HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0258.034 1996-1998 FROhI PHONE N9. _ "~1•
^r r..__ _ . .
PAC IC C AST_ _ f
July 31, 1997 ~}{o'r~a ~'~Ca-,_
C~'.: i
James Y. Arakaki, Aaron Chung, John Ray,
Dominic Yagong, Joe Reynolds, Curtis Tyler ~ ~ ~J 'y F`~
John Santangelo, Bobbie Jean Leithead-Todd, and AI Smith -'r, C n~u~c~
25 Aupunl St. (ti i e ~ I~~c i . t 1 ~ ~
Hilo, HI 96720
Dear Members of the County Council,
Pacific Coast Properties Inc. is the only full time Real Estate oNice In Hamakua All of
us at pacific Coast Properties are very concerned regarding the continuation of the
pulp plantation industry here in Hamakua and what ii is doing to Real Estate values.
Anyone who owns property here should also be very concerned. We have four
licenced agents and each of us has encountered clients who decide to look for
property elsewhere because they don't want to be subjected to what goes on with the
pulp industry.
If potential buyers qo elsewhere they are not buying here. If they don't buy here then a
seller can not get the best price for their property. This means that people's property
values will be negatively affected by the pulp plantation practices in Hamakua. As
soon as this reality becomes clear to property owners there will Inevitably be a lot of
anger.
As local citizens with our focus on the value of property in this area, we strongly urge
the County Council to put the County lands in the hands of local larmers and foresters.
We ask this on behalf ci all property owners here in North Hilo and Hamakua.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Paul7akamatsu (DR),
Greg Doran (RA),
W. Augustuz Elliott (R)
Oonsva Y,;, A
(808) 7759566 • FAJC (ROR) 7750866
PO Rnz 1634 • Hnnnkaa, Hawaii 96727 Na• '
Ref. 2b: -
Ifxt. I?Hte AUt3 2 7 1997
FROM PHONE tJO. : P02 -
RESOLUTION
1•his meeting of residents of Han,akua ut Honoka':I on the Big Island on April 1,
1997, having herd Mr. Mike Ruck disettss the State's "forestry" plans hcnb}• declare.
1. "That is dccrptivc for the DLNR rn dcuribe the Letter of Intent with O)i/Maruberu ((~/M)
as a "foresuy" project.
2. The (~/M T xrtc•r of Intent is in faa al+out a c'monoailnue tucalypt tree planation" s}sKm,
3. Mononilmre efualvpr rrec pluttatiuns arc destrucd+c of the environatwu, do+truc[irc of
water sources and of soil.
4 The•rc have been no pret-ions discucsiotts or information sharins with affecmd
cumnuutities like ours v~hen tlus project a as being considered bcli,re issuance of the Ictzas
of intent.
5. The Rrarc well krtoti~s of plans for anonc~r 120,000 acres of eue:tlypt rrec plantations in
Waimea and lxyond. We oppose tJusc plate as well.
Minh mere infonnarion on monocttlavc cucah'pt rrec planations are to be Found in a book
published in ]906 by Ricardo Carrerc and Larr}' Iw,hmann cndtled Pcd'E-="~,c South. We
recmm~,u,d that Mr. Buck reads this book and makes stun each member of BLNR reads it
CUU.
On the basi+ of infprnlaClOn sve Itavc• and far the loraguinp, reasons, we tuuesenedly reject the
State's Letter of Intent a~idt O/M and hcreb}' request that Mr. Ruck tell [he Board of T.and and
Nahual Rccoursc5 11SLL it be deferred indefini tel}'.
We fivdter go on rcmrd as beutg tutalccrably opposed to munoctilture eucalypt tree
plantations which wo~.ild be disastrous fire several reasons.
We ineice ottr government, includutg DLNR, n, cxpcdire a creative dialog, wid, the
cotntuututy, including parriailarly Native I-Ia+vaiiaas (Kanaka bfaoli), about ;tltcrnatives,
Nntc "I•ltis Resolution was put to a mcctin~ld on April 1, 1997 at "1•czc I)rivc In,
Hunuka'a. urended by 105 people when a yore was taken nn It.. The vote on the Resolution
s+~as as follows: Pon (101): AE ain.ct (3) Ahstcnrion (1),
As of August 21, 1997, the State has not in any way responded to
the voice of the Hamalcua community.
FROM ~ PHONE N0. ~ ~ P03-
AHUALOA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 3008
H,onoka'a, Hawaii 98727
August l3, t9t37
Mayor Stephen Yamash~ro
County of Hawau
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo. HI 96720
Dear Mayor Yama5hir0
At ;he July 24 1997 meeting of the Ahualoe Community Association there wes unanimous agreement of
the members present that the following resolution b@ ddOpted
Th@ Ahualoe CommunRy ASSOnaUOn opposos the use of pub4c lands on the 61g Island for the Oji•
Marubeni "Hawau Sustainable Forest PlantaUOn Prplect^
The Association feels the key issue m this proleCt is the 55-year lease. making the land unavailable t0 the
communrcy for virtually the rest of our eves preventing any individual producUVe uses. and prowding only
minimal employment and monetary return We feel there are more creative uses for this land
AS IS the case with other pulping prOJBCIS on the island, we also have other 5efI0US COrlCems. erO5i0n
and contamination of soil as a result of the operations, noise air and casual pollution. Increased traffic f rom
logging trucks and assoaated damage to roads chem~Cal and herbicidal effects on local plant 6fe and
water and the potential adverse effects on gig Island tbunsm a key factor m the island's economy
We understand the desperate economic sRuahon facing our islantl and reccpOnize that within the law
pnvate landov,~ners have the right to uUhZe their lands as they see fit However, the use of the public
lands by local residents would in our opirnon. better serve the needs of our people than commrtbng
public lands to such an envuonmentauy harsh and economically unproven industry
We urge careful consideration of our concerns
Res pect'~uuny~ee ~
. l~v~
W Augustuz Ellrott
President
Ahualoe Community Association
FROM PHOtJE N0. ~ ~ P04
RESOLUTION
This meeting of n•sir{cnts of Ham;tkua in Honoka':t on the BiR Island ou April I,
] 997, hay-inb heard Mc Mike Buck disctus the State, "foresee}'' plans hcrcb}' declare
1. Thar ie deceptive fin' the DLNR to describe the Letter of Ltrenc with O)i/Marubati (O/~l)
as a "forestry" project.
2. 1•he U/AQ Lerrer r,f intent is in fact about a "monoculntre eucelvpt tree plantation" sysleui.
3, Monoculntrc eucalt-pr Tree pl:uuati,>ns are dcsrnrctivc of the envitutunenc, desuvctivc of
wah:r sources and of soil.
4. There hat-c been no prceioas disatssion~ or u$onnariun sharinb with atlicrcd
communities 6kc ours when t},is project a-a., hcing considered before issuance of tltc letters
ufintcnt.
5 The State well knows oE' plans for another 120,000 acres of atwlypr ucc plantations in
SNaimea and hc}'ond. We opposz tltesc !,Inns as well.
Much more infnrtnation on ntonortdnuc cucilypt rrec plantations arc ro be found in a book
pubLd,ed in 1996 h}• Ricardo Carrere and Larrt Luhmatm entitled Ytilk,urk tJs South. 1'Uc
eonunetui chat Mr. Buck reads this book and makes sure each mcntbcr of I;LNIt reads it
too.
On nc~ hasis of information tvc h.tt'e :utd fi,r nc~ foregoutg reasons, ,vz tutrcecn~cdly rcjeit the
Stntr's Letur of Luent tcith O/M and herzb}~ rcyucst that Mr. Buck cell nc~ Bo:trd of Land and
Natural Recnuncs chat it be deferred indcfitutely.
We tiirrhor go on record as bcutg tutalicrahly opposed a, monoailttve. coca!)-pt tree
planntions which would be disastrou, for several reasons.
VVe inv,u our goverrvncnr, ;ncludutg DLNR, to exprtlzu a crcatitr dialog v`~ith nc~
cotntntu,ic}•, including partiadarly Native Hawaiiam (Kanaka M:toL), about altcrnaUvcs.
Note- Tlva Resolution teas put to a ntectut~ held on Affil 1, 1997 at Tcxs DrivoLt,
Houoka'a arrcndcd by 105 people tvhcn a „otr w:~. taken o„ it. The vote on nc~ ltcsolption
was as follows' For (101) Auainst (3): Abstennon (1
As of August 21, 199'7, the State has not in any way responded to
the voice of the Hamakua comnllulity.
FROM PHONE NO. P05
~aR- yours. (NFoeM~mon1 ~ ~lG ,TBc.~~~ f~}1,u'i¢ll
Dear Ciovcmor Cayctatto~ 8/11/97
Thank you for your letter of 8/4. 1 would like to respond to it and also to the
DLNR's paper of 612 on Forest Plantations.
The subject of my latter to you of 6/13 was the leasing of 10,000 acres of State
and County land to Oji Paper for the purpose of growing wood chips. Thera arc several
issues here, but the main one is thnt growing wood chips is about rite Mast productive use
the land could be put to. It produces fewjobs and retturis little to the State. All the
correspondence I have had with the State and at all the meetings I hove attended tsn this
subject continuall„v refer to sustainable Forestry and value added products. There is
nothing sustainable about a wood chip farm and titers is uo value added with wood chips!
It has beet ectimatcd that for each job created by a wood clop operation, 25 jobs
would be created by growing high value hardwood, wkdch provide the material for wood
workers to add their value. This is why wr dorit want a wood chip farm on our land,
when growit.g valuable wood will provide so Hoary tnorc jobs. The issue is not eucalyptusa
trees, but what ]s done with them, The issue is growing wrood chips verses growhtg
lumber and wood crags and $uttiture. The issue is 10(1 jobs or 2500 jobs.
It is true that you will require Oji to plant 500 Beres of high value hardwoods. As I
understand it, these are to be used as a buffer along roadway, so I tun not sure that they
will be available fbr lumber. Also, I doubt that they will be able to compete with the fester
growing eucalyptus trees.
Yon mentioned in your letter the environmental assessment that .v0.t drafiefl in
1993. I suggest that this be the guiding principal for the use of the State lands on the
Hatr>ak~ra Coast. Nowhere are wood chips mentioned, The whole thrust of the paper is
sustainable growing high value hardwoods to suppon a value added wood working
industry. We support this concept 100%.
The other issue is sustainable forestry. To quote from the rnvironmental
assessment, "Sustairutble forestry 3s tnanngcmcnt that uses and enhances the productive
capdclty ofthe land and its resources while conscrvirlg the integrity of the forests
ecological processes." It is th®se ecological processes, that rCquue a mix oftree typos and
tutderstory plants and attlnwls and insects turd outer organisms, that produce top sot] end
conserve the integrity of the forest. A wood chip farm is not mach different from a Eeld
of Corn. It prows a single crop supported by intensive chemical use. it is clear cut on a
regular basis, so gradually degrades the soil instead of build it up, as a forest would. And,
when Oji leaves, we will lx left with land covered with sttunps that will take many years to
rot away and let the land be used again,
I have been told that the State would have preferred to Nava someone come ut and
plant high value hardwoods, but no one carne, so wood chips was the only option. Sinct
hardwoods for lumber take 25 or trwre years to grow, it is nut surprising that private
industry was not interested. But, there is no reason why the State must show a quick
profit. There is also no reason why we nred an outside: firm to hire us to plant trees un
our land, and then take the profits away at harvest time. We can plant t]tc trees ourselves,
and then we will get jobs and profits from the land. It is time that we give up the
- plantation mentality and become entrepreneurs. With the State's help, we can.
.S+rtCr--~c~Y, .L~AtI~D A. C',~cci,q r'OB.oK l'7Bg, uouo~ArNt aio+Z7
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