HONOLUA: A BAY OF PEACE

It is said “you can’t fight progress.” This is especially true if you are a sanctuary of unparalleled splendor. There are those who seek to develop this sacred land and take what is not theirs as their own. They will barricade the road that is the path to serenity, and they will grade the hills and desecrate the trees. The rains will come, and without the roots to hold the earth together, it will wash into the bay, choking the coral and driving the turtles and fish from their peaceful home.

The surfers who have ridden on the backs of her waves will be banned.

The snorkelers who have marveled at her underwater fauna that has taken eons to create will be barred.

The humans who look upon her from the cliffs and shake their heads in wonder will now hang their heads in grief.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

BONNIE NELSON, Lahaina