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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0284.039 2020-2022 From: Hinano Lewis Sent: Monday, June 14, 2021 11:40 AM To: Council Testimony COUNTY CLERK COUNTY OF HAWAII Alija Lee Sproat RECEIVED 534275 Akoni Pule Hwy Time ll:qOajk zste� Kapa'au, HI 96755 Date JUN 1 4 2021 Junel4, 2021 Chair and Presiding Officer Matt Kaneali'i-Kleinfelder Vice Chair Heather L. Kimball Committee on Finance, County Council County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Aloha mai e Chair Kdneali'i-Kleinfelder, Vice Chair Kimball, and Members of the Committee on Finance, Mahalo for the opportunity to provide testimony in strong support of Resolution 145-21 for the permanent protection of Mahukona. We understand that Hawaiian Islands Land Trust(HILT), Na Kdlai Wa'a, Mahukona families and the Kohala community are working together with the County's Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Commission process, among others, to raise public and private funding in order to purchase and permanently protect the lands of Mdhukona, located along the Kohala, Hawaii Island coastline, covering 642 acres and six ahupua'a (from south to north) Kaoma, Hihiu, Mahukona, Kamano, Kou, and Kapa'anui. Aloha my name is Abja Sproat born and raised in North Kohala. Mahukona is a special place for the Kohala community. Mahukona is a place where families come together to enjoy the ocean and the land. That is where we all learned how to swim and go fishing. Mahukona gives Kohala a sense of belonging. It's not just a beach, it's where people lived. Mahkona was a village of itself till this day we still have families that lived at Mahukona live in Kohala. I urge you to approve resolution 145 21 and keep our Mahukona as it is. We need to keep what we have and not lose to someone who wants to develop that area with buildings. The following highlights the main reasons I support a conservation purchase and permanent protection of MAhukona: • Effectively prohibit future subdivision and development of Hawai'i's agricultural lands, while protecting Kohala's agricultural tradition of the Kohala Field System. With its prime location and agricultural and resort land use designations, the lands of Mdhukona are at risk to be sold to resort and high-scale residential developers. • Permanently protect and allow for 'ohana and community stewardship of Maliukona's prominent Hawaiian cultural landscape and the hundreds of ancient heiau and cultural sites still cared for by 'ohana and practitioners, while protecting the integrity and continuation of the area's ongoing cultural and religious practices including but not limited to non-instrumental navigation and subsistence fishing practices. • Protect Mdhukona's native flora and fauna habitat, including that for the endangered 'bpeape'a(Hawaiian Hoary Bat) and Hawaiian monk seal, and other unidentified threatened, endangered or at-risk species (TER), while equally providing habitat restoration opportunities for other TER species. • Maintain recreational ucounciltestimony@hawaiicounty.govse of the area's trails and swimming areas. • Successfully complete a portion of the conservation corridor, connecting the protection of Lapakahi State Historical Park to the south to the County's Kapaa Beach Park to the north, effectively contributing to the Comm.N M_I L-00 Ref.Tb�_ OWL Ref.Dona JUW1 791 Kohala community's vision for a conservation corridor and protection of scenic view planes as outlined in the North Kohala Community Development Plan. • Ensure the integrity and health of Mdhukona's ocean resources, including endemic and endangered marine species. • Use of public funds for the protection of Mdhukona is a proactive opportunity for the County and State to uphold their constitutional obligations to protect Native Hawaiian subsistence, cultural, and religious practices and Public Trust resources. Mahalo for the opportunity to provide testimony in strong support of Resolution 145-21 for the permanent protection of Mahukona. Ahja Lee Sproat Ahja Lee Sproat