DHHL MEDIA RELEASE: Missile Debris Removed From Hawaiian Home Lands On Kauaʻi

 

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

 

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

KA ʻOIHANA ʻĀINA HOʻOPULAPULA HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

 

KALI WATSON

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

 

KATIE L. LAMBERT

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE

MISSILE DEBRIS REMOVED FROM HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS ON KAUAʻI

Navy Personnel Clean Site More Than 60 Years After Missile’s Crash Landing

 

 

Pacific Missie Range Facility Barking Sands volunteers collect debris atop Niu Valley Ridge in Waimea (Image: MC1 Louis Lee).

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 10, 2025

WAIMEA, KAUAʻI – Some 800 feet above sea level, two dozen volunteers embarked on a nearly 24-mile trek atop Niu Valley Ridge by all-terrain vehicle to clear debris left behind from an inert testing missile that crashed more than 60 years ago on a Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) parcel as part of Operation Regulus.

On December 19, 2024, an estimated 2,300 pounds of debris were collected and airlifted by Jack Harter Helicopters. Crews recycled the debris at Resource Recovery Solutions in Līhuʻe.

Discovered in 2022 by a DHHL lessee exploring the region, the missile debris was uncovered after years of grazing by a herd of feral goats. Upon its initial discovery, the debris field was examined by the Kauaʻi Police Department and Navy Security and Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures personnel. It was determined to pose no threat to the environment. Further investigation by unexploded ordnance crews from Oʻahu found no explosives in the area and deemed it acceptable to keep the debris in place.

For Thomas Nizo removing the debris wasn’t just a task, it was his kuleana, regardless of the findings.

“If can, can; if no can, how can? Getting to a ‘yes’ response is the goal!” said Nizo.

Nizo, an Anahola residential lessee, serves as Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands’ (PMRF) deputy public works and stewardship officer and is the first native Hawaiian to hold the position. Nizo’s unwavering dedication to the cleanup is firmly rooted in his love for the land.

“E pane mai ka nonoi o Nohili” – answering the requests of Nohili. First, answering the requests of others to utilize the area of Nohili for testing, training and subsistence. Second, answering the request of Nohili to do what is pono for her and her ‘āina,” Nizo shared.

E pane mai ka nonoi o Nohili, PMRF’s slogan, reflects the installation’s awareness of the importance of Native Hawaiian cultural values. Nohili refers to the high sand dunes at Nohili Point, the famous Barking Sands of Kauaʻi.

Operation Regulus, conducted by the PMRF from 1956 to 1964, was an operation used for missile launch and guidance training. Flight-test vehicles and training missiles were never armed and contained retractable landing gear, making them reusable.

The Regulus fleet training missile was a jet-powered, radio-controlled aircraft featuring a thick fuselage, painted red for enhanced visibility during flight. This version was removed from service in August 1964.

The DHHL commends Nizo and his team for their outstanding efforts in Kekaha and the Mānā plain, as their actions align with the mission of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole and benefit the broader community. The removal of the missile debris allows for effective land use.

The DHHL manages more than 14,500 acres of land in Waimea; two-thirds of the area can be described as steep mountainous terrain and isolated valleys.

According to the department’s Kauaʻi Island Plan (KIP), development in Waimea will be centered around residential and subsistence agricultrual homesteads. Surrounding parcels may include community-use spaces, a puʻuhonua or retreat, areas for conservation and opportunities for kalo cultivation.

The KIP is designed to establish a self-sustaining community where residents can cultivate agricultural products for personal use and sale, create traditional Hawaiian crafts, and run shops and restaurants. Commercial activities will cater to residents and visitors traveling through the area.

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About the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands:

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921 with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of more than 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.

About the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands:

PMRF is the world’s largest instrumented multi-domain range capable of supporting surface, subsurface, air and space operations simultaneously. The installation supports training events that vary from small, single-unit exercises up to large-scale, multinational exercises like Rim of the Pacific, RIMPAC. PMRF is actively engaged with the Native Hawaiian community and culture, consulting with local leaders, local residents, and the wider community on issues including stewardship, access and outreach.

Media Contact:

Diamond Badajos

Information and Community Relations Officer

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Cell: 808-342-0873

Email: [email protected]