Respect Waipio
Proliferation of ATVs, dirt bikes in the valley prompts new meeting

by Bret Yager
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
Waipio Valley residents say it's time to get the message out: People who bring ATVs and dirt bikes illegally into the valley won't meet with a warm welcome.

People often have the mistaken perception the valley is public land, and end up treating it as a theme park, some residents say. Visitors also may be unaware that ATVs and most offroad motorcycles are not allowed on the county access road to the lush valley at the island's northeast tip, an area considered sacred to many Hawaiians.

The valley has exploded in popularity over the past few years, residents say, and so have the impacts.

"The traffic increase has been huge," said Jim Cane, a Waipio taro farmer and resident of 20 years. "Part of the problem is there really is no public property. Visitors must be respectful. It's a very powerful place; you can't just do whatever you want and run amok."

However, some of the same property owners who point to ATVs and bikes tearing up streams and roadways also use ATVs in the valley. That makes some uneasy about a crackdown.

"If you have a farm, it's okay to have an ATV because sometimes that's the only way to get in," said Ku'ulei Badua, who lives near Waipio Lookout and is president of the Kuhuihale Community Association. "But a friend of mine who lives in the valley was just telling me about an ATV (visitor) going up and down the river. She told him that's where she gets her food. He could care less as long as he was having fun."

"She was so upset," Badua said. "She wants to get the word out: Waipio is not a park. People live here."

Kamehameha Schools, the major landowner in the area, has said it doesn't want the machines on its land, period, police say.




The Waipio Community Circle will host a public meeting this Saturday in Honokaa to educate the public about rules for ATVs, dirt bikes and jet skis on public roads and public areas, including the state-owned beach area and state-controlled nearshore waters. Input on activities suitable to the valley will be sought, and members of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii County Police Department will be available to answer questions.

The community has been grappling for several years with how to address the increased use while maintaining access in Waipio, Cane said. Part of that has been an education effort involving volunteer information officers stationed at the lookout, a program in place since the end of last summer.

The recent county purchase of land at the lookout was a good step toward preserving the area, Cane said. The community is also eyeing the possibility of setting up a receiving area where people have the option of learning about the valley without taking the steep road to the bottom.

"Once people realize the situation, they want to be respectful. That's part of the reason we want to educate them," Cane said.

Facilitator Susan Maddox described Saturday's meeting as an educational opportunity, rather than a response to a crisis.

"It's an opportunity to share the regulations, where the machines are usable and where it's not appropriate for those activities," Maddox said. "We hope those who use dirt bikes and go into the valley with jet skis will be part of that meeting too."

Police have warned residents that the ban on ATVs on the access road applies to them as well.

"We're warning everyone that ATVs are not allowed on public roadways," said Shane Muramaru, the community policing officer for the area.

Muramaru said the prosecutor's office had indicated there may be an exception for ATVs being used as farm vehicles.

"That all depends on what it is being used for, where it is going to and from," Muramaru said. "It's on a case by case basis. But if you're going down there blind, going on the beach, you may get cited."

The Waipio issues point to a larger problem the island is experiencing as it grows, Cane said. Access is becoming increasingly restricted; at the same time, more users are lining up to recreate on the land that's left.

The idea of limiting access to the valley has been floating around for some time, but it's a fine line balancing restrictions with the sense of openness and aloha that many would like to preserve, Cane said.

"You can't just cut off the access," he said. "Some people feel like, hey, this is Waipio; the party is over. I don't see that happening myself, but we have to place some limits on access. The community doesn't want to say don't come to Waipio, but you have to be respectful. It's a fragile place."

Muramaru said that perhaps the island needs some more ATV-friendly recreation areas.

"ATVs are wonderful things. I own one, but I don't go driving it in someone else's yard," Muramaru said.

Attempts to contact several Big Island ATV enthusiasts for comment were unsuccessful.

The community meeting will be held Sat., March 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the North Hawaii Education and Research Center at 45-539 Plumeria Street in Honokaa.

Bret Yager can be reached at byager@hawaiitribune-herald.com.