COM 0972.002 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Donna Rodes Goodale 73-4503 Kohanaiki Rd. Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 808-325-1472 donnaggoodale.org July 17, 2006 Dear County Council: My name is Donna R. Goodale. I have lived on the Big Island of Hawai'i for 22 years. I am both a marine biologist, with a Masters degree in zoology, and a science teacher. I have taught high school in both Hilo and Kona, worked as a biologist in commercial aquaculture at NELHA for over 11 years and have taught middle school for the past 7 years at Hualalai Academy. I am a member of the West Hawai'i Fisheries Council and I have worked for the last year and a half with a group of students helping them become involved in marine related issues. The students of the West Hawai'i Youth Fisheries Council decided to take on a project that would make a difference to both the coastal environment and their community. They chose to examine the problems caused by cigarette butts to the environment and to a beach in their area. Through their discussions and research, they decided that a ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park would be in the best interest of both the near shore marine environment and the majority of people who use the beach. Smoking has already been banned on public beaches in several areas of the country. Smoking was banned on Solana Beach, California in 2003 through the work of some high school students and more beaches in California are following suit. Smoking was banned at Hanama Bay in Oahu because the litter was deemed to be harmful to the marine life which is instrumental in drawing tourists to Hawai'i. I agree whole heartedly with the students for all the reasons that they site in their testimony: 1. Cigarette butts contain toxins that are harmful to marine organisms such as fish, crustaceans, zooplankton, echinoderms, nematodes and flatworms. 2. Cigarette butts take 1.5-15 years to deteriorate, in the mean time they are unsightly, leach toxins into the surrounding water and sand, and pose choking hazards to both marine life and small humans 3. Cigarette butts make up from 20% to 60% of the litter on beaches; in 2001, they composed 33% of the litter picked up during the annual Get-the-drift-and-bag-it beach-clean-up day on Oahu 4. Second-hand smoke is a health hazard to those who do not smoke (4 out of 5 Americans don't smoke) 5. Smoking has negative economic affects due to: a. the cost of private and public manpower and resources that are invested each year in picking up the litter b. lost revenue from lost tourists who go else where due to an unsightly environment c. lost revenue due to fire damage when a fire is started from a butt A smoking ban at this popular beach would help to clean up the area for those who use the beach, as well as make it a more pleasant and healthy place to be. A smoking ban would also reduce the toxins and debris that the marine organisms are exposed to in the near shore area. In addition, a smoking ban at Kahalu'u Beach would increase the value of this beach as a tourist draw for the majority of visitors. I urge you to adopt a ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park. Sincerely, Donna Rodes Goodale