HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0047.004 2020-2022 / Coutib
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From: Chezlani Casar
Seat: Friday, December 18, 2020 9:18 AM
To: Council Testimony sw
Subject: Bill 217- Banning Pedestrian Access to Waipi'o
Aloha c Honorable Couneilmembers,
I would like to respectfully state my objections to Bill 217 which would ban pedestrian access to Waipi'o Valley.
I understand that the reasons behind the creation of the bill are to protect the valley from overuse, to prevent
trespassing onto private lands, and to respect the lineal descendants and kalo farmers who live and work in the valley.
However, I feel this bill is misguided, and does not address the real problems, while in fact creating new ones.
Supporters say that this bill will be followed by another which will target vehicular access; but why are they
beginning with pedestrians? It is not pedestrians who damage the road, nor endanger others while using the road.
Supporters also say that this bill contains exemptions for those who are engaged in traditional cultural practices. I
would like to point out that, for all humans who share this Earth together, there is no more traditional cultural practice
than WALKING, We have been doing it for our entire existence as humans. If a person wishes to access the shoreline
at Waipi'o in the most respectful, light-on-the-earth mariner possible, taking each step as a meditation on the ancestors
and spirits who inhabit this sacred place, are you saying they will not be allowed to do this?
I believe that, while well-intentioned,this bill has been crafted by people who are, through virtue of the society they
reside in, entrenched in a car-based mentality. I know many in my community who regularly drive when they have to
go just a few blocks, often in their large gas-guzzling trucks. This bill is a symptom of the same mentality. If we truly
want to respect the 'aina, we need to retrain ourselves to reconsider our approach to transportation.
Furthermore, this road is a historic trail. People walked upon it for hundreds of years before anyone invented a 4-
wheel drive truck. If we truly want to honor and appreciate the spirit of Waipi'o, why can't we do it in the way our
ancestors would have understood? Had the ali'i of old seen the fumes spewing from our large vehicles into the clean
air, they would have been horrified.
Finally, I would like to point out that this bill effectively bars access to the shoreline for many local residents who do
not own a 4-wheel drive vehicle. There are no other options for access besides walking. There is not a bus available.
We cannot fly or swim there. There is no other trail. Hamakua residents have very few options for shoreline access,
and we need it just as much as people in other parts of the island.
Please go back to the drawing board and come up with a more creative and comprehensive solution that works for all.
Consider inviting to the table other members of the community, so that we can have a broader coalition of people who
care about the future of Waipi'o.
Mahalo nui loa for your careful consideration of all possible ramifications of this bill.
Chezlani Casar, Honoka'a
Comm. N$ 4 1`
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Ref. Date— DEC 2 3 2021