Senator Tsutsui Endorses Plans for Patsy Mink North Shore Heritage Park in Pa’ia
HONOLULU – Senator Shan S. Tsutsui endorsed the idea for the creation of the Patsy Mink North Shore Heritage Park. Following the urging of U.S. Congresswoman and former Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono, Senator Tsutsui decided that the creation of the park would be a great legacy to the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink. Mink was born and raised on the North Shore of Maui. She later became the first non-Caucasian woman elected to Congress.
Freshman Congresswoman Mazie Hirono has introduced H.R. 2618- “To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating certain lands along the northern coast of Maui, Hawaii, as a unit of the National Park System.” This is part of an effort to establish the Patsy Mink North Shore Heritage Park. Included in the study is 130 acres from Pa‘ia to Spreckelsville for possible inclusion as a National Seashore or National Recreation Area.
Senator Tsutsui was pleased that the proposed North Shore Heritage Park includes so many parks including Baldwin Beach, Pa‘ia Beach, Ho‘okipa Beach Park, Kuiaha Bay, Peahi, and many more. According to Senator Tsutsui, “I think preserving the coastal areas of the North Shore of Maui, which are under constant pressure for development, is great idea to celebrate the history of the area by keeping the wilderness shoreline undeveloped for future generations to enjoy as we do today.”
Several other prominent organizations have also endorsed plans for the North Shore Heritage Park including: The Democratic Party of Hawaii, and the State Central Committee. According to Maui County Democratic Party Chairman Lance Holter, “preserving coastal landscapes would be an important “legacy” for future generations.”