Apana proposes LAHAINA >> Isaac Texeira said his family spent the night at Papalaua Wayside Park in west Maui to show government officials there was a need to provide outdoor camping sites.
repeal on
camping ban
The proposal would open 3
sites where many people
already camp despite the banBy Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com"I've been camping here all my life," said Texeira, who lives in Pukalani and enjoys fishing. "If they close here, where are we going?"
Texeira was among scores of Maui residents Saturday and Sunday expressing support for camping at Papalaua, a mile-and-a-half stretch of sandy coastline with kiawe trees on the Lahaina side of the pali.
At 9 a.m. tomorrow, Mayor James "Kimo" Apana is scheduled to present to the Maui County Council a proposal to allow camping at Papalaua, Waihee Beach Park and Honomanu Beach Park in Keanae.
Earlier this month, Apana was preparing to enforce a camping ban at Papalaua because of problems with the homeless and sanitation.
But last week, facing growing protests from campers, Apana canceled plans to enforce the ban and instead proposed opening the three camp sites.
Apana said he'll allow camping at Papalaua as long as the County Council appears to support his recent request to open the campgrounds.
With miles of scrub brush coastline and unpaved roads away from the view of law enforcement officials, Maui has had a tradition of overnight camping, even though the county has an islandwide ban on overnight stays.
Larger in size than Oahu and with less than a tenth of the state's population, the Valley Isle has had space for residents who enjoy the outdoor lifestyle.
But as Maui has become a major resort destination during the past 15 years, coastal developments have eliminated many wilderness camping areas.
Critics point out that while the state maintains camping areas in Hana and Kula and the federal government allows camping at Haleakala National Park, the county has moved to eliminate all its campsites.
County officials shut down camping at Baldwin Beach Park in Paia and Rainbow Park mauka of Paia several years ago.
Apana banned camping at Kanaha Beach Park in central Maui on Feb. 9, shutting down the last county campground.
He had planned to enforce a ban on camping in west Maui at Papalaua starting tomorrow.
County spokeswoman Karlynn Kawahara said the administration was worried about assaults and at least one robbery at Papalaua.
She said those using Papalaua beach also have expressed worries about overcrowding and the failure of campers to douse their fires properly.
Kawahara said the administration is looking at a "fee for service" system that allows a camp caretaker at Papalaua to make sure everyone has a permit.
Residents said the county's enforcement of a camping ban elsewhere has forced the homeless and weekend campers into Papalaua.
Campers said they were for a permit system at Papalaua as long as they could obtain permission on weekdays and weekends.
David E. Garner, a Kula resident who organized support for camping at Papalaua last weekend, said county officials are using crime to shut down camping when they should be finding solutions to the problem of crime.
"If a school turns up a few problem kids, we don't close down the school," Garner said.