A Historic Piece of Kīpahulu Is Preserved
Press play button (above) to take a "virtual" video tour!
KĪPAHULU, MAUI — October 21, 2007 — A historic and ruggedly beautiful coastal property in Kīpahulu, Maui will be preserved for future generations as part of an agreement between The Nature Conservancy, the Maui Coastal Land Trust, the Kīpahulu Community Association and the property’s new owner, Sue Wong, a well known Los Angeles fashion designer with strong ties to the Kîpahulu community.
Known as the “Kīpahulu Landing,” the property was bequeathed to The Nature Conservancy in 2005 from the Estate of Cordelia May. The 35-acre coastal tract – located beyond Hana on Maui’s secluded windward coast – includes rolling pastureland where cattle and horses still graze, a century-old landing that was once a vital shipping and transportation link for the Kīpahulu community, Hawaiian cultural and archaeological sites and a spectacular coastline long prized and enjoyed by area residents.
To protect these values, the Conservancy donated a conservation easement to the Maui Coastal Land Trust and a shoreline access easement to the Kīpahulu Community Association. The Conservancy then sold the property to Wong, subject to those easements, which assure that the cultural, historic and open-space values of the land will remain protected and that Kīpahulu residents will retain shoreline access.
“This agreement was a real partnership among all four parties,” said Suzanne Case, the Conservancy’s Hawai‘i Executive Director. “It is a wonderful confluence of people and organizations that care deeply about this property and about this community. I like to think of it as a win-win-win-win because the interests of everyone involved were addressed.”
As a result of the agreement, The Nature Conservancy not only secures protection of the property but will also use the proceeds from the sale for forest conservation in Hawai‘i. The Maui Coastal Land Trust furthers its mission by protecting a shoreline property with high public value, while the Kīpahulu community is permitted coastal access and is assured that the land’s cultural, historic and open space values are protected. Finally, the conservation buyer, Sue Wong, gets to build a home in a place that she dearly loves and in a manner that minimizes coastal impact and is consistent with community interests.
Wong, who paid the fair market price of $3.6 million for the restricted land, will be able to build an unobtrusive primary residence, an associated “ohana” unit and limited agricultural structures on no more than five acres. “The remainder of the property cannot be subdivided for homes or used for commercial purposes,” said Dale Bonar, Director of the Maui Coastal Land Trust. “These restrictions, along with the coastal access easement to the Kīpahulu community, will remain in place even if the property is eventually sold.”
According to Bonar, Wong not only agreed to the restrictions but is setting up a $1 million "Kīpahulu Endowment" as a Trust through the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, with annual proceeds from the Trust available for Kīpahulu community projects. She will also make an additional $1 million donation to The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i early next year.
“The Kīpahulu community is deeply grateful to Sue Wong and to all the parties involved in this transaction,” said Kīpahulu Community Association representative Stephan Reeve. “They have truly listened to the needs of the community and demonstrated a commitment to protecting the values that make Kīpahulu the special place that it is.”
"It is with deep gratitude that we remember the late Cordelia May, whose bequest made this transaction possible," said Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i Board Chair David Cole. "She was a caring and committed philanthropist and conservationist – an ardent birder who personally understood the need to protect Hawaiian forests.”
Mrs. May's legacy continues to serve environmental and conservation causes through the foundations she established, Colcom Foundation and Laurel Foundation, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
 |
|
Conservation stewards. (Above) The late benefactor Cordelia Scaife May and new owner, fashion designer Sue Wong.
|
The Conservancy asked May in the early 1980s to consider a gift of the property that would enable the Conservancy to protect and sell it with restrictions and then use the proceeds for conservation. "And 26 years later she did exactly that," Cole explained. "Knowing this history, we feel a special obligation to make sure that the land remains in a relatively natural state in keeping with the rural character of Kīpahulu.”
The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect native biodiversity. Since the Kīpahulu property is mostly non-native pastureland, Case said the Conservancy felt it was not the appropriate organization to lead a conservation buyer transaction. Instead, it approached the Maui Coastal Land Trust, whose mission includes open space and shoreline access protection.
The Maui Coastal Land Trust was the key player in finding the buyer, Sue Wong, and in speaking with the Kīpahulu community to understand its wishes. The Maui land trust screened potential buyers on the basis of their willingness to accommodate the community and commit to conservation easement restrictions. Wong was selected because no other final candidate was willing to match the package of conservation and community benefits she offered.
“From the beginning, we looked at finding a conservation buyer who would agree to protect as much of the property as possible,” said Bonar. “We were very fortunate that someone like Sue Wong came along. She loves Kīpahulu and has had a home there for almost 10 years. She is well respected and supported by the community because they know she has its interests at heart.”
"It’s a gorgeous property – the kind of place you could build 'Mac Mansions' on,” Bonar added. “Some of the other potential buyers indicated their interest was to do something a lot more grandiose. They wanted a lot more flexibility, potentially to sub-divide the land. Sue understood the community and its values and is the perfect steward for the land. I think we all feel very fortunate that she was there and willing to step forward.”
“I’m thrilled beyond words to now be now the official steward of this wondrous property,” said Wong. “A thousand thanks to all who were involved in making this happen for me. I feel truly fortunate to be the guardian of this magnificent piece of land.”
Going forward, the Maui Coastal Land Trust will monitor and enforce the conservation easement on the property. The Nature Conservancy is donating $75,000 to a conservation easement stewardship endowment fund for the Maui Coastal Land Trust.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
|
Join The Nature Conservancy on