COM 0942.156 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

For the Protection of Hawaii's Native Wildlife r HAWAII AUDUBON SOCIETY 850 Richards Street, Suite 505, Honolulu, HI 96813-4709 Phone/Fax: (808) 528-1432; hiaudsoc@pixi.com .~QN $Q www.hawaiiaudubon.com Date: April 22, 2008 To: Hawaii County Council Re: Override of Mayor's veto of Bill 224. TESTIMONY IN STRONG SUPPORT OF VETO OVERRIDE Chair Hoffmann, Vice Chair Pilago and members of the County Council. I have offered written testimony on behalf of the Hawaii Audubon Society at previous hearings, and I do so once again on behalf of the society's 1,500 members, of which, over 300 live on the Big Island. You should be commended for your previous efforts in passing Bill 224, which from a purely environmental perspective was a major step forward in protecting Hawaii Island bird and animal ecology. We know that cigarette butt litter is a major problem at our beaches, in the ocean and throughout the watersheds which carry water, trash and debris to our beaches. Cigarette butts discarded in parking lots, along sidewalks and in street gutters miles from the coast inevitably make their way through storm drains, creeks and rivers to the beach and the ocean. Direct litter of cigarette butts at the beach adds to the problem. It isn't just a matter of unsightly trash and litter. Toxins from cigarettes collect on the filter and are then washed out into our waterways and the ocean. Birds and sea mammals ingest the butts, thinking that it's food. All of us can do things to eliminate cigarette litter throughout our watersheds. Over the years the Hawaii Audubon Society has participated in a number of ecological surveys with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. We have found cigarette butts in the stomachs of numerous bird and aquatic species, including many listed on the endangered species list including; the Hawaiian Duck, Nene Goose, the Green Sea Turtle, and Hawaiian Monk Seal. Prinwa' un 7UU Pna-('nnsunrrr kcrr,.lcd Pqwr