Wao Kele o Puna
Encyclopedia
Wao Kele O Puna is Hawaii
's largest remaining lowland wet forest, about 15 mi (24.1 km) south of the city of Hilo, along the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea
volcano on the Island of Hawaii
. The name means the upland rainforest of Puna
. Puna is one of 9 districts on the island. Lava
from Kīlauea continues to flow onto forest land.
In 2006, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) purchased Wao Kele, ending a twenty-year struggle to prevent tapping the sizeable geothermal energy
resources that lie below it. Opponents believe that the area is the home of the fire goddess Pele. It is also known as the Puna Forest Reserve, located just east of the Puu Ōō vent at coordinates 19°26′29"N 155°1′23"W.
Environmentalists proposed the trade because they considered Kahaualea to be in better condition than Wao Kele. The Pele Defense Fund, however, sued, arguing that privatizing Wao Kele would end traditional hunting and gathering by native Hawaiians
. The suit led to a controversial Hawaii State Supreme Court
ruling that granted natives access to such private property.
In the 2006 transaction, TPL paid $3.65 million for Wao Kele, $131/acre, using $3.4 million in U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy program money, along with $250,000 from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
(OHA). TPL then transferred title to OHA.
On 28 August 2007 OHA took formal ownership of Wao Kele. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife is responsible for managing the land until 2017.
development until 31 January 2016. As of 2009, Hawaii uses the permit only to monitor two existing geothermal wells. OHA has no plans for further development. The Hawaii Legislature has provided $2 million to plug the existing TrueMid-Pacific well with sand and concrete in 2009.
The state of Hawaii has substantial geothermal resources, which could dramatically reduce fossil fuel use and energy prices there if the energy can be extracted without damage to the surrounding environment and in accordance with Hawaiian law and culture. Geologists estimate that the Big Island alone has the potential to generate 500-700 megawatts of electricity.
Wao Kele came to the attention of geothermal developers after other privates sites became inundated with fresh lava from Kīlauea, at depths ranging up to 300 ft (91.4 m). Developers claim that 100 megawatts of power could be generated from only 300 of the forest's nearly 28000 acre (11,331.2 ha), enough to provide all the electricity for the island's 175,000 residents.
Opponents cite the numerous health and safety problems experienced by an experimental state-run plant that closed in 1989, notably including toxic hydrogen sulfide
gas emissions. A separate plant went online in 1993 in Puna's Lower East Rift Zone and continues to generate 25-30 megawatts of electricity. The natural increase in hydrogen sulfide and volcanic ash emissions due to volcanic activity within the Kilauea caldera
at times produces sufficient vog
to affect breathing on the nearby island of Maui
.
's largest lowland wet forest. It is home to numerous primary and rare plant species including hāpuu ferns (Cibotium
spp.), ieie vines (Freycinetia arborea
), and kōpiko (Psychotria mariniana
), some of which help to limit invasive species' incursions. Opeapea (Hawaiian hoary bat
, Lasiurus cinereus semotus) io (Hawaiian Hawk
, Buteo solitarius), Common Amakihi (Hemignathus virens), and nananana makakii (happy-face spider, Theridion grallator
) live in the trees. There are thought to be many more as-yet-undocumented species within the forest. Wao Kele's primary forest tree is ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
) .
Wao Kele occupies approximately one-fifth of the watershed that feeds the Pahoa aquifer.
The Wao Kele o Puna Reserve is threatened by a number of invasive species, including strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum), Molucca albizia (Falcataria moluccana), Koster's curse (Clidemia hirta
), and glory bush (Tibouchina herbacea). Albizia occurs widely in the surrounding area, but is limited to a relatively small number of sites within the reserve. Large patches of strawberry guava occur within the reserve.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
's largest remaining lowland wet forest, about 15 mi (24.1 km) south of the city of Hilo, along the East Rift Zone of Kīlauea
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
volcano on the Island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
. The name means the upland rainforest of Puna
Puna, Hawaii
Puna is one of the nine districts in Hawaii County, Big Island, Hawaii. The District of Puna is located on the easternmost portion of the island and shares borders to the north with the District of South Hilo and a border to the west with the District of Kaū...
. Puna is one of 9 districts on the island. Lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
from Kīlauea continues to flow onto forest land.
In 2006, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) purchased Wao Kele, ending a twenty-year struggle to prevent tapping the sizeable geothermal energy
Geothermal power
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
resources that lie below it. Opponents believe that the area is the home of the fire goddess Pele. It is also known as the Puna Forest Reserve, located just east of the Puu Ōō vent at coordinates 19°26′29"N 155°1′23"W.
History
The state of Hawaii owned Wao Kele until 1986, when the then Campbell Estate exchanged Kahaualea, an adjacent forest parcel, for it at the state's request. Campbell Estate was a private, for-profit trust set up for the heirs of Scottish-Irish carpenter James Campbell, established in 1900 and dissolved in 2007. Campbell bought more than 84000 acre (33,993.6 ha) of Hawaii land before his death.Environmentalists proposed the trade because they considered Kahaualea to be in better condition than Wao Kele. The Pele Defense Fund, however, sued, arguing that privatizing Wao Kele would end traditional hunting and gathering by native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
. The suit led to a controversial Hawaii State Supreme Court
Hawaii State Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions of the trial courts in which appeals have been granted...
ruling that granted natives access to such private property.
In the 2006 transaction, TPL paid $3.65 million for Wao Kele, $131/acre, using $3.4 million in U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy program money, along with $250,000 from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a semi-autonomous entity of the state of Hawaii charged with the administration of 1.8 million acres of royal land held in trust for the benefit of native Hawaiians...
(OHA). TPL then transferred title to OHA.
On 28 August 2007 OHA took formal ownership of Wao Kele. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife is responsible for managing the land until 2017.
Geothermal energy
Wao Kele is licensed for geothermal energyGeothermal power
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
development until 31 January 2016. As of 2009, Hawaii uses the permit only to monitor two existing geothermal wells. OHA has no plans for further development. The Hawaii Legislature has provided $2 million to plug the existing TrueMid-Pacific well with sand and concrete in 2009.
The state of Hawaii has substantial geothermal resources, which could dramatically reduce fossil fuel use and energy prices there if the energy can be extracted without damage to the surrounding environment and in accordance with Hawaiian law and culture. Geologists estimate that the Big Island alone has the potential to generate 500-700 megawatts of electricity.
Wao Kele came to the attention of geothermal developers after other privates sites became inundated with fresh lava from Kīlauea, at depths ranging up to 300 ft (91.4 m). Developers claim that 100 megawatts of power could be generated from only 300 of the forest's nearly 28000 acre (11,331.2 ha), enough to provide all the electricity for the island's 175,000 residents.
Opponents cite the numerous health and safety problems experienced by an experimental state-run plant that closed in 1989, notably including toxic hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...
gas emissions. A separate plant went online in 1993 in Puna's Lower East Rift Zone and continues to generate 25-30 megawatts of electricity. The natural increase in hydrogen sulfide and volcanic ash emissions due to volcanic activity within the Kilauea caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
at times produces sufficient vog
Vog
Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The word is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog"...
to affect breathing on the nearby island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
.
The forest
At 27785 acre (11,244.2 ha), Wao Kele is HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
's largest lowland wet forest. It is home to numerous primary and rare plant species including hāpuu ferns (Cibotium
Cibotium
Cibotium is a genus of eleven species of tropical tree fern—subject to much confusion and revision—distributed fairly narrowly in Hawaii , Southeast Asia , and the cloud forests of Central America and Mexico...
spp.), ieie vines (Freycinetia arborea
Freycinetia arborea
The Ieie is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber in the screwpalm family, Pandanaceae that is endemic to the Pacific Islands. Ieie is found in moist forest on the Hawaiian, Marquesas, Austral, Society, and Cook Islands. It grows into the forest canopy, attaching itself to a host tree using...
), and kōpiko (Psychotria mariniana
Psychotria mariniana
Psychotria mariniana, or Kōpiko, is a tree endemic to Hawaii. The plant belongs to the Rubiaceae family, subfamily Rubioidae...
), some of which help to limit invasive species' incursions. Opeapea (Hawaiian hoary bat
Hawaiian Hoary bat
The Hawaiian Hoary bat or Ōpeapea is a subspecies of the Hoary bat that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands...
, Lasiurus cinereus semotus) io (Hawaiian Hawk
Hawaiian Hawk
The Hawaiian Hawk or Io, Buteo solitarius, is a raptor of the Buteo genus endemic to Hawaii. Buteos tend to be easily recognized by their bulky bodies relative to their overall length and wingspan. The Io is the only hawk that is native to Hawaii, and fossil evidence indicates that it inhabited...
, Buteo solitarius), Common Amakihi (Hemignathus virens), and nananana makakii (happy-face spider, Theridion grallator
Theridion grallator
Theridion grallator, also known as the "happy face spider," is a member of the Theridiidae family.The Hawaiian name is nananana makakii...
) live in the trees. There are thought to be many more as-yet-undocumented species within the forest. Wao Kele's primary forest tree is ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
Metrosideros polymorpha
The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...
) .
Wao Kele occupies approximately one-fifth of the watershed that feeds the Pahoa aquifer.
The Wao Kele o Puna Reserve is threatened by a number of invasive species, including strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum), Molucca albizia (Falcataria moluccana), Koster's curse (Clidemia hirta
Clidemia hirta
Clidemia hirta, commonly called soapbush or Koster's Curse, is a perennial shrub.It is an invasive plant species in many tropical regions of the world, creating serious damage.-Distribution:...
), and glory bush (Tibouchina herbacea). Albizia occurs widely in the surrounding area, but is limited to a relatively small number of sites within the reserve. Large patches of strawberry guava occur within the reserve.
External links
- Agreement Would Protect 25K Acres of HI Forest Trust for Public Land, September 12, 2005.
- Agreement Announced to Protect More Than 25,000 Acres Of Rainforest on Hawaii Island Office of Hawaiian Affairs, September 12, 2005.
- Protection of Wao Kele O Puna Celebrated, Office of Hawaiian Affairs