HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.061 2024-2026From: Harmony Ahin-Ganir
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2025 11:06 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Pohakuloa Testimony
Aloha Committee Members,
This summer, on July 18, 2025,1 had the privilege as a kanaka aloha'aina to visit Pu'uwa'awa'a with a
group of fellow kanaka who share the same deep love for the land. That day, we planted over 300 native
species on the side of the pu'u facing Pohakuloa. As we placed finy'a'ali'i into the soil, we spoke words of
hope over them: "i ola 'oe, i ola mekou nei"—when you live, we thrive. Yet, in thatvery moment, I could
hear the distant sound of bombingfrom Pohakuloa as if itwas happening right in front of me. The
contrast of nurturing new life while destruction echoed nearby is something I will never forget.
Restoration and bombing cannot coexist.
Pohakuloa is notjust land; it is a wabi pana, a sacred and ecologically rich place. Beneath it lies a major
aquifer that supplies fresh water to Hawaii Island. Military training has already burned nearly 20,000
acres, threatened endangered species, and left behind concerns of depleted uranium in the soil —
contamination that can spread and cause long-term harm to the health of our people and'aina.
The choice before us is clear. Continued military use is incompatible with the conservation of this place
and the values of aloha'aina. I strongly urge you to supportthis resolution and protect Pohakuloa for the
future of Hawai'i — for the land, the water, and the generations yet to come.
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Mahalo, r
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HinanoAhin-Ganir
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Comm. N .
Ref. To:
Ref. Date AUG 9 2025