Public invited to Waianae Coast beach clean-up

Rep. Maile Shimabukuro (D45-Wai'anae, Makaha, Makua) will host a beach clean-up on Saturday, April 26 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. as the first step towards creating a "People's Path" along the beach from Maili Point to Nanakuli McDonald's.

The event is part of Nani O Wai'anae's "Keep Hawaii Beautiful Day" and will start at Maili Point, located across from the Union 76 Station on Farrington Hwy. and Hookele St., and end at Hakimo Road.

The "People's Path" is a dream and personal project of Shimabukuro's mother, Karen Young, who hopes that this walking path on the beach will connect to the State's planned bicycle path, and someday extend along the entire Wai'anae Coast. Shimabukuro will be working with the City and County to make this dream possible.

Volunteers are needed to join Shimabukuro and family to pick up trash and debris along the beach, as well as participate in the planting of beautiful native plants and trees. In a YouTube video on Shimabukuro's blog, Young and Shimabukuro documented preliminary planning of the beach clean-up and surveyed what needs to be done.

"There's is a lot of potential for this area," said Shimabukuro. "It could be similar to walking Kaena Point. This is a gorgeous coastline with beautiful views and it's pretty far off the road that it could potentially be a beautiful two-mile walk. We need a lot of volunteers to come out and help make this possible."

Individuals and groups interested in participating in the beach clean-up should call the Office of Rep. Maile Shimabukuro at 586-8460 or 696-4677 for more information. Gloves and trash bags will be provided for the volunteers, and it is optional to bring swimwear, native plants and planting tools.

Nani O Wai'anae, which was the first official "Keep America Beautiful" participant in the state, organizes beach clean-ups throughout O'ahu on April 26. The Makaha Hawaiian Civic Club is also participating and will meet at the Makaha Marketplace for a clean-up on the same day. More volunteers are needed to host and help with other clean-ups. For more information, call Katy Kok or Lori at 696-1920 or 484-1000.