After two decades of fighting development, the country will stay country!

Musician and part-time North Shore resident Jack Johnson summed it up with his song "Better Together."

The North Shore community fought development. And, with cooperation from community leaders and the government, a public trust bought the land from Obayashi Corporation.

With that move, more than 1,100 acres in Pupukea and Paumalu were saved.

"It means everything. I just can't believe that we've succeeded," said Peter Cole, longtime North Shore resident and former pro surfer.

"This year has just been unbelievable," Cole said. "We started off with the Shark's Cove thing being defeated. We ended up with Waimea Falls, we ended up with Pupukea Paumalu," he added.

Entertainers (Jack Johnson), surf legends (Peter Cole, Poncho Sullivan) and the dignitaries (Gov. Linda Lingle, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, State Rep. Michael Magaoay, to name a few) and North Shore residents all gathered under a couple of tents on the campus of Sunset Beach Elementary School Saturday.

"We must reduce our dependence, our economic dependence on land-development to drive our economy," Gov. Linda Lingle said as the audience clapped.

North Shore residents love where they live and don't want it to change. The breathtaking beauty of the mountains, the crashing of waves against the shore -- they speak to the heart.

And, Blake McElheny, President of the North Shore Community Land Trust, speaks for everyone.

"I was lucky enough to grow up surfing and windsurfing along the coastline and it was inevitable that looking back at the coastline it would become important for all of us that use the ocean in that way to want to protect it," said McElheny, before he thanked a slew of people.

McElheny learned about the need to preserve from his father, Larry.

"This is an inter-generational thing, you know," said Larry McElheny. "We mention Blake's children and all the young kids out here, they're going to be taking over."

Pupukea Farmer Bill Howes has been in the fight for a long time.

"In the early days it was really hard," said Howes. "Back then, we didn't have E-mail or a lot of people helping us, it was a small group of citizens."

So, Saturday the North Shore is celebrating its victory and looking toward a bright future.

"It's the most monumental thing that I think has ever happened on the North Shore," said Poncho Sullivan, a pro surfer and North Shore resident. "It's such a special day," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

Some day, he'll have an awareness of this whole project," Sullivan said, as he cradled his sleeping son in his arms.

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