COURTESY DLNR
Proposed signs warning of dangerous natural conditions at state and county parks use written and visual warnings.
State seeks feedback
on new park warning signs
Proposed signs warning of dangerous natural conditions at state and county parks and trails are ready for public comments on whether they get the message across.
The signs would warn park and trail users of hazards such as rockfalls, flash floods, unstable cliffs, and submerged rocks in streams. The signs are modeled after beach signs warning of rip currents, high surf, jellyfish or shark sightings.
They were designed by a multi-agency task force the Legislature created last year in the wake of the state being found liable for inadequate warning signs at Sacred Falls State Park.
Eight people were killed and 50 injured in a rockslide at the park on Mother's Day 1999. The state settled the lawsuit for $8.56 million in December.
How quickly the signs actually go up "depends on the reaction of people," said Peter Young, director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees state parks and trails.
"These signs are not going to stop rocks from falling or rivers from rising," Young said yesterday.
But the signs "will allow the public to enjoy the resources, assuming they are willing to assume the risk."
Where the signs will go is still being determined by the same task force, Young said.
Once the signs are in place, "state and county liability will be substantially reduced for potential injuries associated with environmental conditions displayed on the signs -- and the trail or park user now also assumes informed responsibility," said state Attorney General Mark Bennett.
The signs use short written warnings and simple visual images called pictographs.
"We want feedback, especially from trail user groups, to determine whether the message on the signs, and in particular the pictograph, adequately convey the environmental conditions we are trying to warn about," Young said.
Following the initial public review, new rules on the design and placement of signs must be written and the Board of Land and Natural Resources must approve the signs.
DLNR will use existing funds for production and some installation of signs.
The draft warning and management signs can be seen online at: www.state.hi.us/ dlnr/warningsigns or at meetings statewide.
Meetings on Oahu, Molokai the Big Island were held yesterday. Others are:
>> Maui: 3 p.m. today, , DLNR-Forestry Kahului Baseyard, 685 Old Haleakala Highway, Kahului.E-mail comments may be sent to Curt Cotrell, state Na Ala Hele trails administrator at Curt@dofaw.net.
>> Lanai: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, , Lanai Senior Citizen Center, Lanai City.
>> Kauai: 4:30 p.m. Jan. 29, DLNR-Forestry Baseyard, 4396D Pua Loke, Lihue.
