Comm No 0035.58 - Testimony - CA-18 - PONC Maintenance fund

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Doug Sensenig Co -Chair Moku 0 Keawe Land Conservancy P.O. Box 2260 Kamuela, HI 96743 dougsensenigPgmail. com Testimony before the Charter Commission August 8, 2019 Re: CA -18 Aloha and thank you for your truly impressive service on the Charter Commission. I'm here to discuss the proposed change to the language of CA -18. I'm Doug Sensenig and I represent Moku 0 Keawe Land Conservancy, a new land trust dedicated entirely to land protection and stewardship on the Island of Hawaii. We have a diverse board made up of people experienced in conservation and excited to partner with the County to help protect and steward land across the Island for the benefit of present and future generations. I am a former attorney and have been involved in land conservation for over 3o years. As an attorney, I specialized in conservation easements and afterward served as a board chair and executive director of Coastal Mountains Land Trust in Maine, and as executive director of Hawaii Island Land Trust. I'm here to add Moku 0 Keawe Land Conservancy's voice to those asking you to honor the Hawaii County Council's unanimous recommendation to add language to the County Charter which will allow non-profit stewardship groups to be paid for some of the stewardship they do, in partnership with the County, on lands acquired with the 2% land fund. Let's face it: the people of Hawaii County have made it clear through three elections that they want more public land on the Island, and they want it cared for through all the generations. Is relying on volunteers the best way to maintain land held in perpetuity? No. Volunteers work hard, but they burn out. They may not be as available in pails of the economic cycle. In rural areas, there are less people financially able to donate their time. We need a better way to steward the land protected by the 2% fund. The recommended language requires any compensation paid to individuals doing stewardship of the County's preserves to be delineated in an approved stewardship grant proposal. This gives the County appropriate oversight of the process, and allows the County to create more effective and durable stewardship plans. As you're well aware, the investment the people of Hawaii County are making in conservation is PERMANENT, and the properties acquired through the 2% land fund will only increase in value over time. CA -18 provides flexibility and helps assure that there will be resources available for stewardship indefinitely. Comm. No. 35.58