Commentary – A Petition to the Chairman of Hawaii DLNR

Aloha,

I’ve created a petition to William Aila, Chairman, DLNR, Hawai`i County Mayor Billy Kenoi, and Saul Pinto, CEO, Kohanaiki Shores LLC which says:

Click to sign petition

A gate has already been erected on the shoreline at the south end of the surfing beach, with the southern end of the beach trail scheduled to be closed to vehicular access as soon as the end of March.

Sign the petition TODAY and share it with everyone you know! http://signon.org/sign/protect-public-access?source=c.em.cp&r_by=7312816.

Charles Flaherty

 

 

Proposed Bill Would End Protection of Iwi Kupuna

Received from a source.  This unconstitutional proposed bill (LNR-07(12)_Burial_bill_rev.10-17-11-1) would end protection of the iwi kupuna and would make sure that Native Hawaiian ‘ohana cannot protect their iwi kupuna.  What’s more, it would cost $60,000 MORE per year to have one state-wide burial council versus the current system of a burial council for each island.

I am still researching to discover which legislators are sponsoring this evil bill.  I know that current State Historic Preservation Division Director, Pua Aiu, who is of Native Hawaiian descent, spoke in favor of this concept at the annual Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs convention this past November.  People attending the convention were outraged since the SHPD and Pua Aiu have already broken many burial laws to the extent that the National Park Service is not funding their $1,2 million grant for the first time ever.

Please help stop this bill before it even makes it into committee.  Call your representatives today.  Tell them to fix the system in favor of Native Hawaiian ‘ohana and the iwi kupuna, instead of making it more favorable for real estate developers.

Mahalo!

Charles Flaherty

Untold Story of Tragic Mauka Forest Fires by Charles Flaherty

The following was submitted by Big Island Resident Charles Flaherty:

“Aloha e,

The media continues to mistakenly refer to the recent and on-going noxious mauka fires as brush fires.  They are not…these fires are occurring within native forests filled with numerous endangered and threatened plant and animal species.

Topping it all off was Sunday’s incredibly insensitive “Fire Sale” ad in West Hawai’i Today complete with a photo of the still smoking forest that is choking thousands of residents each night (see attached).

I have attached the state Board of Land and Natural Resource’s “Approval in Principle for Acquisition of Perpetual Conservation Easement” for the mauka 9,000 acres of the 11,570 acre Kealakekua Ranch.  The United States Congress provided the agency with $2,000,000 to purchase 4,000 acres with another installment of $2 million due to purchase the remaining 5,000 acres.

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The area that is burning “contains many different forest types, including mixed open forest, closed ‘ohi’a lehua rainforest, open koa forest with mamane, and open koa forest.  This forest mosaic supports a wide variety of federally listed threatended and endangered plant and animal species.

The document goes on to describe the “Need for Acquisition…Due to agricultural zoning, forest in Kona are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses.  Sales for development would result in drastic changes to the area’s rare habitat and important watershed needs.  Since its recent purchase of the property, Seller [the Pace family] has received multiple offers to purchase for the purpose of completing the existing development entitlements.  In addition to development concerns, Kona’s forests are threatened by the spread of invasive non-native plants and feral ungulates, all of which increase wildfire susceptibility and decrease natural forest regeneration.

The acquisition will insure preservation of the forested areas of the property through an on-going management plan by Kealakekua Heritage Ranch LLC, as required by the conservation easement.  The management plan shall be implemented by Kealakekua Heritage Ranch LLC with oversight by the Division of Forestry and Wildlife.”

Has anyone seen or heard from the state DNLR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife in this sad state of affairs?”

Charles Flaherty,

Big Island of Hawaii