countdown to the end of the u.s. army’s current 65-year lease in mākua, August 16, 2029
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ARMY EIS SCOPING CLOSED SEPT. 1
The U.S. Army would like to renew the lease it holds in sacred Mākua, as well as other leases on lands throughout the Hawaiian archipelago. The current lease in Mākua expires in 2029 (see countdown clock above), but the process of lease renewal has already started. The first step in the process is for the army to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. Public comments regarding the EIS and renewal were due no later than Wednesday, September 1. Below is an excerpt from the armyʻs Public Comment Form website.
“The Army is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Army Training Land Retention at Kahuku Training Area (KTA), Kawailoa-Poamoho Training Area (Poamoho), and Makua Military Reservation (MMR) on the island of Oʻahu, in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), guided by Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) Parts 1500–1508, and Title 32 C.F.R. Part 651, and the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 343 and Hawai‘i Administrative Rules Chapter 11-200.1, collectively referred to as the Hawai‘i Environmental Policy Act (HEPA).
”The first step in the NEPA and HEPA processes is to inform the public of the intention to prepare an EIS and solicit public input during the EIS scoping period. This is done through publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register, and publication of an EIS Preparation Notice (EISPN) in the State Office of Environmental Quality Control’s publication, The Environmental Notice. Please visit the project website to view these documents at: https://home.army.mil/hawaii/index.php/OahuEIS.”
Mālama Mākua, through Earthjustice, submitted testimony. Click on the image with the Earthjustice letterhead to see the comments from Mālama Mākua in full.
Moments That Matter: Vince Dodge and David Henkin on the history of Malama Makua 3.17.24
KIʻI PŌHAKU TALK STORY
RETIRED HIGH-RANKING U.S. army OFFICERS SPEAK AT KIʻI PŌHAKU DURING DIFFERENT CULTURAL ACCESSES ABOUT THE DANGERS OF MILITARIZATION AND THE NEED FOR THE return and HEALING OF SACRED MĀKUA
COLONEL ann WRIGHT SPEAKS OF THE DANGERS OF MILITARIZATION on the feb. 3, 2019, cultural access
Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, who also spent years as a U.S. diplomat internationally, retired from the U.S. military because she did not believe the Iraq war was a just war. She lives on Oʻahu, but now travels the world speaking about the dangers of militarization. Colonel Wright is a strong supporter of the Mālama Mākua mission.
Lieutenant colonel joe estores SPEAKS OF cultural awakening and healing on the June 1, 2019, cultural access
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and Native Hawaiian, Joe Estores, a Pearl Harbor bombing survivor, was culturally connected to Mākua Cave (Kāneana Cave) as a child and then led live-fire training and bombing of Mākua as a soldier. Kupuna speaks of guilt, forgiveness and the need for the return of Mākua from the U.S. army. To see second part of Kupunaʻs talk, click here.
Waiʻanae and Mākua Valley: Environmental Dangers, Destruction and Restoration
Much of this video is devoted to Mālama Mākua founding member Sparky Rodrigues giving a presentation on the dangers and degradation to the ʻĀina due to militarization on the Waiʻanae Coast, with Mākua as a centerpiece of his talk, at the Aloha ʻĀina EAducational Weekend in Keaʻau in May 2018. Listen for Uncle Sparky telling of the old definition of ʻĀina, as was taught to him. The last 40 minutes of the video are excerpts from interviews of Mākua as a special and sacred place and why Mākua needs to be cleaned up, protected and returned. The interviews were part of Kourtney Keohuhuʻs Mākua Stories and were recorded during the Hoʻolauleʻa on Mākua Beach that celebrated the 10th anniversary of PEACE (no live-fire training) in the valley in 2014.
Contents of the video include: “Mākua Live,” 0:00 - 2:47; presentation by Sparky Rodrigues of Mālama Mākua at Aloha ‘Āina EAducational Weekend, 02:48 - 46:17; Mālama Mākua Ho‘olaule‘a celebrating 10 years of PEACE in Mākua, 46:18 - until pau. Aggregate edit by Oren Tsutsumi.
“Mākua Live” by Sparky Rodrigues with music by Kyle Kajihiro. “Waiʻanae and Mākua Valley: Environmental Dangers, Destruction and Restoration,” a presentation by Sparky Rodrigues at the 2018 Aloha ‘Āina EAducational Weekend. Video by Oren Tsutsumi. “Mālama Mākua Ho‘olaule‘a celebrating 10 years of PEACE in Mākua” excerpted from Mākua Stories by Kourtney Keohuhu.
MĀKUA, OUR ʻĀINA
Robi Kahakalau, along with Kimié and Paula Fuga, sings her signature song “Mākua” to close out an amazing and mana-filled day at Mākua on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. Non-profits Nā Kama Kai, Sustainable Coastlines and Protectors of Paradise, along with Mālama Mākua, opened the day at 9 am with a clean-up of Mākua Beach with an estimated 800-plus folks fanning out along the mile-long beach. A Celebration of 15 Years of Peace in Mākua (no military live-fire training) began under the big tent set up in the Kulaʻilaʻi parking lot next to Mākua Beach at noon with incredible speakers and mele. A star-studded, three-plus hour concert then followed at 3 pm, featuring Nā Hoku Hanohano award winners Kimié, Mike Love, Paula Fuga and Sistah Robi, among others.
