Basic Guide to Conservation and Agricultural Legacy Land Properties in Hawaiʻi

What is it we do in Hawaiʻi Lifeʻs Conservation and Legacy Lands practice? Day to day, week after week, mainly I get to educate and advise our agents and their buyers, sellers, and owners on sensitive cultural and environmental aspects of properties. Often I facilitate community, government, or non-profit connections for them. Once in a while we conduct a transaction that directly leads to the dedication of a property in perpetuity for conservation, agricultural, and/or community use.

In the coming years I hope to do more of that outside of my “work” life in two volunteer positions: as a Board Member at Hawaiʻi Land Trust, and a Commissioner for the Stateʻs Legacy Land Conservation Program.

At HILTʻs Waiheʻe Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge on Maui during a weekly volunteer workday. We weeded around the loʻi kalo (taro patches) and helped add fencing to protect from feral pigs.

Six Years of Hawaiʻi Life Having a Dedicated Conservation and Legacy Lands Practice – Seeing Momentum Build

On our website, we explain:

In addition to listing these unique properties, we are here to generate and expand a pool of committed buyers and donors for conservation purchases in Hawaii, and to represent these clients, as well as communities that steward these properties, in their conservation efforts.  Hawaii Lifeʻs Conservation and Legacy Lands initiative serves our clients by identifying and gathering information about suitable properties across the state, educating our brokers and agents, collaborating with conservation entities, and refining best practices for representing sellers and buyers of properties suitable for conservation in Hawaiʻi.

Increasingly, after years of building relationships and education, we are accomplishing this goal. It always makes me happy when a property that was featured on our Conservation Webpage as having conservation values and legacy potential goes to a like-minded new owner, whether or not Hawaiʻi Life played a role representing buyer or seller.

• This month I was able to introduce the new owner of 1,300 acres of prime ranch and farm land, listed by Hawaiʻi Life, to the other large landowners in North Kohala. He participated in conversations with landowners and representatives of other organizations and initiatives working on increasing agricultural production. Mahalo to the brokers (from another brokerage) representing the new owner for their willingness to pass along the invitation to the meeting.
• Also this month a Hawaiʻi Life conservation buyer met with community and government officials on a collaborative future vision for the property he purchased specifically to protect it from development for the community.

What Qualifies As a Conservation or Legacy Lands Property?

Kauhola Point in North Kohala – the first conservation transaction I worked on was a listing I took in 2009, shortly after joining Hawaiʻi Life. It was the first “domino” in a long stretch of contiguous coastal parcels, all significant in the history of Kamehameha I and earlier, that have now been protected.

After more than six years in this position, hundreds of conversations, and thousands of hours of work, I sometimes forget that the basics of conservation properties are unfamiliar to most real estate agents and brokers, let alone our general population of folks buying, selling, owning and stewarding properties in Hawaiʻi. While I have covered these basics in other blog posts, they are kind of buried in the 600 posts I wrote, let alone the 14,000 articles on the Hawaii Life website.

Here is a link to a post about conservation values, and summarized below are the categories that are eligible for consideration for funding by the Stateʻs Legacy Lands Conservation Program:

• Habitat
• Coastal areas
• Culturally or historically significant lands
• Agricultural lands
• Open spaces
• Natural areas
• Watershed
• Parks and recreational areas

Hawaiʻi Lifeʻs Commitment to Protecting Historically, Ecologically, and Agriculturally Important Lands

When we began this practice six yearʻs ago, we made a video to explain ourselves. Our Principal Broker explains that whenever we buy or sell property in Hawaiʻi, the conservation consideration should be part of the process. Although I was younger and blonder, the video holds up well, and you can watch it here.