20 years ago and it's a scaled-down version of the original proposal.
On numerous occasions in the past our hula halau has gone to the Makena and Ahihi Bay Natural Area Reserve for Hawaiian cultural practices, however now it's impossible for us to do so. The beaches are frequented by people who are living on Big Beach, and Little Beach cannot be accessed for our cultural purposes because of the nude people that have taken over the beach.
Makena is not "wild and sacred" anymore, thanks to all the people that are "loving it to death." We approve of this development because it will beautify Makena and it will not encumber the beach. Whatever ancient Hawaiian remnants that are there will be preserved.
Nina Maxwell and Hiilei Maxwell-Juan
Na Kumuhula - Pukalani Hula Hale
