The Historic Hawaii Foundation will honor the University of Hawaii at Hilo Office of Maunakea Management for its outstanding preservation efforts of Mauna Kea with a 2017 Preservation Commendation Award during its upcoming 43rd annual Preservation Honor Award Ceremony.
The Historic Hawaii Foundation will honor the University of Hawaii at Hilo Office of Maunakea Management for its outstanding preservation efforts of Mauna Kea with a 2017 Preservation Commendation Award during its upcoming 43rd annual Preservation Honor Award Ceremony.
The foundation’s awards are Hawaii’s highest recognition of preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and interpretation of the state’s architectural, archaeological and cultural heritage. The Preservation Commendation will be presented to OMKM, the Maunakea Management Board, Kahu Ku Mauna, a council comprised of Hawaiian cultural resource persons who serve as advisers, and Pacific Consulting Services Inc. for the preservation efforts related to the Long-Term Historic Property Monitoring Plan for UH Managed Lands on Maunakea.
“The preparation of this plan and implementation of regular, annual monitoring without a statutory requirement demonstrates the Office of Maunakea Management’s commitment to stewardship and best practices in cultural resource understanding, protection and preservation,” said Historic Hawaii Foundation Executive Director Kiersten Faulkner. “We congratulate you on your exemplary preservation efforts.”
“The Office of Maunakea Management together with the Maunakea Management Board, Kahu Ku Mauna and Pacific Consulting Services created a model we believe would enhance our stewardship of the lands we manage, ” said OMKM’s Director Stephanie Nagata. “We are honored and humbled by this recognition.”
Mauna Kea, a culturally significant mountain to Native Hawaiians, is rich in properties protected by state law. The summit and surrounding areas contain sites that archaeologically and architecturally merit inclusion as protected historical properties. These sites include shrines, burials, three traditional cultural properties (Pu‘ulilinoe, Kukahau‘ula cinder cones and Lake Waiau) and the stone cabins at Halepohaku.
Since its inception in 2002, OMKM has been responsible for the day-to-day management of more than 11,000 acres of University of Hawaii managed lands, including the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, with oversight by the Maunakea Management Board and Kahu Ku Mauna.