The Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources has apologized for cutting down a stand of coconut trees in Kalalau Valley on Kaua‘i.
On August 21, Kaua‘i resident Skylar Mallas-Darby met a woman crying in Kalalau Valley.
“We had heard saws and thought that was weird,” Mallas-Darby told Aloha State Daily. “Then we see this woman in tears saying they destroyed these coconut trees.”
Soon, Mallas-Darby found the aftermath of what DLNR would later call an “unfortunate and grievous” action: about 14 coconut trees felled and left strewn about the valley, including several lying across the Kalalau Stream.
“It looked like an act of violence,” Mallas-Darby said, expressing shock that the trees had been left discarded instead of being properly disposed of.
DLNR State Parks Assistant Administrator Alan B. Carpenter told ASD that staff had indeed cut down “approximately a dozen young coconut trees” in Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park.
“This was a well-intentioned action taken by staff who were trying to address several long-standing problems related to people illegally camping, building and planting in the valley,” Carpenter said via email. “However, the execution was unfortunate and grievous.”
Mallas-Darby said some of the trees served as a memorial for a woman who had died in the park, and said DLNR had been on a “power trip.” She said DLNR agents — presumably of the department’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement — were conducting permit checks, looking for people camping without permits.
“The destruction of the valley’s getting worse and worse,” Mallas-Darby said. “This is one of the natural wonders of the world.”
Mallas-Darby said the incident has generated public outcry on social media, and Kaua‘i County Councilwoman Fern Holland told ASD she has also reached out to DLNR for answers.
“Regardless of the intentions, there are far better ways to address the important issues of public health, safety, and protection of park resources than to cut down trees in a wilderness park,” Carpenter said. “Responsible staff has been reprimanded and counseled, and State Parks administrators will reinforce policies to prevent such incidents from recurring.
“Our mission is to protect and share Hawai‘i's natural and cultural resources, and this was a failure in that regard,” Carpenter said.
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