KANE'OHE — Concerts attracting hundreds of people to a popular sandbar in Kane'ohe Bay have raised concerns about fights, drinking and littering there, and could lead to regulations at the gathering spot.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has assembled a working group, which includes neighborhood board members and agencies, to study possible steps to ensure the safe enjoyment of the natural resource.

The Kane'ohe Bay sandbar, also called Ahu o Laka, is a 3-acre patch of sand that is exposed only during low tide, and is only accessible by boat. On weekends, dozens of boats can anchor there, with people enjoying picnics, swimming, diving and other activities with families and friends.

This summer, the sandbar — which is a 10- to 30-minute boat ride, depending on where you depart — was the site of two free concerts that attracted hundreds of people from around the island.

Each concert ended in a fight, according to people who attended. On Labor Day weekend, some 40 to 50 people were involved in a fight and one man was hit with a bottle, said Phillip Quiton, who often frequents the sandbar and works at The Deli at He'eia Kea Boat Harbor. That day there were hundreds of people partying and all was going well until the end, Quiton said.

"It's just when they're all drunk, intoxicated," said Quiton, 18, adding that there are many people who do drink there but don't cause problems. "It's just troublemakers."

State Rep. Colleen Meyer, R-47th (Ha'iku, Kahalu'u, La'ie), said she was at the sandbar during both concerts this summer and people were having fun.

Meyer said she also saw the fights. But she said she isn't alarmed about what happens at the sandbar.

"Overall, I don't think it's abused," she said, adding that the state might consider some control. "It would be a good idea for people to have a permit to have these concerts because I see a problem with where to put trailers and where to park."

In the past 10 years there might have been six or seven concerts, said Meyer, who lives on the bay a short distance from the sandbar. Boats of all kinds come out, including one that used bicycle parts to propel it and a thrill craft that had a duck on board, she said. "It's just like a carnival."

She also said she was concerned about the drinking and people driving their cars and trailers while intoxicated.

Peter Young, director of the DLNR, said his department has heard complaints about the revelry. Today, representatives from community neighborhood boards, the Marine Corps, yacht clubs and other interested parties will decide whether there is a problem and, if so, what could be done about it.

Young said the sandbar is much more popular than when he was a child growing up on the bay. DLNR is aware of the concerts and large parties, he said, adding that its enforcement branch patrols the area, issuing citations and generally keeping the peace. But members cannot always be there, he said.

Young said he couldn't say how many citations were issued at the sandbar, but said they usually were related to a lack of a boat registration. No citations have been issued recently for fighting, he said, adding that he will keep patrols there as a deterrence.

"It's symptomatic of other areas around the state where more and more people are trying to enjoy places," he said. "Then we get a concentration of people and we get a potential unsafe and nonenjoyable experience. We just want to make sure it doesn't turn into that."

But Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board member Kurt Mench said he checked the sandbar for trash and found none. Mench said no one he talked to is concerned, and more rules and regulations would be an unnecessary burden.

"Everything is rules and regulations against everything, kapu, keep out," he said. "They're out there having fun. Main thing is nobody gets hurt, and they don't make a mess."

The big problem is the lack of parking at He'eia Kea Boat Harbor for boaters and trailers, Mench said.

Emil Wolfgramm, a Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board member, said he was surprised to hear that concerts were taking place at the sandbar. He considers it a significant cultural site because Hawaiian Chief Laka died there. Also, the landmark was used to settle an ancient fishing dispute between fishermen from Kailua and Kane'ohe, Wolfgramm said.

"Those are not places for people to go and party," he said. But it is a fishing spot "so anything related to that is great."

DLNR's Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation is taking the lead on that issue, said Roy Yanagihara, acting O'ahu boating district manager.

It is illegal to operate a boat while drunk, he added.

"If you get cited for driving a boat while intoxicated you lose your driver's license," he said. "It could affect your driving record."

The state could look into new rules and regulations concerning the concerts but as long as promoters aren't charging for admission there isn't much the division can do, Yanagihara said.

The working group may come up with other solutions, he said.