Case announces grants for acquisition of Pupukea-Paumalu and Honu‘apo

Washington, DC – Congressman Case today announced that the National Park Service is providing Land and Water Conservation Fund grant awards for acquisition of Pupukea-Paumalu on Oahu’s North Shore and Honu‘apo on the Ka‘u coast of the island of Hawaii.

The Pupukea-Paumalu matching grant of $688,891 will go toward acquisition of a new 1,100-acre state park across from world-famous Sunset Beach to promote outdoor recreation opportunities—especially hiking—and preserve the area’s scenic North Shore views. Additional funding has been provided through NOAA’s Coastal Land and Estuarine Program, the City and County of Honolulu, the State of Hawaii, the Department of Defense, and private donations. The North Shore Community Land Trust and The Trust for Public Land were key to putting the funding for this project together.

The Honu‘apo matching grant of $267,632 will go toward acquisition of a remarkable 225-acre parcel adjacent to Whittington Beach Park on the Ka‘u coast near Pahala. This area, which is cherished by local residents, was in imminent danger of development. The Trust for Public Land negotiated an option to purchase the land and worked to secure federal, state, and County of Hawaii funding, as well as private donations, needed to protect this unspoiled portion of  Hawaii’s coastline.

“I was proud to support both of these acquisitions through requests to appropriators and letters of support,” said Congressman Ed Case. “Conservation of our coastal lands has been one of my highest priorities during my tenure in Congress. But the true heroes of this story are the community activists who put these deals together, especially Blake McElheny of the North Shore Community Land Trust and Josh Stanbro of The Trust for Public Land.”