Bishop Museum is committed to include Waipio Valley community members in the process as it works to find a new owner for its land within the historic agricultural community and popular tourist attraction, museum CEO Blair Collis said Monday.
The museum intends to sell its 547 acres in Waipio, which amounts to a little more than 50 percent of the valley, as well as the Amy B.H. Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook. Together, the properties were valued a few years ago at about $10 million, Collis said.
The decision to seek a buyer was not taken lightly, the CEO said, but the time had come to find a better steward. The land was initially gifted to the museum over a century ago, and was intended to be a land asset endowment.
“At the time, it was generating revenues from taro production,” he said. “That is not now the case, and hasn’t been for decades. The real question for us has been is Bishop Museum the right steward for these lands? We’re not a land manager, we’re a museum. We want to find new custodians who understand the cultural and historic significance of this land, and we are committed to finding a better steward of that land.”
While discussion about a possible sale has been going on for years, the announcement came as a surprise to many of the residents of the valley and to legislators, said state Rep. Mark Nakashima (D-Hamakua).
“It’s not a new thing,” he said. “… There’s been continuing dialogue about Bishop wanting to sell the Waipio property. … I was a little surprised that they went public the way they did, but we are working to talk to the museum about what their timeline is in regards to the sale.”
Collis says that there is no deadline for the sale, because the museum wishes to make sure it has time to find the right buyer.
“We suspect it’s not going to be a quick process,” he said. “We’re hoping, generally, that it will be between one and three years.”
There are about 40 working farms leasing Bishop Museum land within Waipio Valley, said Jim Cain, who has lived and farmed taro there for 30 years.
A member of the Waipio Valley Stakeholders Alliance, which was organized a few years ago in response to the possibility of a land sale, Cain said the community is “united in our desire to be part of this process to ensure that Waipio remains in the caring hands of the Waipio families, where it has been for centuries.”
Cain called the valley a “priceless treasure,” saying that it has ties to people across the state and around the world.
“It literally touches thousands of people. … Many families in the state can trace their ancestry back to Waipio,” he said. “Around the state, you can find very fond aloha for Waipio.”
The Toko ohana is one of many families that has leased lands from the Bishop Museum for generations, growing taro in the valley.
Gladys Toko “lived a lifetime” there, raising her children in the rich green growth and red earth of the valley. Her father began operations in the area, she and her husband, Roy, worked it and it’s now moved to her children and grandchildren.
One son, Naaman, said his part of the lease covers about 4 acres in the valley, with the ohana working about 17.
The labor is largely done by himself, his nephew, nieces and their spouses.
As part of the WVSA, he and others have been meeting with various people, including their representatives, to decide what to do with the property.
Naaman Toko said his ideal situation would be an arrangement where the land is maintained as it is, possibly with the farmers acting as landlords and paying off the cost.
The valley’s ponds are fed by a network of streams which all meet the sea by the migratory Wailoa Stream that causes the black sand beach to grow and retract.
The natural beauty makes it a popular place to visit, particularly for hikers and people riding ATVs. Many of the trails cross over the streams, requiring solid footwear and good balance. The overlook also is a common place for photo-taking, with the sudden drop to the greens, blues and blacks of the valley.
The valley starts in the Puu O Umi Natural Area Reserve and passes through a piece of private land that spans the valley. Then it enters into a mixture of the museum lands and private property, including several homes.
Getting into the valley isn’t as hard as it once was. Residents used to check the base of the cliff for recently crashed cars that went off the cliff. For a time, the hulks of older vehicles were being reclaimed by the jungle.
Now there is a paved road, but its steepness and condition make it a challenge. Rental car companies refuse to allow their vehicles on it, although the locals just take it slow.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.