SUPPORT HB2218 HD2 SD1: Empower Communities to Co-Manage ʻĀina
/April 8 Update
HB2218 HD2 SD1 passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee on April 7. This measure would authorize community co-management agreements between the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources and mālama ʻāina organizations seeking to steward their ʻāina and foster deeper connections between people and place. Amendments were made to ensure that any co-management agreements for "public and recreational facilities" would be in conjunction with mālama ʻāina focused principles - as requested by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and numerous community organizations.
Mahalo nui to the 97 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support and special thanks to Chair Dela Cruz and Vice Chair Moriwaki for passing this measure.
April 4 Update
HB2218 HD2 SD1 would authorize important community co-management agreements that have the potential to unlock massive benefits, rooted in generations of place-based traditional ecological knowledge, cultural values, and love for ʻāina, that can bolster our food security, water security, environmental and cultural integrity, and climate resilience for generations to come. This measure is being heard on Tuesday, April 7 at 10:31am in room 211, before the Senate Ways and Means Committee (to be broadcast live on Youtube here).
No verbal testimony will be accepted, so written testimony is critical! Please take a moment to submit testimony and ask your friends to do the same. Sample testimony and instructions below.
Sample Testimony for HB2218 HD2 SD1
Aloha Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Moriwaki, and members of the Committee,
My name is ___ and I STRONGLY SUPPORT HB2218 HD2 SD1, which will allow the Land Board to realize the tremendous potential benefits that community organizations can provide in upholding the public trust, and protecting the environmental and cultural foundations of our islands and ways of life.
The Board of Land and Natural Resources is the primary entity tasked with carrying out the state of Hawaiʻi’s affirmative, constitutional duty to mālama ʻāina, or to care for the natural and cultural resources of our islands. However, the vast areas of land and waters under its jurisdiction and its own institutional limitations mean the Land Board simply cannot uphold this constitutional obligations on its own. Fortunately, grassroots communities throughout Hawaiʻi have long expressed their willingness to partner with the Land Board, to co-manage and steward the lands and waters that they are both intimately familiar with and deeply committed to, as dedicated tenants of their ʻāina. Unfortunately, however, no explicit or consistent legal pathway exists for the Land Board to enter into formal agreements that can facilitate such community partnerships, in furtherance of its and the state’s constitutional duties.
This measure would accordingly establish a clear, explicit, and flexible framework for collaboration, itself developed in partnership between community organizations and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, that could provide transformative benefits to natural and cultural resource management throughout Hawaiʻi, for the benefit of the public trust, our ʻāina, and present and future generations.
Accordingly, I urge the Committee to PASS HB2218 HD2 SD1. Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Testimony instructions
Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email).
Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.
Enter “HB2218” where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."
Input your information, select “SUPPORT”, write or copy/paste your testimony.
Don’t forget to spread the word!
March 24 Update
HB2218 HD2 passed out of the Senate Water, Land, Culture and the Arts Committee on March 23. This measure would authorize community co-management agreements between the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources and mālama ʻāina organizations.
Mahalo nui to the 63 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support and special thanks to Chair Lee and Vice Chair Inouye for passing this measure.
Bill Background & Info
HB2218 HD2 would authorize community co-management agreements between the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources and mālama ʻāina organizations seeking to steward their ʻāina and foster deeper connections between people and place. This measure is being heard on Monday, March 23, at 1:05pm in Capitol room 224, before the Senate Water, Land, Culture and the Arts Committee (to be broadcast live on Youtube here).
Why this bill is important
HB2218 addresses a critical gap in Hawaiʻi’s ability to fulfill its constitutional duty to mālama ʻāina. While the Board of Land and Natural Resources bears this responsibility, it lacks the institutional capacity to effectively manage the vast lands and waters under its jurisdiction alone. Grassroots communities stand ready to partner in this stewardship, but no clear or consistent legal pathway exists for the Board to formalize such collaborations. By establishing an explicit and flexible framework for cooperative management—developed in partnership with the Department of Land and Natural Resources—this measure would finally authorize and empower community co-management, delivering transformative benefits to natural and cultural resources in service of the public trust and future generations.
Sample testimony for HB2218 HD2 SD1
Aloha Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Moriwaki, and members of the Committee,
My name is ___ and I STRONGLY SUPPORT HB2218 HD2 SD1, which will allow the Land Board to realize the tremendous potential benefits that community organizations can provide in upholding the public trust, and protecting the environmental and cultural foundations of our islands and ways of life.
The Board of Land and Natural Resources is the primary entity tasked with carrying out the state of Hawaiʻi’s affirmative, constitutional duty to mālama ʻāina, or to care for the natural and cultural resources of our islands. However, the vast areas of land and waters under its jurisdiction and its own institutional limitations mean the Land Board simply cannot uphold this constitutional obligations on its own. Fortunately, grassroots communities throughout Hawaiʻi have long expressed their willingness to partner with the Land Board, to co-manage and steward the lands and waters that they are both intimately familiar with and deeply committed to, as dedicated tenants of their ʻāina. Unfortunately, however, no explicit or consistent legal pathway exists for the Land Board to enter into formal agreements that can facilitate such community partnerships, in furtherance of its and the state’s constitutional duties.
This measure would accordingly establish a clear, explicit, and flexible framework for collaboration, itself developed in partnership between community organizations and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, that could provide transformative benefits to natural and cultural resource management throughout Hawaiʻi, for the benefit of the public trust, our ʻāina, and present and future generations.
Accordingly, I urge the Committee to PASS HB2218 HD2 SD1. Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Testimony instructions
Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)
Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.
Enter "HB2218" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."
Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able!
Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.
If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)