Hundreds of acres of rainforest in Hawaii’s Pia Valley will forever be protected after landowner Patricia Godfrey donated the 300-acre parcel in the southern Ko’olau mountains to be public land managed by DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), the Department of Land and Natural Resources reported.
The area may be designated as the Pia Natural Area Reserve (NAR), accessible by foot for recreational uses, hiking and education.
The donated land is east of the Hawai‘iloa Ridge Trail in East O‘ahu, and extends to the summit ridge of the Ko‘olau. It is comprised of the upper portions of Pia Valley. Some plants and animals in the proposed Pia NAR are found nowhere else in the world.
“I’m just a tiny link in a chain of many, many people who have worked to keep this land preserved for the animals and plants. It was a lucky moment when I was able to step in and hold the property for the state for a few years,” Godfrey said.
The donation will leave an incredible legacy, according to DOFAW’s O’ahu NAR Manager, Christopher Miller.
“As a NAR, we will strive to keep the native forest as intact as possible. This forest is threatened by invasive species, which can lead to increased erosion, so our efforts to keep the Pia Valley as a native forest will also benefit all those who enjoy Maunalua Bay,” Miller said.
The state is very interested in protecting the Pia Valley partly because of the rare, threatened and endangered species that call the area home, and to improve it with active management.
“My impressions are that it is priceless – absolutely priceless. I am delighted to have been able to play a part in securing the future of Pia Valley as a protected wilderness. On behalf of myself and my family I would like to thank our state conservationists and all who protect and defend our vital wild lands and the sanctuary they provide for their plant and animal inhabitants,“ Godfrey said of the land she donated.