Introduction

‘OHELO is a project of the Environmental Law Program provided as a community service to the legal profession and the general public interested in Hawai‘i environmental law issues.  The immediate goal of the site is to provide on-line "one stop shopping" for researchers, practitioners, the regulated community, and advocates, and to provide access to materials that are otherwise unavailable or difficult to locate.  The long-term goal of this project is to enhance the quality of decisionmaking and participation in environmental law and policy in Hawai‘i by increasing and equalizing access to precedent and research tools for all sectors of our island community.

Scope of This Site

The primary focus of the site is Hawai‘i environmental law (federal, state, and local decisions by courts and agencies; state code and county ordinances).  Where possible, it also references interrelated Native Hawaiian cultural issues (e.g., the Supreme Court's PASH decision), but does not attempt to cover Hawaiian Rights comprehensively (contact the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, at 521-2302, and consult the Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook, available through NHLC and at the Law School Library).  The site does not cover environmental law in other states or at the federal level unless there is a direct impact on Hawai‘i (see Environmental Links for more information).  In the future, the site may expand to cover Pacific Islands issues and Asia.

About Our Name

The ‘ohelo is a small native shrub (Vaccinium reticulatum) in the cranberry family, bearing small, red or yellow edible berries.  It is considered sacred to the goddess Pele.  (Pukui & Elbert, New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary.)  ‘Ohelo berries are an important food source for Nene, Hawai‘i's State Bird, which is listed as endangered under the state and federal endangered species acts.

Photo Credit:  Special mahalo to Professor Bridges, Associate Professor of Botany, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, for permission to use his photograph of ‘ohelo berries for our web site.