Homeowners at Charley Young Beach conduct a plant restoration project to mitigate use of the area, yet beachgoers are still inclined to enjoy beach gatherings. “The beauty of Hawai‘i is that no one owns the beach.”Charley Young Beach is nestled in the heart of Kihei. With its ideal location, plenty of sand space and calm waters, it has become a chosen gathering place among residents who enjoy a game of volleyball on a nice sunny day at the beach. Residents who frequent the beach often bring friends and picnics that sometimes include alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, the consumption of these beverages may have unintended consequences.
“When they’re intoxicated, we feel like we’re under attack,” said Charley Young resident Arlene Taus-Salomon, wife of Daniel Salomon, the grandson of Charley Young. She said beachgoers often lie in her hammock, destroy her irrigation and urinate on the exterior walls of her home. “I have no peace in my home.”
“It is a public beach,” said Jeremiah Taylor, a Kihei resident who has frequented Charley Young Beach for four years. In contrast to area homeowners, Taylor enjoys public gatherings at this beach. “I don’t see the urgency to shut down a beach,” he said. “It’s their home, but it’s not their beach. The beauty of Hawai‘i is that no one owns the beach.”
“Fifty to 100 people gather at Charley Young Beach on any given day,” said Bob Pickering, a Charley Young Beach homeowner. “They damage the naupaka and the area.” In response to the ongoing frustration between homeowners and beachgoers, Charley Young Beach homeowners, including the Salomon family, Alyce Haynes (a 50-year resident), the Pickerings and other homeowners, collaborated at a meeting three weeks ago with Hawai‘i State Rep. Joe Bertram III and five members of the Board of the Kihei Community Association to develop a way to minimize use of Charley Young Beach. Much to the homeowners’ dismay, “The meeting found that no laws were being broken,” said Bertram.
“The homeowners are taking away my rights to enjoy the beach when we’re not breaking the law,” said Steven Fernandez, a third generation Kihei resident. “The homeowners want to shut down the beach and prevent locals and tourists from having fun. I bring my kids there and enjoy the beach, and I’m not going to stand for it because we have already lost too many beaches,” he said.
“We wanted to change the atmosphere,” said Bertram. “And native plants presented an opportunity to bring back the aloha.” The idea behind the homeowners’ efforts is that there will be “less of an inclination to hang, but to preserve the native plants,” said Bertram.
The county put up a temporary fence on the beach that borders the ridge between homes and the sand on Charley Young Beach. The fence was implemented to keep people from walking on the area of plant restoration.
“I’m a bit concerned about the fence impeding access to the shoreline area because the public has the right to access the beach,” said Zoe Norcross-Nu‘u, a coastal processes extension agent with the University of Hawai‘i. “To block it off is not constitutional,” she said. “But it’s also important to prevent pedestrian traffic for the restoration project.”
“We try to let them [beachgoers and volleyball players] know what the project is and that we’re not kicking them out, just preserving the native land,” said Ka‘eo Au-Sau, a temporary South Maui District Supervisor.
Norcross-Nu‘u said if beachgoers participated in the restoration project, they would take some ownership of the project and be more inclined to preserve the area. Although some homeowners agreed, others were not convinced.
“It’s a very disrespectful crowd these days,” said Nona Pickering, a one-year resident. “It’s gone from a special area to a place of overuse. It’s ruined the vegetation.”
Norcross-Nu‘u said, “Foot traffic causes erosion. We encourage using designated footpaths to help minimize erosion.” But one homeowner was still frustrated, “Partying contributes to erosion,” said Taus-Salomon.
“The natural way to discourage overuse is to use landscaping and plants like naupaka,” said Norcross-Nu‘u. “Naupaka is good along the edge of the walkway but has a tendency to creep out onto the beach. To avoid this, we encourage using morning glory and aki aki, a low-lying ground cover that does not encroach onto the beach.”
Volleyball presents another issue that compounds the frustration between homeowners and beachgoers. To keep volleyball nets from blowing away in the wind, 18-inch wood anchors are used to hold down the nets.
“They took it [the net] down at night, leaving their anchor in the sand,” said Pickering. “They have a right to play volleyball and they do,” he said. “We’re respecting their rights and asking them to respect our rights.” The county Parks and Recreation Department removed the anchors and asked the volleyball players to remove them when they were done. Au-Sau said the volleyball players are complying by removing their anchors.
“Taking down volleyball nets and putting up fences won’t solve the problem,” said Fernandez who noted that he and his friends often police the area, help clean up messes and prevent people from drinking. He said that a lack of security and underage drinking are factors that are causing problems at the beach.
But restoration represents an opportunity to educate people about preserving the area. “Our presence has helped with educating the public about the process of restoration,” said George Senn, a county park ranger.
The county’s fence will come down on Thursday, May 22, followed by a Hawaiian blessing open to the public on Friday, May 23, at 10 a.m. This will present an opportunity for beachgoers and homeowners to have a conversation about the use of this area.