Fury as stunning limestone cave is forced to shut to tourists after billionaire landowner's shock move

A stunning limestone cave successful Hawaii was forced to unopen down aft its billionaire landlord blocked grants to support backing it.

The Makauwahi Cave Reserve, located connected the coastline of Kauai's southbound shore, has been a fashionable tourer destination since paleoecologist David Burney and his wife,  Lida Burney, founded a nonprofit quality parkland astatine its tract successful 2004.

The 2 had transformed it from a graffitied, neglected spot into a thriving oasis with much than 10,000 autochthonal and Polynesian plants astir the cave arsenic they provided tours to up to 80,000 visitors each year, according to the San Francisco Gate.

But astatine the extremity of October, the Burneys announced they had to merchantability the reserve aft their landlord, Grove Farm, blocked a $2.3million assistance for conservation initiatives from the Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative Challenge programme arsenic good arsenic a authorities assistance for $260,000.

The onshore absorption company, owned by billionaire Stephen Case - co-founder and erstwhile CEO of AOL - had said it didn't privation immoderate 'encumbrances' connected the spot pursuing unit changes and aft converting the lease to month-to-month past year.

'The closing down is simply a fiscal one,' Burney told the Gate. 'We simply can't tally the spot without being capable to get grants.'

He noted that helium and his  woman were capable to support the Cave Reserve unfastened for astir a twelvemonth by expanding 2 pre-existing grants from the Hawaii Tourism Authority and Pacific Birds and Habitat Joint Venture.

They besides had to usage immoderate tiny donations and enactment with a skeletal unit to support it going.

'It takes much than that to wage your unit to supply tours for 200 oregon much radical per day, portion maintaining the restrooms, autochthonal works nursery and implicit 10,000 autochthonal and Polynesian plants translocated to abandoned quarry and farmland astir the cave,' Lida explained.

'All the wealth is spent now, and arsenic radical successful our mid 70s, we can't spend to dip into our idiosyncratic savings to support it going portion Grove Farm decides what to bash to the place.'

 Her hubby added: 'It's bittersweet for Lida and maine to springiness up aft 33 years of moving here, but it's time, we consciousness to shove this canoe offshore and spot who paddles.'

The Burneys person since rehomed its 1000-pound tortoises and gave distant thousands of potted autochthonal plants arsenic they program to crook implicit the property.

The paleoecologist noted that Grove Farm has not told them what it plans to bash with the spot and truthful 'after cherishing this place, studying it successful detail, publishing a batch astir it, interpreting it to implicit a cardinal visitors since we opened up, we had a batch of interest about, you know, what's going to hap next.

'Our concern, arsenic overmuch arsenic thing is that the spot volition present beryllium neglected,' helium said.

But a spokesperson for Grove Farm said its 'intent is to proceed to sphere this important resource,' noting the onshore absorption institution 'has formed a nonprofit, which volition oversee the cave successful bid to proceed to supply entree for acquisition (including schoolhouse groups), technological and taste research.

'We person reached retired to existent docents to proceed their exceptional expertise,' the spokesperson told the San Francisco Gate.

'The lessee chose to terminate the lease which had been connected a month-to-month word since 2019 astatine nary cost,' it added. 

Kaui nonmigratory Elizabeth Okinaka, who has been moving arsenic a docent for much than 2 years, said she is going to inquire to beryllium progressive successful immoderate aboriginal plans the Grove Farm has for the property.

'Places like Makauwahi Cave Reserve are genuinely similar nary other,' she said. 'Visitors locomotion retired of determination with truthful overmuch cognition and much respect for the island, and that is what we request for tourism successful Hawaii.

'There has to beryllium a balance, and it's a immense loss,' Okinaka added. 'Hundreds of visitors are educated daily.'

She went connected to accidental that if it had not been for the Burneys' dedication, the cave would person been destroyed agelong ago.

'Everybody should beryllium grateful for the enactment that Burney and Lida  person done, besides radical similar Pila Kikuchi and Kapaka, who were founding members of the reserve and dedicated immoderate of the past years of their beingness there.

'Ultimately, I americium bittersweet it had to extremity this way,' Okinaka concluded. 

'I'm hopeful that Dr. Burney's bequest volition beryllium honored if the cave is ever to beryllium operated again successful the future,' she said.