Dredging Up Pohoiki Again

[MarkD]

- yet another unique bit of the Puna coast reclaimed by the lava. 

Appreciate the pleasant comments, but I'm curious:  why is "reclaimed" the preferred word for a shoreline covered (or more critically, destroyed) by lava?  True, Ahalanui was man-made site on the coast--some might call it an infringement.  

But the covering of 8-plus miles of Puna shoreline included the killing of vast sections of coral, tidepools and other marine life habitat and geographical features like bays.   Was that a "reclamation" also?  If Haleakala erupts and destroys beaches along Kihei, is that a reclamation?  (Interesting trivia: Haleakala,  Last eruption was between 1480 and 1600.) 

Fascinating how some environmentalist perspectives hold that only humans can "destroy" shorelines, and that warrants criticism, while lava covering coastlines should be viewed with only the shrug of shoulders -- and most importantly, should not justify rectifying the situation.