Comm No 0021.145 - Testimony - CA-7 - PONC fund and Maintenance fund

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better water flow. We've also worked on is clearing the brush to make trails and to clear other existing trails, water the keiki plants, and plant other native plants. Examples of said plants are alahe'e, milo, wiliwili, niu, naupaka, kou, and kukui. We need the money to have an on-site nursery, and supplies like shovels, watering cans, wheel barrels, etc. Doing our work to conserve Kawa helps provide food for ourselves, like fishing; it also helps show tourists see the other part of Hawaii other than the resorts, beach parks, and museums. We need the money to help continue the work we do so that the next generations can have this place, we should also keep this place for cultural purposes, Kawa has been here for hundreds of years and is a sacred to many. We also should keep it as a teaching tool because it teaches us about the native plants and animals along with giving back to the land, and to appreciate what we have. Even though we have over half the land in conservation, it's zoned conservation, getting rezoned exclusively to big hotels making the land unprotected. Keeping the land can help with our air quality as we expand little by little, it also brings the community together by aloha/malama the aina. If you look at the national parks, some parts of the park aren't taken well care of. With Na Mamo o Kawa, they are one group focused on this one piece of smaller land rather than a huge area where they can't handle most aspects of it. With the government shut downs and the funding cuts to the national parks the selling of the land to the national park may not be the best idea. Sincerely, Sakura Yabuki