
Save Maalaea surfbreak ...
Web Publication by Mountain Man Graphics, Australia in the Southern Spring of 1995

Save the racetrack wave at Maalaea Harbour ...

E-Mail Received .....

From: Michael Moriarty

Date: Mon, 04 Dec 95 21:17:20 -2400
To: Mountain Man
Subject: Maalaea surfbreak to be destroyed

The racetrack wave at Maalaea Harbor, Maui Hawaii,
"the fastest wave in the world,"
may be doomed to dredging if we stand by idle.

Let's use our mutual love of surfing, and our ability to communicate through cyberspace, to deliver a world-wide blow for one of our surf spots. Ideally, I would like to see people from many countries and areas help our Earth together...

The Sierra Club Legal Defense fund recently sent me a memo stating that the Governor's office was pressuring the Office of State Planning (OSP) to reverse an earlier decision that the harbor expansion at Ma'alaea Harbor was inconsistent with the objectives and policies of the coastal Zone Management Act. Unfortunately, OSP appear to be seriously considering such a reversal. This would pave the way for the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge and destroy the world famous break at Ma'alaea.

Using the contact addresses below,
please send written protest via snail mail,
to Governor Benjamin Cayetano
and the director of the Office of State Planning, Mr. Gregory Pai.

I should think that it would be appropriate to sing praises of the wave at Ma'alaea as being the fastest rideable wave in the world, and to note that as such it ranks as one of the best waves on Earth. Pointing out that destruction of the natural habitat and resources in Hawaii will ultimately decrease the attractiveness of Hawaii as tourist destination area would seem to make sense. It would then seem appropriate to ask that you be informed if there are any decisions made, because "the entire surfing world is interested in the outcome of this issue, " or some similar statement.

Contacts- their side

The Honorable Governor Benjamin Cayetano
State Office Tower
235 S. Beretania Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808)586-0034

Mr. Gregory Pai
Office of State Planning
250 S. Hotel Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808)587-2831

Other contacts- Our side (unfortunately I don't have all the phone
numbers. Try calling directory assistance for the area in question)

Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund
223 South King St., 4th floor
Honolulu, Hawaii
96813
Phone- (808)599-2436 FAX (808)521-6841

Jamie Hunter
Protect Ma'alaea coalition
P.O. Box 399
Makawao, Hawaii 96768

Michael Bailey
Greenpeace Hawaii
P.O. Box 277-239
Kihei, Hawaii 96753

Carl Freedman
Blue Ocean Preservation Society
P.O. Box 1850
Kihei, Hawaii 96753

Aloha,

Michael Moriarty
P.O. Box 1102
Kapaau, Hawaii 96755
(808)889-5809

For any further information relating to this issue contact MichaelMoriaty

Background Information

The following is further E-Mail information received concerning this subject from an "informed source" in the islands.
It is simply an article from an August 1995 Surfing Mag, which had been stored in the "local library" ...

Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 07:49:19 -1000 (HST)
From: SomeOne@SomeWhere.In.The.Islands
To: Mountain Man
Subject: Maalaea info -- found!

Talk about inspiration!
I was settling down in the can, ready to relieve myself, when I started flipping through an old Surfer issue (Aug 95 -- the Machado ish). Lo and behold! There's an update on the Maalaea situation. Here it is:

Holding the Thin Green Line

Ma'alaea ("The Corps Don't Surf")
May 1994, page 22

Scenario:

The State of Hawaii and the Army Corps of Engineers are seeking permission to expand Ma'alaea Harbor. The corps would add 150 slips by building a 600-foot jetty and dredgin a new channel through the adjoining reefs to allow safe passage. The constructions would wipe out at least two known surf breaks and threatens to adversely affect the world famous Ma'alaea Pipeline. Although an alternative plan for an "internal mole" would reduce wave surge and allow the addition of a reduced number of boat slips without destroying the surf breaks, the Corps rejected this less-damaging plan out of hand.

Status:

Over objections of Maui locals, fishermen, Fish and Wildlife and the Hawaii State Planning Commission, the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the Corps' plan for the 600-foot jetty last year. In response, the Protect Ma'alaea Coalition and others have filed state and federal lawsuits to prevent construction of the breakwater. (A large part of the legal funding was provided by surfer-artist and Maui resident Chris Lassen.) However, according to Jamie Hunter of the Coalition, the new head of Hawaii Land and Natural Resources, Mike Wilson, publicly announced in a TV interview that the board preferred the internal mole structure. Wilson's office said he never made that statement, but said the mole option "is under consideration." The project remains in limbo, and the surf breaks, for now, are preserved. However, given the fact that this project has been shelved and resurrected several times over the last tow decades, there is no guarantee that the jetty will not be built in the future. Your input is needed:

Protect Ma'alaea Coalition
P.O. Box 399
Makawao, HI 96768
808-572-9847

For any further information relating to this issue contact Michael Moriaty

Save Maalaea surfbreak ...

Web Publication by Mountain Man Graphics, Australia in the Southern Spring of 1995

Save Maalaea surfbreak ...

Web Publication by Mountain Man Graphics, Australia in the Southern Spring of 1995