Click on the file below for the official press release shared by the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Read about the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana's welcoming of world leader's to Kahoʻolawe here.

Forty years ago, on January 4, 1976, nine persons landed on the island of
Kaho'olawe as part of the A.L.O.H.A. (Aboriginal Lands of Hawaiian Ancestry) protest to draw attention to the injustices suffered by Native Hawaiians due to the illegal role of the U.S. in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. Six (Kimo Aluli, Ian Lind, Ellen Miles, Steve Morse, Gail Kawaipuna Prejean and Karla Villalba) were detained and escorted back to Maui by federal marshals. One, George Helm left with a journalist before the marshals landed. The remaining two, Noa Emmett Aluli and Walter Ritte, explored the island for
two days before being arrested and issued letters barring them from the island (which were later by-passed). While these two witnessed the needless destruction, they also experienced a pervasive spiritual presence. The Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana (ʻOhana) was formed to build a movement to "Stop the Bombing" and end all military use of the island.

The tragic loss of two members, George Helm and Kimo Mitchell, in March 1977 as part of the ongoing protests, fueled the movement to persevere until the bombing was ultimately stopped on October 22, 1990 (25 years ago).

"I was proud to be guided by the kūpuna of the generation before us." said Dr. Noa Emmett Aluli, a founder of the ʻOhana. "Building upon the foundation laid by
George Helm before he passed - it's been 40 years of working as an extended family for Aloha ʻĀina throughout our islands - stopping the bombing of the island; healing the island; reviving the Makahiki ceremonies; opening access to our fishing grounds on Molokaʻi; protecting our iwi kūpuna at Honokahua, Maui; defending Pele from geothermal development; working for Ea, our own self-governance, through state, national and international pathways."

"The lessons of aloha ʻāina that we learned as an ʻOhana for Kahoʻolawe, are
applied in our work to guard the sacred summit of Mauna A Wākea," said Craig Neff, an ʻOhana leader who was arrested as he took part in a ceremonial gathering at Mauna A Wākea. "Kahoʻolawe taught us how to pray, work and take political action together to fulfill our kuleana, our responsibility to connect, heal and protect our sacred places."

Looking to the future, the ʻOhana has worked with the Kahoʻolawe Island
Reserve Commission (KIRC) and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on a plan, I OLA KANALOA! LIFE TO KANALOA! to more fully restore the island and establish a cultural learning center. These organizations will work collaboratively with community partners to focus resources to stem erosion, restore native flora and fauna and sustain a healthy marine ecosystem for the island. Significantly, an initiative to utilize the unique resources of Kahoʻoawe to nurture the mastery of Hawaiian science, cultural and spiritual skills and practices will be launched. As part of the plan, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has provided $129,100 to Kohe Mālamalama O Kanaloa - Protect Kahoʻolawe Fund for the training of cultural practitioners as they engage in the stewardship of the island in 2016 and 2017.

As provided for in state law (HRS 6-K) the plan envisions the island being part of
the first lands transferred to the sovereign Native Hawaiian governing entity by 2026.

For an account and recollection published on Civil Beat by Ian Lind, click here.

(An update by Miki Tomita and students from University Lab School, O‘ahu)

Recently, we had the privilege to participate in a focus group to envision what the future of Kahoʻolawe might be through a process that explored our own personal relationships and experiences with the Island and each other.


During the different stages of the focus group discussions and activities, we all learned many things and got to know people; some people we already knew, but we got to know them better.   We really enjoyed starting with “Guts on the Table”, where we shared deeply of ourselves; as the day progressed, we worked with one partner exclusively and shared much of our thoughts and ideas with them.  At the end of the day, we shared everything we had built based on our partnerʻs visions and ideas, and they shared what they interpreted and learned from us.  “I learned more about myself through someone elseʻs eyes.” -Baylee J.  


Becoming part of this process was harder for some of us because of a lack of personally experiencing the Kahoʻolawe journey; however, it was interesting to hear about other peopleʻs experiences, and soon everyone was sharing ideas of what is important and special about Kahoʻolawe. “It was interesting to hear someoneʻs experiences of Kahoʻolawe even though they have never been there.” - Joey C.


We learned what others think about Kahoʻolawe and shared our thoughts on the island and our relationship to it; we learned deep things about ourselves and others; and we learned a unique history of Kahoʻolawe through everyoneʻs different experiences.   It was very moving to hear about what others hold sacred and the deep emotion that people feel when they talk about the Island.  “When another group member said: ʻYou see the sunrise every day but on Kahoʻolawe it is different because it hasnʻt changed for hundreds of yearsʻ, I felt it too.” -Kailee R.


Our groups were made up of high school and college students, teachers and other education professionals, a mother and daughter, cultural practitioners and experts on Kahoʻolawe, and a local government official.  It was cool to see how our alumni could participate in this process too, through Google Hangout video-conferencing.  It showed us that people near and far can experience and contribute to the future of Kahoʻolawe.


We are grateful for being involved in this process to continue the healing and restoration of Kahoʻolawe, and to envision the future of the sacred and beautiful island.

To view a recent news article and video about the 2026 Strategic Planning for Kaho‘olawe, click here.