HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.422 2024-2026From: Kau'imaka'ole Wakana
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2025 6:24 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: In Strong Support of Resolution 234-25
Aloha a Chair Villegas and Members of the Hawaii County Policy Committee on Environmental and
Natural Resource Management,
I am Ariel Wakana and I am from Puna, Hawai'i. I am 14 years old and I now attend Kamehameha High
School.
I strongly support Resolution 234-25, which calls for an end to bombing and live -fire exercises at the
Pohakuloa Training Area, rejects land swaps and lease renewals, and demands a Pa'akai analysis to fully
assess cultural and environmental impacts.
The U.S. military has not honored its lease obligations to clean and care for the land it occupies. For this
reason, I commend the Board of Land and Natural Resources for voting on May 9, 2025, to reject the
Army's final Environmental Impact Statement for its lease extension.
Our fragile ecosystems, endangered native species, and sacred burial and historical sites deserve
protection. Live -fire exercises can and should be carried out elsewhere.
1 urge this committee to join us in standing for Resolution 234-25—to protect our lands, our culture, and
our future generations.
Comm.
Ref. To:,
Ref. Date UGWK-2025