Office of Maunakea Management awarded 2017 Preservation Commendation

UH News April 17, 2017

The Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation will honor the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Office of Maunakea Management (OMKM) for its outstanding preservation efforts of Maunakea with a 2017 Preservation Commendation Award at the upcoming 43rd Annual Preservation Honor Award Ceremony on May 19.

The foundation’s awards are Hawaiʻi’s highest recognition of preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and interpretation of the state’s architectural, archaeological and cultural heritage. The Preservation Commendation will be presented to OMKM, the Maunakea Management Board, Kahu Kū Mauna—a council comprised of Hawaiian cultural resource persons who serve as advisors—and Pacific Consulting Services, Inc., for the preservation efforts related to the Long-Term Historic Property Monitoring Plan for UH Managed Lands on Maunakea.

“The preparation of this plan and implementation of regular, annual monitoring without a statutory requirement demonstrates the Office of Maunakea Management’s commitment to stewardship and best practices in cultural resource understanding, protection and preservation,” said Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation Executive Director Kiersten Faulkner. “We congratulate you on your exemplary preservation efforts.”

“The Office of Maunakea Management together with the Maunakea Management Board, Kahu Kū Mauna and Pacific Consulting Services created a model we believe would enhance our stewardship of the lands we manage,” said OMKM Director Stephanie Nagata. “We are honored and humbled by this recognition.”

Maunakea, a culturally significant mountain to Native Hawaiians, is rich in properties protected by Hawaiʻi State law. The summit and surrounding areas contain sites that archaeologically and architecturally merit inclusion as protected historical properties. These sites include shrines, burials, three traditional cultural properties—Puʻulilinoe, Kūkahauʻula (cluster of cinder cones) and Lake Waiau—and the stone cabins at Halepōhaku.

Since its inception in 2000, OMKM has been responsible for the day-to-day management of more than 11,000 acres of University of Hawaiʻi managed lands, including the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, with oversight by the Maunakea Management Board and Kahu Kū Mauna.

Long-Term Historic Property Monitoring Plan for UH Managed Lands on Maunakea

The 2017 Preservation Commendation is awarded for the Long-Term Historic Property Monitoring Plan, developed and implemented to systematically monitor the condition of more than 200 significant historic properties located within the lands on Maunakea managed by the University of Hawaiʻi.

The Long-Term Historic Property Monitoring Plan includes guidelines for monitoring the condition of significant properties to help identify any alteration patterns and steps for maintaining and updating the catalog of historic properties. An initial evaluation of each historic property was done to determine management needs. Following four years of extensive inventory field work and analysis of more than 11,000 acres, approximately 260 sites were classified for monitoring in three categories: yearly, every three years and every five years. Historic properties monitored yearly are the sites most exposed to possible disturbances and are therefore monitored most frequently.

A key initiative of the Office of Maunakea Management is the protection and preservation of the historic resources found within UH-managed lands, including the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, the summit access road corridor and the mid-level facilities at Halepōhaku. The plan assists with monitoring implementation, establishes assessment parameters and in consultation with State Historic Preservation Division, and develops measures to mitigate possible adverse impacts to preserve and protect historic properties for future generations.

The Office of Maunakea Management was also a recent recipient of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce’s Pualu Environmental Award. The 2016 Environmental Awareness Award recognized organizations that exhibit sensitivity and concern for the environment through innovative environmental practice.