Hawaii: Don't burn Christmas trees at sacred Oahu sandbar
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources is warning people that they face arrest if found burning Christmas trees at an oceanic sandbar.
The sandbar found between the open Pacific Ocean and Kaneohe Bay on Oahu's windward side is a popular gathering place for local boaters and tourists.
A tradition of piling up Christmas trees for bonfires on the sandbar is harming the environment, officials said in a statement Tuesday.
“People haul their trees to (the site) by boat and burning them is detrimental to the sandbar and the surrounding marine ecosystem,” said Hawaii’s environmental law enforcement chief, Jason Redulla, in the statement.
The slim stretch of reef and sand near a military installation is entirely surrounded by deeper ocean water. It offers views of nearby offshore islands and a mountain range that rises from the coastline.
Leialoha “Rocky” Kaluhiwa, president of the Ko`olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, said the site is sacred to many Native Hawaiians who call the sandbar Ahu O Laka.
“The iwi (remains) of Chief Laka of Maui were brought by his sons and buried there centuries ago," Kaluhiwa said in the statement. “Once iwi is buried in an area, it is consecrated and considered ‘kapu’, or sacred to Native Hawaiians.”
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This story has been corrected to show officials made the announcement Tuesday, not Monday.