Looking down on Pōhue Beach, a nesting site for the endangered Hawaiian hawksbill turtle, honuʻea. (NPS Photo/J.Ferracane)

(BIVN) – Two public meetings will be held this month, one in-person and one virtual, to discuss the future of Pōhue Beach.

From a Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park news release:

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park invites the community to participate in a public meeting regarding protection and potential future use of the remote 16,451-acre Kahuku-Pōhue parcel the park acquired last month.

An in-person meeting is planned for Saturday, August 13 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ocean View Community Center, located at 92-8924 Leilani Circle, in Ocean View, Kaʻū. Park managers are seeking feedback from the community about the natural and cultural resources of the area, and wish to explore suggestions for public use that are compatible with resource protection.

A second meeting will be offered via virtual webinar on Wednesday, August 17 at 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom, https://zoom.us/j/97789413155; or call in to (346) 248-7799, webinar ID: 977 8941 3155. The park, Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Hawaiʻi Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED) will participate in both meetings.

Map of Pōhue Bay courtesy TPL/NPS

Before the land transfer, the park met with community members in partnership with TPL and HACBED to better understand the land’s cultural, historical and ecological significance. Community engagement will continue over the next few months. Until Pōhue interim operating procedures can be worked out, and safe access protective of cultural and natural resources can be ensured, public access to the Kahuku-Pōhue parcel is temporarily restricted. There are no restroom facilities or capacity for trash removal, and emergency response is very limited. Portions of the current jeep trail and pedestrian routes to the coastline pass through private lands not managed by the park.

The park is calling the new section the “Kahuku-Pōhue parcel” in reference to the Hawaiian place name, Kahuku. Kahuku is the mauka-to-makai (inland to ocean) ahupuaʻa (historic land division), in which Pōhue is located. In addition, many Kaʻū locals refer to the bay as Pōhue Bay and its adjacent beach as Kahuku Beach. The park welcomes additional information about other ʻinoa ʻāina (Native Hawaiian or indigenous) place names for Kahuku-Pōhue.

The National Park Service has more information on the park website.