IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! You can DONATE directly to the Protect Pololū organization by clicking on this link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCF5UY6C7CCLC&source=url

*DONATIONS TO CHANGE.ORG ARE NOT SENT TO OUR ORGANIZATION. 

Pololū is a sacred place. A pu'uhōnua (a place of refuge, peace and safety). Kohala is the birthplace of an infant who sought refuge in Pololū Valley and grew up to become the King of Hawaii and unify the lands. Original place names of this region tell the mo'olelo (story) of how the people of this place protected this infant on his journey to Pololū Valley. "A‘ohe u‘i hele wale o Kohala" (No youth of Kohala goes empty-handed) speaks to the generosity of the Kohala people. Pololū Valley is more than a place of "cultural signficance". It is the history of the Hawaiian people. It is a place of refuge that we must protect for our future generations.

On December 11, 2020 at the Board of Land and Natural Resources meeting the Division of Forestry and Wildlife submitted a request for approval to apply as a co-applicant to the County of Hawaii Planning Department together with Surety Kohala Corporation and KP Holdings LLC to submit a PCRS application for a 13-lot subdivision along the ridge at Pololū Valley. A request for approval to enter into a Letter of Intent with Surety Kohala Corporation and KP Holdings LLC was also submitted to donate land to the State of Hawaii. 

At this meeting representatives from these organizations spoke as if the community was in agreement with their submittals. No one from the community attended the meeting or was notified about it. Prior discussions with the community were about the donation of lands to the State which include 5 acres to build a "comfort station" and parking lot for visitors and acreage on the valley floor for conservation. There was NO discussion about the proposed subdivison along the ridge. Surety Kohala Corporation and KP Holdings LLC will only donate land to the State AFTER the County approves the application for the subdivision. This is not a donation. It's a payout.

This is a process of greed. It doesn't consider the wisdom of our kūpuna (elders) and the future of our keiki (children). It doesn't acknowledge Pololū Valley as a wahi pāna (a sacred place). Instead, the land is sold, as "the best view" to the highest bidder, during a pandemic and a climate crisis. The State of Hawaii has mismanaged conservation lands of our sacred mountain Mauna Kea, just as these organizations continue to mismanage the generosity of the people.

SIGN THIS PETITION TO PROTECT POLOLŪ VALLEY AND TELL SURETY KOHALA CORPORATION AND KP HOLDINGS LLC, BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, DIVISION OF FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE, COUNTY OF HAWAII AND THE COUNTY OF HAWAII PLANNING DEPARTMENT THAT OUR VOICES WILL BE HEARD AND THAT WE DO NOT WANT MORE DESECRATION AT THIS SACRED PLACE OF REFUGE.

www.protectpololu.org