HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1210.011 2004-2006
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Murashige, Laura
From: Donna Goodale [donna@goodale.org]
F Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 12:57 PM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Cc: Noda, Diane; Isbell, Virginia; Chris Dein-Gaughen
Subject: WHYouthC testimony for bill 365
Attachments: Donna Testimony8.1.06.doc; LauralTestimony8.1.06.doc; MackenzieTestimony8.1.06.doc;
NathanielTestimony8.1.06.doc; Phil HeavenstonTestimony8.1.06.doc; Rosanne
M.testimony8.2.06.doc; Ryan MarvickTestimony8.1.06.doc; TienTestimony8.1.06doc.doc;
Allison Alterman Testimony8. 1.06.doc; AmberTestimony8.1.06 doc;
DevynTestimony8.1.06.doc; SonnySmokeTestimony.doc; DomSaksSmokeTestimonia.doc;
PhoebeSmokeTestimony.doc; RussellSmokeTEstimony.txt; SarahSmoketestimony.doc;
Bi11365FineChange.doc
Dear County Clerk: attached is the testimony from several of the West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council members
who would like their testimony read and/or made available to the County Council for the hearing on Tuesday,
11/28 of Bill #365 (no smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park).
Also attached is a request (Bi11365FineChange.doc) by the students to change the fine from $100 to match the
current smoking ordinance fine of $25 -$50.
Please let me know that you received all these attachment successfully.
Thank you for your time and help.
Donna Goodafe
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Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Donna R. Goodale
73-5403 Kohanaiki Rd.
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
808-325-1472
donna(a)goodale.org
West Hawaii Fisheries Council
West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council Coordinator
I support the ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park because:
1. Cigarette filters are thrown in the sand by people smoking on the beach.
These filters take years to degrade (1.5-15 years)
2. Cigarette butts composed 30% of the beach litter in Hawaii during the
2005 International Coastal Cleanup effort. Kahalu'u is the "Hamama Bay"
of the Big Island, with a huge number of our visitors using this area.
Tourists looking for a pristine tropical beach must be disappointed with the
amount of litter found on Kahalu'u Beach as many of them signed the
West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council's petition to ban smoking at Kahalu'u
Beach.
3. It cost the County money in the form of salaries to clean this beach
area.
4. Second hand smoke is both annoying and hazardous to other people
using the beach.
5. The cigarette filters leach toxic chemicals into the sand and harm the
invertebrates (crustaceans, echinoderms, nematodes and flatworms) living
there.
6. The toxins can also be lethal to species of fish.
7. The filters can be choking hazards for young children.
8. The filters have been found in the stomachs of sea turtles, fish, birds,
and whales.
Thank you very much for supporting the resolution to ban smoking at Kahalu'u
Beach Park. I hope we can all make the area cleaner and healthier for the
visitors, the resident population and the marine organisms that live in the beach
and near shore waters.
Sincerely,
Donna R. Goodale
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Laura Andersen
Age 13, entering 8`h Grade at Hualalai Academy
West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council
I support the ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach because:
- It is needed to protect the environment and the people who frequent the beach.
- There are almost 1000 chemicals in cigarettes including at least 60 known
human carcinogens. Cigarette filters can take up to 15 years to degrade. Cigarette
butts are one of the most common items found in beach clean-ups, accounting for
at least 20-40% of what's found.
- I researched the effects of chemicals in cigarette butts on crustaceans for my
science project this year. I did tests at Kahalu'u Beach Park and the Old Airport
Beach Park. There was a significant negative correlation, meaning there are less
ghost crabs where there are more cigarette butts.
- Cigarette toxins can harm people and marine life on the beach. Please pass the
ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park.
Thank you!
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Mackenzie R. Buckner
Kuuleiloke 112@hotmail. com
Grade: 8
West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council
I support banning all smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park because:
a) I want everybody to be healthy, including myself, when I go to the beach to have fun,
not get sick
b) Sea creatures can choke on cigarette filters while swimming, as well as little kids who
do not know any better
c) Cigarette filters take a range of 1.5-15 years to degrade with an average of 7 years
d) Chemicals such as arsenic, lead, and chromium are found in cigarettes and poison
everything around them
e) Second hand smoke is almost as bad a smoking in and of itself
f) I do not like to be around smokers when trying to have a good time ate the beach, it
smells foul
Therefore, I fully support banning smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park. Thank you for
supporting this resolution to ban smoking permanently at Kahalu'u Beach Park.
Sincerely,
Mackenzie R. Buckner
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Nathaniel Goodale
Age: 13; 8`h grade
73-4503 Kohanaiki Rd.
Kailua-Kona HI 96740
Nathaniel(a' goodale.org
Reasons for Banning Smoking at
Kahalu'u Beach Park
1. Tourism is negatively affected by smoking due to littering and second hand
smoke
2. Smoking can cause lung cancer or other illnesses
3. Four out of five Americans do not smoke and would probably not want to sit
next to a smoker on the beach
4. 4.5 trillion cigarettes are littered each year world wide
5. In 30 minutes, a group of students from my school picked up over 2000
cigarette butts at Kahalu'u Beach Park
6. Smokers drop the cigarettes in the sand making the beach their ash tray
7. Cigarettes in the sand are a safety hazard to small children because they can
swallow or choke on them
8. Every year the poison control center receives thousands of calls about children
ingesting tobacco products
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Phil Heavenston
I support the ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park for the following reasons:
i. Cig butts are the # r item picked up at beach cleanups. I have taken part in dozens of beach
clean ups and I have seen this first hand. I say if the smokers can't take care of their trash then
they shouldn't be allowed to smoke on the beach.
2. The toxins from the cigarette filter leach into the sand, harming and killing the invertebrates
living there.
3. The Filters can be deadly for marine animals which mistake them for food. They remain in the
gut of the animal while the toxins continue to leach out into their bodies causing them to get sick.
4. Second hand smoke is deadly, stinking, and just plain rudeN
5. Yes, I am an ex smoker, clean for io years.
Thank you very much for supporting the resolution to ban smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park.
Sincerely,
Phil Heavenston
78-271 Manukai Street
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
8o8 322 2786
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Rosanne M. Shank
I support the ban on smoking at Kaholu'u Beach Park because:
1. Cigarette filters are thrown in the sand and take years to degrade (1.5-15 years)
2. The toxins from the cigarette filters leach into the sand, harming and killing the
invertebrates living there. Have you ever seen anything living in the sand at Kaholu'u? I
haven't and I have been going there for 10 years!
3. The Filters can be deadly for marine animals which mistake them for food. They remain
in the gut of the animal while the toxins continue to leach out into their bodies causing them
to get sick.
4. Second hand smoke is deadly!!
5. Cig butts are the # 1 item picked up at beach cleanups. I say if the smokers can't take
care of their trash then they shouldn't be allowed to smoke on the beach.
Thank you very much for supporting the resolution to ban smoking at Kaholu'u Beach Park.
Sincerely,
Rosanne Shank
78-271 Manukai Street
Kailua-Kona , HI 96740
808 322 2786
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Ryan Marvick
Age: 14; 9th Grade
P.O. Box 872
Captain Cook, HI 96704
323-2230
RyanmmgHawaii.rr. com
Summary of Testimony
The west Hawaii fisheries youth council would like to ban smoking at Kahalu'u Beach
Park because it is harmful to other non-smokers, and causes pollution which is harmful to
our coral reefs and also makes the beaches less enjoyable.
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Tien L. Austin
Age 13; 8`h grade
West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council
Hi my name is Tien Austin and I support the smoking ban at Kahalu'u beach state
park. My reasons are:
1. The second hand smoke that is at the beach is bad for all the people around the
smoker. It increases the chance that all the people around the smoker might get
lung cancer, or other diseases.
2. Cigarette filters will be on the beach for 1-15 years so through out the years more
and more cigarette filters will litter the beach until you can't take a couple steps
with out stepping on a lot of cigarette filters.
3. The chemicals in the cigarette filters harm the animals that live in the ocean. Such
as rocket fuel and rat poison. Those chemicals are very harmful to the animals
such as sea fleas.
4. Cigarette filters are also harmful to little kids. They might stick them in their mouth
and swallow, choke, or get the chemicals that are in the filter in their mouth as a
result they might get sick.
Thank you for taking your time to listen to my paper. Have a nice day.
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Allison Alterman
age: 13, 7th grade
74-4922 Hao Kuni Place
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(808) 326-2209
allicaraalt@yahoo.com
To: Hawai'i County Council Members,
I am writing in support of the ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park. When
people discard their cigarettes into the sand or water it lets out strong chemicals that are
harmful to the many sea creatures that live there. Smoking affects the many tourists and
locals that come to the beach. Second hand smoking is dangerous. Cigarettes contain 60
different chemicals that can cause cancer in humans. This is not fair to the people around
the smoker. In addition, cigarette butts made up 33% of the garbage picked up on
Hawaiian beaches during the 2001 International Coastal Cleanup.
Thank you for supporting the resolution to ban smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park.
Sincerely,
Allison Alterman
Testimony for Bill 4365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Testimony Pro Kahalu'u Smoking Ban
Amber Datta, age 14
Member of the Junior West HI Fisheries Council
Aloha,
My name is Amber Datta, and I am a member of the Junior West
Hawaii Fisheries Council at Hualalai Academy. I support the ban on
smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park. I have helped to collect thousands of
cigarette butts at Kahalu'u, in under an hour. Cigarette butts are dirty and
unsightly, as well as dangerous to the beach's ghost crabs.
It is not fun to find a handful of butts while digging in the sand, or to
inhale the smoke of the person just down the beach. If this ban is approved,
and signs clearly saying `NO SMOKING' are put up, then the public
themselves will be able enforce the ban, just by pointing out the signs to any
remaining smokers. Thank you for your time.
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Devyn M. Park
Age 12; entering 8`h Grade
West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council
I FULLY support the ban of smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park because of the facts
listed below:
1. Cigarette filters are the most common trash found on beaches worldwide.
2. Scientific tests prove that only 0.125 filters per liter (one filter for two gallons of
water) of water can be deadly to the sea fleas, (Daphnia manga) and affect the number of
ghost crab holes in the area with the most cigarette filters.
3. Cigarettes and other tobacco products are the cause of secondhand smoke and in
extreme cases can lead to lung cancer.
Thank you very much for your time and support, Devyn M. Park
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Sonny Hapgood
Age 12; going into 8th Grade
75-1080 Keopu Mauka Dr.
Holualoa, Hi 96725
Tel: (808) 329-7415
hopkinsha ood ,hotmail.com
Dear Council,
I am part of the West Hawaii Junior Fisheries Council and I am writing this
so we can band the smoking at Kahalu'u Beach.
Smoking should be band because it is unhealthy for the person who is
smoking and the people around that person who is smoking. The butts that
are being left on the beach are killing and making it hard for our animals
to live there without being in danger.
The community around it does not like it, I know I don't', I go there to
go surfing. It makes me disgusted that there are cigarette butts everywhere.
It is insulting to the people that live around there because they picked
that place to live because they wanted to be right next to the beach
and they don't like it if it is covered in trash and cigarette butts. It is
disgusting to the people that go to the beach, like the tourists. They like
this beach because it is an excellent place to see Hawaiian fish. They might
not even want to go there if there is trash on the beach. It might tell them
that they're not at the right beach because they will hear all this great stuff
about the beach and then they go there and see a beach that has cigarette
butts all over it. Then before you know it, one of the best tourist attractions
becomes just some old beach that no one knows the name of.
That is why I do not think there should be any smoking at Kahalu'u Beach.
Thank you.
from,
Sonny Hapgood
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Testimonial for Why Smoking Should Be Banned at Kahaluu
Dominique Saks
9ch Grade, Kealekehe High School
Youth Hawaii Fisheries Council
Kahalu'u Beach Park, a popular snorkeling and surfing beach, currently allows
smoking within its perimeters. Smoking, which kills about 111,000 people every year,
contains over 4,000 dangerous chemicals that harm the environment as well as people.
Cigarettes happen to be the most littered item in America and are made of cellulose
acetate that takes decades to degrade. Not only do these butts ruin a picturesque setting,
but they also get into the water where toxic chemicals leak into the water threatening its
quality and the aquatic life forms. The nicotine trapped inside those used filters are
deadly, the amount in 200 is enough to kill an adult human. Many birds and animals
mistake these butts for food. When animals low on the food chain ingest these
chemicals and then are eaten by bigger life forms the toxins are concentrated and quickly
spread up the food chain, often time, ending up in our stomachs.
The tourist industry is the main source of income on this island. People fly in
from all over the world to enjoy the tropic setting, including our beautiful marine
ecosystems. If we destroy these ecosystems, a main source being cigarette pollution, our
island will lose its beautiful and industrious value.
I love the ocean and enjoy living in a place where I can view its majestic wonders
every day. 1 have taken part in programs picking up trash at Kahaluu and the amount of
cigarettes I picked up there astounded me. The butts are ugly to look at and I would like
to keep the marine environment as healthy as possible so that fixture generations and I can
enjoy it.
When lying on the beach, drying off from the cool water, enjoying the warm sun,
and taking in a deep breath of deadly toxins of cigarette smoke is annoying as well as
unhealthy. I know there are many people who feel the same way about second hand
smoke and it would be a lot more pleasant to go to the beach if you did not have to deal
with it.
The environment, animals and people who go to the beach to enjoy it deserve a
healthy and beautiful place to go. By banning smoking at Kahaluu we can help preserve
Hawaii's ecosystems and make the beach a cleaner, healthier place to enjoy.
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Name: Phoebe Hono
Age: 13
Grade: 8th
Address: 74- 808 Uluaoa st. Kailua Kona HI 96740
Phone: 557 -9654, 326-1140
E-mail: gophermala@hotmail.com
Banning Smoking from Kahalu'u Beach
The West Hawaii Youth Fisheries Council would like to ban smoking
from Kahalu'u Beach Park. It is an annoyance to people and a hazard to
the animals. Kahalu'u beach is known as one of the best snorkeling
places on the Big Island. Tourists go there to look at the fish and
coral but if people carelessly toss their used cigarettes in the water
and sand, some day the fish and coral may not be there. Some of the
chemical in cigarettes have been proven to cause cancer and are toxic
to fish, echinoderms, crustaceans and other marine animals. If the
used cigarette filters go in the water and the toxins go into the
animals, eventually the animals will die, leaving Kahalu'u with out any
fish or other animals like shrimp and star fish that tourist normally
like to look at; resulting in not much of a snorkeling place; resulting
in less tourism. Most businesses in Hawaii depend on tourism and with
out tourist many people would loose their jobs.
People throw their cigarette filters in the sand without even
taking notice. If people come to the beach with young children, they
can't let their kids play in the sand with the fear of having their
children play with or even eat a used cigarette. The U.S.A. Poison
Centers receive thousands of calls about children eating tobacco
products, such as cigarettes. It is also disturbing when you are
walking through the sand and you find that an used cigarette is stuck
in between your toes, which, has happened to me many time. A few kids
went to Kahalu'u to pick up cigarettes and in thirty minutes time, they
picked up 2068 used cigarettes in the sand. It is also a health hazard
and an annoyance if you are sitting behind a smoker because you
constantly get second hand smoke in your face, and, according to
current research, cigarettes contain sixty different chemicals that
cause cancer.
Cigarettes made up 33% of the trash picked up on Hawaiian beaches
during the 2001 International Coastal Cleanup. Also, it is not like
they go away quickly, taking an average of 7 years to disintegrate.
Other beaches across America have started ban smoking such as
Hanama Bay and Solana Beach in California. The West Hawaii Youth
Fisheries Council would like to preserve our beach and make Kahalu'u a
nonsmoking beach too!
RussellsmokeTEStimony
Testimony for Bill #365 (No smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Russell Hapgood
14 years old; 9th Grade
Address: 75-1080 Keopu Mauka Dr
Holualoa, Hi 96725
Phone: 1-808-329-7415
email: laugood@hawaii.rr.com
Dear council,
smoking is disgusting and bad for our beaches. it would make the beach
a lot nicer if there was no smoking on Kahalu'u Beach. Personally, I find it
disgusting to find cigarettes in the water while I am trying to swim.
People drop them all over the beach and I do not want to sit down on
cigarette butts. It is also very damaging to the environment. cigarettes are
very toxic and give off harmful chemicals to the water. if a fish or other
animal were to eat one it would probably mean death. it would make Kahalu'u all the
better of a beach if there was no smoking.
Thank You.
sincerely,
Russell Hapgood
Page 1
Testimony for Bill #365 (No Smoking at Kahalu'u Beach Park)
Name: Sarah Crawford
Age: 13
Grade: 9
1 want to give my input with respect to a potential ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach in Kailua-
Kona.
There is no question that smoking is unhealthful, both for the smoker and for those who breathe
the second hand smoke. Why would tourists want to visit a beach where the person next to them
is smoking? Smoke travels in an area with about a 20 feet radius, depending on wind, so it
doesn't help much to be out of doors. Four smokers could effectively foul most of the oceanfront
land at Kahalu'u.
Also, cigarette butts make up a large percentage of trash found at beaches. Why would tourists
want to go to trashy beaches? We are economically dependent on tourists in Kona, and one of
the main attractions of Kona is its beaches. If the beach is covered in trash, many people will
simply not want to go to the beach. My class once visited Kahalu'u and picked up two thousand
butts. There have even been calls to US poison centers about children eating tobacco products.
It's disgusting to go to a beach, and be sitting in the midst of smokers and cigarette butts. We are
economically dependent on tourists in Kona, and one of the main attractions of Kona is its
beaches. If the beach is covered in trash, many people will simply not want to go to the beach.
Beaches both in Hawaii and California have banned smoking. It makes sense for health and for
business.
Also, take into consideration the fact that the chemicals contained in cigarette butts are toxic to
marine animals - not just fish, but shrimp, crabs, and other crustaceans, as well as worms, and
echinoderms like star fish and sea urchins. All of these creatures can be found at
Kahalu'u. These creatures contribute to the environment at Kahalu'u, and, if permanently
harmed, would change the ecological make-up of the ocean cycle of life.
I urge that you approve a ban on smoking at Kahalu'u Beach, for the visitors, locals, and for the
animals. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Crawford