The state’s efforts to address heavy visitor traffic and overcrowding at the trailhead to the popular Pololu Trail on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii Island will get a boost with the imminent private donation of land adjacent to the site.

The donation by an unnamed private donor comes just after the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife released its Pololu Trailhead Management Plan, which was developed in collaboration with the North Kohala community to identify solutions to address the challenges resulting from high levels of visitation.

According to DOFAW, the sacred site attracts upwards of nearly 1,500 visitors each day, and 322,000 annually, despite limited parking and its close proximity to private residences.

The donor told DLNR officials last month that he had purchased the property and wanted to help with efforts to better manage the site.

“I was greeted by Sarah Pule-Fujii, one of Pololu’s stewards, who shared with me the sacredness and cultural importance of the Pololu Valley,” the donor said. “That interaction left a lasting impression with me and sparked my desire to help provide a solution to some of the difficulties the Pololu community was experiencing.”

For the past three years, stewards like Pule-Fujii have provided guidance to visitors at the trailhead, helping to significantly reduce the number of hiking accidents, illegal campers and ocean rescues in the valley.

Last year, DLNR and the nonprofit organization Kupu rolled out the Na Manu Elele, a land-stewardship program funded by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration that employs local stewards to assist in interpreting the historic nature, natural history and safety concerns of sensitive natural areas.

The property to be donated was identified in the Pololu Trailhead Management Plan as a potential site for a heritage center, portable toilets and parking.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.