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From: Michelle Galimba
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2021 12:39 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Support for Resolution 161
COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAII
Hawaii Count Council RECEIVED
County Time 12:Y1 p.m. By
Date AUG _0 3 2021.
In support of Resolution 161
Aloha Councilors,
Kuahiwi Ranch would like to express strong support for the purchase and protection of Kiolaka`a in Ka`u, Hawai`i
Island by the Ala Kahakai Trail Association. Preserving cultural resources and agricultural land is an important use of
PONC funds so that future generations can enjoy the beauty and heritage of our beloved island. The mauka pasture
lands aok Kiolaka'a are leased for cattle grazing, perpetuating Ka`u's paniolo traditions.
Kuahiwi Ranch, based in Na'alehu, Ka'u, raises grass-fed, free-range beef cattle for local markets. Cattle ranching has
been a part of Ka'u's economy for over a hundred years and has helped to preserve the open landscape of Ka'u while
still providing food and revenue for Ka'u. It was a privilege to grow up in a landscape that still bears the traces and
memories of pre-contact and post-contact Hawai'i. We hope that we can pass that privilege and landscape on to the
next generation, and the one after that.
Protecting these lands would fulfill the Ka`u community's long standing goal of protecting our beloved 80 mile coast
to perpetuate our rural lifestyle and Hawaiian culture. Access to the coastline is important for our community which
still relies on subsistence fishing, farming, and gathering.
Mahalo,
Michelle Galimba
VP, Kuahiwi Ranch/Kuahiwi Contractors,Inc.
Comm. No
Ref. To: U.*A'Gi
1 Ref. Dote AUG - 4 2021