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8 July 2007 <br /> PO Box 1192 <br /> <br /> Volcano, Hawaii 96785 <br /> dkapp@hawaii.edu <br /> (808) 938-3328 <br /> Aloha Hawaii County Council, <br /> I am writing in support of Council member Bob Jacobson's proposed resolution <br /> on preserving the Punalu'u area in Ka'u through the purchase of land in the area. <br /> It is an excellent idea for preserving a very unique, biologically delicate, and <br /> cultural significant area - on an island whose landscapes are quickly becoming <br /> transformed in ways that endanger native biota and Hawaiian cultural practices. <br /> I am a geographer, and have a particular interest in landscapes and the stories <br /> they tell about people and their relationship to places, and I see that Punalu'u <br /> represents one such place of legendary status -definitely warranting its <br /> preservation in the maximum way. I teach Geography at the University of <br /> Hawaii and Hawaii Community College, and have availed my students of the <br /> natural and cultural resources at Punalu'u on field excursions in the past; the <br /> experience there was a profound one for them, particularly for the Native <br /> Hawaiian students I work with. Not only was Punalu'u like a living laboratory, but <br /> it also provided vital cultural sustenance and grounding for many of these <br /> students: they were positively transformed by the place, and gained valuable <br /> knowledge - of the type that could not be gained anywhere else. The place is <br /> unique, and must be preserved. Without hesitation, I support Bob Jacobson's <br /> proposed resolution, and salute the work that the 'Ghana Hanoa was done to <br /> presence Punalu'u. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> Drew Kapp <br /> Cantu. Na ,3lEq' $00 <br /> Ref. To: <br /> def. Uate ~ 9C 2Qp7 <br /> <br />