COM 0604.035 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Testimony Before Council's Committee on Finance August 28, 1998 Page 2. which 24,000 acres are presently committed for pulp timber. Some of you may interpret my remarks as being anti-forestry. For the record, the Hamakua Farm Bureau supports all agricultural activities including forestry of all kinds. We oppose, however, the use of public lands for pulp timber production and prefer that available public ag lands be offered first to Big Islanders for family farms, ranches, dairies and other agricultural pursuits. We have no quarrel with such operations as Prudential's pulp timber plantation in Flamakua because it is on private land. We would have a problem if public lands are involved, however. The Hamakua County Farm Bureau offers for your Committee's consideration the following alternatives to the Mayor's plan for the disposition of County lands in Hamakua: 1) defer action on Res. No. 267-98 for a year and a companion plan be prepared offering first refusal to local farmers and ranchers for use of the land. After one year, Res. No. 267-98 can be reconsidered and any land that remains unclaimed may be traded or sold by the County . The lands selected for farming and ranching would be dedicated to the State Department of Land and Natural Resources who would be responsible for administering the leases. 2) dedicate a114,400 acres of County ag lands to the State. We believe both alternatives are better than Res. No. 267-98. They not only retain public ownership of all or a portion of the County lands, they eliminate the need for the County to establish an agricultural leasing program. More importantly, they would be acceptable to the people of Hamakua. We respectfully ask that you give serious consideration to our suggestions. Thank you. ,~~1„~ Robert Shioji, President