HONOLULU (AP) – Six miles from the scenic beaches of south Maui sits a small, deserted island with a rich history and a big problem.
Researchers say Hawaiians traveled to Kahoolawe Island as early as 400 A.D., and it’s home to nearly 3,000 archaeological sites. It’s also littered with unexploded ordnance.
The U.S. Navy used the barren island as a bombing range for decades starting in World War II. It later joined with the state and spent millions on cleanup, but they didn’t finish the job.
Today, live grenades and bombs remain scattered across about a quarter of the 45-square-mile island. But the agency tasked with restoring Kahoolawe is likely on its own next year after lawmakers passed a bill pushing it to become financially self-sufficient.
Now, the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission and community advocates are looking for ways to fund the rest of the cleanup so they can bring back native wildlife and use the island as a Native Hawaiian educational center.