Time to begin discussing Puna lava viewing site

[kalakoa]

Meaning permanent closure of the park?

Serious structural damage: this can be fixed, but will take time and money.

Loss of museum contents: much bigger problem, some pieces likely irreplacable.

Semi-related: Volcano Golf Course is shabby and run-down because the lease (what few years remain of it) is held by an off-island "investor" who doesn't want to spend any money fixing the place up ... and there's no way to force them to do so. It's really a shame.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Lava-viewing access could start from county, state or private property that won’t infringe on affected neighborhoods, he said. Portions of vacated neighborhoods could eventually become viewing areas, Birch said.

Quote above is from MarkD's Star Advertiser link.
How would that work? Homeowners are not allowed on their own property, but tourists can go to a residents private "vacated neighborhood?"

I alternate between thinking of the planet as home — dear and familiar stone hearth and garden — and as a hard land of exile in which we are all sojourners. Today I favor the latter view. The word “sojourner”... invokes a nomadic people’s sense of vagrancy, a praying people’s knowledge of estrangement, a thinking people’s intuition of sharp loss: “For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.” - Annie Dillard

[kalakoa]

omeowners are not allowed on their own property, but tourists can go to a residents private "vacated neighborhood?"

How is this any different than "privately owned roads open to the public"?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

different than "privately owned roads

At least residents can drive on their own privately owned roads too, along with tourists and non-residents of their subdivision.
To visit their "vacated neighborhood," which implies they left of their own free will, would they need to stand in line with tourists, and pay the entrance fee? Or would they get a Kamaaina Discount from the County?

I alternate between thinking of the planet as home — dear and familiar stone hearth and garden — and as a hard land of exile in which we are all sojourners. Today I favor the latter view. The word “sojourner”... invokes a nomadic people’s sense of vagrancy, a praying people’s knowledge of estrangement, a thinking people’s intuition of sharp loss: “For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.” - Annie Dillard

[Monkey C]

quote:

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Make a safe way to view it or people get hurt.

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At this point there is no way to "make" it safe. Consider that there were ambulances and fire rescue down at the old lava viewing area on a regular basis-almost every night- and that was a tame, slow moving pahoehoe flow many miles from the active vent. Right now we can't spare those resources for tourists to have a thrill. Also, theres the huge perched lava channel that could breach suddenly in any direction, pretty much anywhere along its 7 mile length. But...some people will do anything for a dollar.

[waawaawah]

Maybe a PunaLava Theme Park? Just Joking!

[randomq]

Roller coasters wouldn't be as exciting if people didn't die on them once in a while... People die needlessly climbing Mount Everest, swimming off Maui beaches, even drinking and driving. Your life is your kuleana, just sign a waiver.

Yes, some people are willing to take risks to make a dollar. Quite a few people actually: police, firemen, helicopter and lava boat operators, the military that makes up a large portion of our state's economy. Their lives, their choice.

[AaronM]

Fine, I give up. $50 a head to cross my property to view the lava.

[kalakoa]

$50 a head to cross my property to view the lava

I'll be there at sunset. Need directions.

[MarkD]

"there is no way to "make" it safe"

I'm sure our safety-conscious state and county officials will require extraordinary measures at any designated lava viewing site: Barricades, signs, gas masks available, cots for anyone who feels faint, guards posted at 20 yard- intervals to ensure no one strays from the area, tent coverage for rain, porto-potties, etc.

Interesting the way people like to exaggerate.

It is highly probably that officials are keeping Hawaii's ever-vigilant personal injury attorneys in mind, who are no doubt salivating over the prospects of injuries at the proposed viewing site.

The site (or sites) will likely be very distant from any active lava, making the viewing mostly a night-time event.