The Maui News - While rangers at the ‘Ahihi-Kina‘u Natural Area Reserve were highly visible on Friday, Aug. 1—the first day of its closure—there were no public complaints.
As they stood by the road and spoke to visitors, rangers reported being thanked by people for protecting the pristine area’s natural resources. “It was fairly uneventful this morning,” said Bill Evanson, Natural Area Reserve Maui manager for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. “People seemed to be very well-informed about the closure.”
On Friday afternoon, Evanson said signs had been unveiled to tell visitors where they could and could not go. Friday marked the beginning of a two-year closure of much of the South Maui reserve, an action aimed at allowing it to recover from the intrusion of too many people and permitting officials to study its historic and natural areas. State officials said they have seen increased vandalism in the reserve, and people have suffered serious injuries while in its most sensitive areas. To aid state staff and reserve rangers, a new brochure was distributed Friday that highlights closed areas and educates people about the 2,000-acre reserve that sits between the ‘Ahihi and La Perouse bays.