Hawai‘i – Innovative Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Case Study

The below case study was developed through a NGA partnership with Oregon State University's Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy to research and assess the Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation award program at the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Read the full report here.

Project Overview

Grant: Hawai'i Island Trail Stewards Program

Grant recipient: State of Hawai'i

Type of Grant: TTOR Competitive

EDA funding: $600,000

Total project funding: $780,000 ($180,000 state match)

Current project status: Pilot program at two trails completed

What is unique, innovative: This EDA investment supports the state of Hawai'i for a unique Trail Stewards Program to integrate native culture and programming into the state's tourism industry and educate visitors about native history. The EDA project supported the hiring of interpretive staff for outdoor recreational sites of special significance to Native Hawai'ian heritage, thereby improving the visitor experience.

In trail locations around the country, the use of trail stewards, trail ambassadors, trail rangers, and tour guides is not a new concept. At certain historically and culturally significant sites in Hawai'i, the communities and the formerly informal trail stewards at these special sites didn't necessarily want more tourists. They wanted a better experience and value for the tourists. In response, the state hired the informal stewards as employees to play a role as partners interfacing with visiting tourists and offering stories of their place. Now the stewards continue to be engaged in their passion, as well as being paid for their effort.

The Trail Steward Program was piloted by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority on Hawai'i Island during the pandemic. With some year-end funds, the state's Trail & Access Program in the Department of Land & Natural Resources was able to continue supporting the Trail Stewards Program while waiting to hear about potential funding from EDA to support the effort over a longer period.

The Trail & Access Program had already been connecting with the local communities about problems at certain overly-popular trails - problems of overcrowding, congestion, degradation of resources, safety hazards, and an overall negative experience for both residents and visitors. A goal of both the Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the Trail & Access Program is to manage these destination management hot spots, or areas that are "loved to death," with the help of the Trail Stewards Program.

Formally hiring the already-engaged stewards to implement their interpretive approach -and increase the quality of the visits- re-focused the Trail & Access Program on qualitative more than quantitative aspects. By adopting this view, the state is managing and bringing down the total number of visitors yet increasing the number of visitors interested in the stewards' interpretation while protecting the places from the negative effects of overcrowding.

The EDA funding is now helping visitors to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for native Hawai'ian history and culture, while helping to better manage the tourism inflow to certain trails. The funds are having a positive impact by helping to create mindful visitation among those who come to responsibly enjoy the special trails.

Takeaways on What's Replicable: EDA is dedicated to working with communities, and this EDA project involves a locally driven strategy for recovery and rebuilding from the pandemic. Replicability has everything to do with listening to what the community wants. Communities tend to have a strong voice about their place. Adopting their perspective is useful in empowering and allowing them to take the lead on something they are already inherently knowledgeable about and attached to.

Just like their communities, the trail stewards hired through this EDA-funded program are sensitive to the popular trails as sacred spaces. The special trails are part of the state's overall trails program, but they are ancient trails that have long been considered sacred by the descendants who live there. They are mostly wilderness with sensitive ecosystems, culturally and ecologically, and they house some endangered species that require care. The state of Hawai'i is appealing to another side of people -their sense of place- in trying to encourage respectful and appreciative visitor behaviors. The state is working to adopt a sense of place and appreciation for these locations and to pass it on to others.

Background on the Project

The Hawai'i Trail & Access Program is called Nā Ala Hele which means "paths," "roads," or "ways to go." Nā Ala Hele is part of the state's Department of Land & Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). The Department of Land & Natural Resources manages one-third of the land in Hawai'i. There are more than 130 trails listed at Hawai'i 's official trails map. Users can search from a list of all the trails, or by island, features, amenities, activities, hazards, what's prohibited, and what is closed.

In 2021 during the pandemic, a small 8-month pilot Trail Stewards Program was started at the popular Pololū Valley site on the northern end of the big island. At that time, there had been no flights to the Hawai'ian Islands and tourism had decreased to zero. The community saw this as an opportunity to suggest a different approach to managing the site before it increased in popularity again. Community members met with the state and helped to come up with an approach for the pilot which was initially funded by the Hawai'i Tourism Department on the cusp of tourism coming back. Hearing about the pilot, the DLNR Trail & Access Program Manager for Hawai'i Island informed the other stakeholders that his agency had a small amount of year-end funding that could be applied to continuing it while submitting an application for EDA ARPA TTOR funding.

The famed Pololū Historic Trail: The Pololū Historic Trail is a short one compared to other Hawai'ian trails, at a little more than half a mile, one way, but it is one of the most popular trails in the big island even though Pololū is on the northern end of the island, away from much of the population. The trailhead kiosk says the scenic trail is "short but steep and 100% worth it." Pololū is also one of many "overly loved" places, and was recognized as "Hotspot 1" by the Tourism Authority's 2021 Destination Action Plan for managing and mitigating further damage.

Pololū Trail legends and history: The area of Pololū is deeply intertwined with Hawai'ian heritage from ancient gods to legendary battles and royal historical figures. Wakea, a god of the sky, and Papa, a goddess of the land, lived in the Pololū Valley and gave birth to Haloa, who became the eldest sibling to all Hawai'ians. The many battles that took place in the valley gave Pololū its name, "long spear," as the warriors used long spears in battle. Pololū is the burial site for a chief who was killed there. In the early 1800s, Hawai'ian King Kamehameha was sheltered in the Pololū Valley during a period of exile; during his childhood in the 1700s, the valley protected him so that he could grow up to unite the Hawai'ian Islands.

The steep sea cliffs surrounding the valley were carved over time from constant rainfall, surging stream flow, and ancient undersea landslides. Early Hawai'ians dating back to 300AD, grew breadfruit, kava, and taro root in the marshlands - and later using terraced farming techniques. There was a productive brackish fishpond for the village by the black sand dunes on the beach. In the late 1800s, the Pololū Trail was constructed as an old government mule trail, historic cobblestones are still embedded in sections of the trail.

Today, flowers carpet Pololū Valley, and the area around the trail is a cherished place offering a place for spiritual reflection and an opportunity to reconnect with nature. It is a vital space for local families who go there to ground themselves through their cultural protocols. Visitors are drawn to the place to enjoy panoramic views of the rugged coastline. Hikers ascend and descend a steep switch-back type of trail that goes to a pebble beach where activities might include swimming and horseback riding. The trail begins near the end of the paved road leading to the trailhead and a lookout station and extends down to the shoreline at sea level.

The need for Pololū community engagement: Social media has contributed to attracting an increasing number of visitors to Pololū's picturesque cliffs and beach. Following the reduced travel during the pandemic, there was a surge in visitors afterwards. With this crowding, the result has been parking congestion and illegal parking, and disregard for nearby private property. The overcrowding has also resulted in a degradation of cultural and natural resources.

Community sessions: Due to the overwhelming number of visitors and negative impacts, the state legislature is funding the Trail & Access Program to develop a plan for the Pololū Trail - the now ongoing Pololū Planning Project - through a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) allocation. The project's goal is to engage with the communities and lineal descendants connected to Pololū to develop a plan for managing the lookout, parking area, and trail by incorporating input from the community and families who have lived near there for a long time.

The Hawai'i Trail & Access Program initiated a series of talking sessions, or talk story sessions, with local community members. The sessions pointed out that current visitor numbers "greatly exceed" acceptable limits. In 2023, the average daily number of visitors to Pololū ranged from 497 to 709 visitors, including both out-of-state visitors and Hawai'ian residents. On average for 2023, the trailhead received about 597 daily visitors. The highest number of visitors in a single day in 2023 occurred in January with 1,482 people. The number of visitors to the Pololū lookout and trail has generally only been limited by the small number of parking spaces at the trailhead and along both sides of the road leading up to the trailhead. Some of this area is within DLNR's jurisdiction, as it includes state lands - the Kohala Forest Reserve - that have been used for parking near the trailhead.

With decades of experience working with rural Hawai'ian communities, the planning firm Townscape was selected to assist in developing a management plan that explores alternative solutions, including stewardship solutions, to protect the Pololū area from overuse. The plan was developed with extensive input from the trail stewards, families in nearby villages, residents with a connection to the place, and others with intimate knowledge of it. Issues highlighted during community talk story sessions included roadway congestion and parking, overcrowding and impacts to the local way of life, trail and ocean safety and rescues, sanitation, resource degradation, and trespassing and liability. Another issue raised was the lack of cultural awareness on the part of visitors.

The draft management plan was released in January 2024, and comments were accepted during January and February. The management plan is guided by a vision and principles strongly articulated by the community during the talk story sessions. First and foremost, the guiding principles emphasize that solutions should prioritize protecting Pololū Valley and its environment first, and not focus on improving people's access and use of the trail. The management plan's guiding principles urge that stewardship solutions should focus on improving and increasing visitors' and residents' understanding of the cultural/historical significance of Pololū.

Recognizing the trail stewards' role: A critical component in successful implementation of the management plan is the Trail Stewards Program. The plan notes that the trail stewards play an essential role in raising awareness of the history and culture. Along with interpreting the historic nature of the area and vehicle management, as needed, the trail stewards' duties also include reporting trail maintenance needs and conducting visitor counts. Their presence has helped to organize the experience at the trailhead, resulting in better vehicle flow. They have further provided information about the physical condition of the trail so visitors can be better prepared for their experience, resulting in fewer emergency rescues.

The management plan proposes to continue the Pololū Trail Stewards Program as a management approach. Following the current structure of the program, the trail stewards would continue to be on site seven days a week, but with extended hours during the summer with more daylight. There would be a minimum of three trail stewards working at one time, with two at the trailhead and one in the valley. They would continue as paid positions, while volunteer opportunities would also be made available. The success and effectiveness of the program was referenced as a model for other popular visitor destination sites where the presence of trail stewards could be beneficial. DLNR also plans to develop a digital map for the trail stewards' use.

The management plan presents three alternative scenarios addressing the vehicular issues at the Pololū trailhead, differing in terms of their parking configurations. All of the solutions take into account the local residents' needs for access to the area and designated parking for the trail stewards. The preferred parking scenario has yet to be determined at this point. For these physical changes, after completing an environmental review process, DLNR will need to secure funding for land acquisition as the parking solutions are located on privately-owned land and implementation is dependent on the disposition of the land. DLNR will procure professional services to plan, design and construct site improvements, including obtaining necessary permits and approvals.

Meanwhile, the state continues to meet regularly with the local community group and the stewards on how best to implement other aspects of the management plan. The DLNR staff note that really hearing from and listening to the native population, including the trail stewards, and learning about their issues is what is at the forefront of this effort. Understanding what makes sense to them about the sacred places - and then empowering the stewards, as well. It is their land and, once empowered, they are able to help the state frame a perspective.

The Puna Trail: With receipt of the EDA TTOR funding, the sensitive area of Puna was similarly added as a second location for the Trail Stewards Program. Puna has been ingrained in Hawai'ian spirituality and mythology for centuries. According to legend, Puna is the home of Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes. The Puna Trail is an ancient walking path used by Hi'iaka, Pele's younger sister, who came down from the Kilauea Volcano to surf with her best friend and look for Pele's lover. Today's trail extends three miles and ends at Hā'ena Beach, a sacred site where Hi'iaka first learned hula. Native Hawai'ians have long cherished the area around Puna for its rainforests and groves, fertile land, and natural resources.

Puna Trail Planning Project: In modern times, some people have mistreated the trail and beach. New recreational behaviors spurred by the pandemic have led to increased use of the trail including continued motorized trail use which is illegal. Also, there is insufficient protection for the green sea turtles that are common at Hā'ena Beach. Given its wealth of unique stories, cultural sites, and natural resources, the Puna Trail requires a place-based management approach.

A state planning team, consisting of DLNR's Trail & Access Program and Townscape, has asked for help from the local communities and stewards in coming up with short-term actions and long- term solutions to protect and preserve the Puna Trail. The public draft of a Stakeholder Action Plan was just released in June 2024. The plan is intended to guide trail management so the trail is used in a way that preserves and honors its historic and cultural significance and will better protect the coastal stretch of the trail. The plan's primary objective is to outline actionable steps for educating trail users and recommending next steps for continued stakeholder engagement aiming to build upon outreach activities that have already been initiated.

Project Actors - State leaders, champions, stakeholders

Champions: The Hawai'i state staff say that the main champions in Hawai'i are the trail stewards themselves who are employed by the EDA grant. The Stewards Program is formally called the Nā Manu 'Elele Stewards Program. In traditional Hawai'ian context, birds, or "nā manu," represent messengers, guardians and beings of a particular place, while "'elele" refers to individuals who act as messengers sent on a mission. The state hired as trail stewards native Hawai'ians with a deep connection to place - Pololū or Puna - or who are lineal descendants with ancestors buried there. There is not a federally-recognized tribe representing these descendants, but they are native Hawai'ians who are regularly seen hiking at those locations. Leading tours on the trails, these guides tell their own personal stories. Nature-based skills, such as fishing and waterman skills, tend to be inherent to many of the stewards.

Additional champions: The director of the Hawai'i Trails & Access Program at DLNR/ DOFAW, Jackson Bauer, provided early funding for this unique and innovative initiative and has been at the heart of it since early-on, working with aligned agencies such as the Hawai'i Tourism Authority. The Tourism Authority, in turn, works closely with and prepares most of the trailhead signs showing trail specifications and interpretive information.

Additional notable champions who understand the native perspective and have fought for high- level support such as through EDA included former Governor David Ige who was Governor at the time of receipt of the EDA grant. The Governor said, "Outdoor recreation areas are precious spaces enjoyed in every community across our state by residents and visitors alike."

Stakeholders: There are many stakeholders. Important among them are the trails' user groups, the state's target audience. This includes both visitors from out of state as well as the residents of the Pololū and Puna areas who have been the most affected by increased tourism since those areas are their back yards.

Economic Benefits

The trail stewards educate users on how to behave appropriately around the numerous cultural and historic sites. They serve as eyes and ears for the state trails, report trail maintenance needs, and help to enforce infractions. The stewards also enforce safety measures and educate visitors about any dangers at the sites. The Pololū Trail, for instance, is carved into the red clay cliffs and can be slippery when wet. It is essential to make sure that hikers watch the time and check the weather; the National Weather Service actually provides a spot forecast for this trail. As a result of the stewards' work, the program has helped to increase visitors' awareness of both historical and cultural significance and trail hiking conditions. This, in turn, has helped to decrease hiking accidents, illegal camping, and parking.

With the pilot's success, the state put into place a contract to direct hire 4 the full-time equivalent (FTE) staff persons and this contract will retain them over approximately 3 years to 2025 to tell the stories of places along the two high-use, high-visibility, and high-sensitivity trails. Kupu is the company doing the contracting. It is a youth-focused conservation and sustainability nonprofit in Hawai'i that was established in 2007 and has an AmeriCorps program for underserved populations. The state also provided the new stewards some training on wilderness encounters, first aid (safety tips in the case of an unsuspected rip tide), and public engagement.

Other Benefits

Hawai'i has a high percentage of native Hawai'ians, and it is difficult to track minority populations as is done in U.S. Census data collections. For one thing, it is difficult to measure what's happening on the ground because different types of disjointed communities may be side by side. For example, there may be a gated community next to a community with a high poverty rate in the same tract. This makes it hard to tease out from the data what's actually going on once the data is averaged. Therefore, having four stewards with lineal descent automatically helps to bring an equity voice to this program.

The Trail Stewards Program does daily reporting with a Clicker app, tracking the total number of visitors a day. They also track endangered species in their areas, such as the churro monk seal, and any human interaction or incidences with those species. This wide-ranging tracking serves to enhance the information from the residents in the talking sessions and outreach meetings.

Challenges

Continuity in the future: Securing funding for the Trail Stewards Program beyond 2026 is a priority, given the crucial role of the stewards in educating visitors about the cultural and historic significance of the Pololū and Puna Trails and their success to-date. With underfunded agencies, a challenge is where to go for future funding. When the EDA TTOR funding ends in 2025, the state is potentially planning to fold the program into its EDA block grant that ends in 2026. Or the legislature may possibly fund it, depending upon continued success.

With the new addition of funding from another state agency, the state is now working to expand the Trail Stewards Program to new sites. The state announced in late 2023 that, with added agency funding, the program would be expanded by up to 24 full-time and part-time positions on Maui, Moloka'i, Oahu, and Kauai Islands, as well as additional trails on Hawai'i Island beyond the Pololū and Puna Trails. The expanded sites will include trails, hunting areas, forest reserves, community-based fishing subsistence areas, and other recreational lands overseen by DLNR's Division of Forestry & Wildlife along with the Division of Aquatic Resources.

Key Findings and Lessons Learned

The four people who have been hired as trail stewards through the EDA funding - two at Pololū and two at Puna - are happy to see the Trail Stewards Program taking place at both locations and happy to be involved. Based on state staff interaction with the trail stewards, the following are some findings learned from the program to-date.

Increased quality of visitor experience: The hiring of interpretive staff for outdoor recreational sites of special significance to Native Hawai'ian heritage has increased visitors' awareness about the cultural and historical significance of those places. This has improved the visitor experience at those sites. By focusing on qualitative more than quantitative aspects of these outdoor cultural sites, the state is bringing down the total number of visitors, yet increasing the number of visitors interested in the stewards' special interpretation.

Applying place-based concepts: Special assets and sites with unique stories, history, culture, landscapes, and other characteristics require a place-based approach and place-based management. The plans that are unfolding in 2024 at the Pololū and Puna sites include draft proposals and recommendations related to action steps for educating trail users (building on the initial hiring of the native Hawai'ians as stewards) and stakeholder and community engagement (building upon previously-initiated outreach activities).

Model for other Hawai'ian sites: The success and effectiveness of the Trail Stewards Program at the two pilot sites has been referenced as a model for other popular visitor destination sites in Hawai'i where the presence of trail stewards could be beneficial. Moreover, having four stewards with lineal descent automatically helps to bring an equity voice to this program where it is not easy to identify minority groups within the broad group of Native Hawai'ians. The experience of being trail stewards is a very personal one for the four stewards now serving under this EDA TTOR support. They tell their own personal stories, and have their own unique knowledge and skills related to their place.

Physical trail conditions: At both sites on the Island of Hawai'i, the trail stewards are helping to protect the places from the negative effects of overcrowding such as the overall degradation of nature. At Pololū, the presence of the trail stewards has helped to organize the crowded parking experience at the trailhead, resulting in better vehicle flow. At Puna, it is anticipated that the presence of the trail stewards will contribute to better managing illegal use motorized vehicles on the trail. Furthermore, the trail stewards share up-to-date information about the physical condition of the trails so visitors can be prepared. They enhance physical safety by helping to enforce safety measures, and this helps to decrease hiking accidents resulting in a need for fewer emergency rescues. The presence of the stewards has also helped to address illegal camping and parking infractions.

Digital tools: Wide-ranging tracking serves to enhance the ethnographic-type information learned from residents in the talking sessions and outreach meetings. Clicker apps work well for efficiently counting a variety of factors such as the number of endangered species, people interactions with endangered species, visitors who are out of state or Hawai'ian residents, and other variables. Digital maps have been identified as another tool that will help support the trail stewards in their duties.

Time Factors, Any other Guidance Necessary for Replication

The Pololū planning process has been part of the ongoing community talk story and story map, and has included these activities and timelines:

• Assessment: Understand community values and vision, and analysis of issues and needs (November 2022 to April 2023).
• Alternatives and solutions: Identify alternatives and concepts, draft management plan, and finalize plan (May 2023 to December 2023); the draft management plan was released in January 2024, and comments were accepted January 25-March 1, 2024.
• Environmental review process: Draft environmental assessment and finalize environmental assessment (January 2024 to December 2024).

Read the full report on Innovative Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation Awards, or additional case studies from: Colorado, Indiana, Maine, North Dakota, and West Virginia.

Disclaimer: This document was prepared by the National Governors Association using Federal funds under award ED22HDQ3070131 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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