2015-07-20 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes —July 20, 2015 Action: Motion by D. Yoshina to accept report as circulated; Seconded by W. Camara. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. VI. Public Testimony on Agenda Items: Steven Araujo: Good evening Council Members. Point of clarification, Mr. Chairman, although my voice does resonate at times I am not a hostile testifier. So I would like to assist this commission on its — on reaching its goals and helping the public achieve what the public needs to achieve, yeah, which is hunting rights and all that kind of thing. OK? So I'd like to testify on some items on the agenda, but I'd like to testify on the agenda, OK? First of all, the agenda is very vague — if you look at it from our standpoint - back in the gallows — you just approved a budget report. If I wanted to testify on the budget report, what would I testify on? There are no numbers, there are no expenditures —we don't even know what your budget is —where you guys spent your money or whatever, so in that respect, your agenda is very bare bones with bones missing, so, you know, you need to beef it up. Give us information so that we can testify, OK? Number two — the agenda needs to come out more than 3 days before the meeting. There is no ample time for anybody to gather information for testimony. So, you know, this needs to come out earlier. I don't know who's responsible for it— but it needs to come out earlier. OK. On your— on the agenda — you have a presentation by J. B. Friday, University of Hawaii Agriculture — regarding the Ohia die off. You know a lot of guys wouldn't know how to testify on that, OK? But being in this for many decades, some of the things I know, maybe you folks are not aware of this — it came in the newspaper that there's a virus affecting the Ohia — but if you go back in time — there was research being done on — I don't know if it's a 5-spotted or a 7-spotted — I can't get that number right— but it's a spotted-winged lace hopper— research was being done up in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park back in the 80s, OK? The researcher lost his funding so what the researcher did was he released that spotted-winged lace hopper in different areas of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. There's evidence of the damage the Park Service and whoever the researcher was getting his money from put everything under wraps. We brought this up many times but nothing was put forth by that— so although there's a virus or mold whatever on the Ohia — think outside the box — maybe this needs to be investigated because some of the spotted-winged lace hopper was in Hawaii Volcanoes Village, which is outside of the park, so the National Park was all the way down to where the Ohia is dying off— so keep that in mind, please. Also, there's Bryan Mayberry, sorry about if I pronounce your name wrong but it states over here hunting activities, hunting club opportunities. I would advise the members of the council if you are or your club is going to be involved in this — check with the attorney— make sure you folks not going be in violation of ethics violations 2