Ordinance Closes Makena

As reported in the Maui Times, the discovery of unexploded ordnance in the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve last week led state officials to close the road to the reserve on the southern flank of Haleakala.

The road will remain closed until the area is cleared by an Army explosives-disposal team, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Members of that team were busy Monday removing an unexploded bomb on Oahu, she said. It was not known when the disposal team would be able to fly to Maui to handle the ordnance found late Friday in the reserve's aa lava fields by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ward did not have details on the type or size of the four objects found at Ahihi-Kinau, but she said officials were concerned enough about the discovery to close the area, at least temporarily, out of concern for public safety.