HONOLULU LAND FUND CAN PRESERVE HISTORIC AND CULTURAL SITES

Applications Due September 30


August 30, 2011: Applications are now being accepted for projects under the City and County of Honolulu Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund.

For more information about the fund and the grant application process, please go to http://www1.honolulu.gov/council/cbc/cwnl.htm

The fund was established to protect land through acquisition of fee title or conservation easements on O’ahu. Applications are due September 30, 2011 at 4:00 pm. Applications must be submitted as follows:
• Submit one copy electronically via e-mail to cclbc@honolulu.gov
• Once you have submitted your electronic copy, you must also deliver two (2) hard copies of the completed application and a soft copy of the application (CD-ROM, diskette, flash drive) to the City Council’s Office at the following address:
Clean Water & Natural Lands Commission
Attn: Council Liaison
Honolulu Hale
530 South King Street, Room 202
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Applications will be reviewed by the Commission Clean Water and Natural Lands Commission, which will make recommendations to the City Council on projects to be funded by the Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund. Final selection of projects to be funded will be made by the City Council as part of the annual budget process.
The Commission’s has established an application that ranks applications according to the purposes of the fund. These purposes include:
• protection of watershed lands to preserve water quality and water supply
• preservation of forests, beaches, coastal areas and agricultural lands
• public outdoor recreation and education, including access to beaches and mountains
• preservation of historic or culturally important land areas and sites
• protection of significant habitats or ecosystems, including buffer zones
• conservation of land in order to reduce erosion, floods, landslides, and runoff
• acquisition of public access to public land and open space

The Commission also considers factors such as the degree of urgency, financial support from other sources, and how a proposed project relates to the city’s existing budgetary or other priorities.

Background In 2006, Honolulu voters approved a charter amendment that set aside a portion of real property tax revenues for land conservation. In 2007, the Council established the Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund (Ordinance 07-18) and the Commission (Reso. 07-355 CD1). The Commission was established to advise the City Council on the use and expenditure of these funds.

Past Projects The City Council has approved a total of six outstanding Oahu land conservation projects in the first three cycles of applications to this Fund. The Council encourages the public to work with the Commission through the application process and to provide input that will assist it in making its recommendations to the Council. To date, the City Council has approved acquisition of the following conservation projects: Kukaniloko, Sunset Ranch, Honouliuli Preserve, Kunia Agricultural Research Station, the Fong Plantation, and the Hawea Heiau/Keawawa wetland. The Sunset Ranch conservation project received $600,000 from the fund in fiscal year 2010.