Pacific Islands Region

Mazie Hirono and Dan Basta. (Photo by James Yamamoto)

The County of Kaua’i celebrated its Preserve America Community designation at a ceremony that included Representative Mazie Hirono, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Director Dan Basta, Pacific Islands Regional (PIR) Director Allen Tom and Kaua’i Mayor Bernard J. Carvalho’s Administrative Assistant Gary Heu. About 50 people, including 20 sanctuary volunteers, attended the event at the Lihue Civic Center, which marked only the second county in Hawai’i to achieve Preserve America status.

Dan Basta, Gary Heu and Mazie Hirono (Photo by Cheryl Oliver)

At the event, the County of Kaua`i received a $4,000 grant from the PIR to initiate a historic preservation project of county archives. The funding demonstrates the PIR’s commitment to support Preserve America communities in Hawai’i. Gary Heu accepted the check on behalf of the Mayor.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a participating agency in the Preserve America program, a White House initiative. For more information about NOAA’s Preserve America efforts go to: http://preserveamerica.noaa.gov/.