HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0349.337 2006-2008
Swallow, Linda
From: kaleimakamae@hotmail.com
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2007 10:36 AM
To: counciltestimony@co. hawaii. hi. us
Subject: White, 6118/07 =Yes on Reso 169-07
Hawaii County Councilmembers
Aloha Hawaii County Councilmembers,
The County of Hawaii Island has a unique opportunity to protect the critically important
natural and cultural resources of Punalu'u. The community is united behind preserving this
area as a cultural and natural refuge, a living classroom. Please do not throw that away
on the promise of a developer, seeking to profit off Hawai'i's public trust resources.
Think long-term and put the land and people before profit.
Punalu'u ('diving spring') and the surrounding area contains thousands of cultural
features both pre- and post-contact, including four major heiau (temple) - three makai
(coastal) and one mauka (upland) and their:concomitant burials. The proposed preserve is
also home to some of the most endangered species in the world including the Honu ~ea
(Hawaiian Hawksbill turtle) and the 'Ilioholoholoikauaua (Hawaiian Monk seal).
For nearly 2,000 years Punalu'u has provided its inhabitants and visitors with abundant
resources, from its fresh water springs and healing medicine ponds to a wealth of fishing
grounds and warm black sand beaches. For generations Punalu'u has served as an oasis in
the Great Kau desert, supporting the needs of its inhabitants and legions of Hawaiian
warriors during the reigns of Keoua and Kamehameha. There are four pre-contact heiau
within the immediate vicinity of Punalu'u.
The 'ea is the only sea turtle that nest on the beaches of Punalu~u and Ninole cove. The
'ea is critically endangered and every nesting site is important to its survival.
Once out of the nest, the hatchlings find their way to the ocean, by heading towards the
brightest horizon. Thus, artificial lights on nesting beaches can mean death to the young
turtles as they may confuse them and cause them to lose their way.
Sea turtles at Punalu'u are also threatened by increasing coastal development in Ka'u that
causes habitat degradation and increases toxic runoff. They are also impacted by illegal
hunting, incidental (or non-deliberate) catch in fishing gear and marine debris that can
prove deadly to sea turtles when they entangle the turtles or are mistaken for food and
ingested.
Today, Punalu'u is a living classroom. The annual summer cultural and environmental
education program "Kukulu Kumuhana o Ka'~i" continues in its 17th year at Punalu~u for
kamali'i (students), that are seven to seventeen years old. The effort to protect Punalu'u
envisions expanding this educational effort to a larger cultural preserve stretching from
Punalu?u to Ma ka nau Pu'u. This area is comprised of portions of several adjacent ahupua~a
that - even in their present impacted condition - are largely undeveloped. Researchers
from around the globe as well as local cultural practitioners continue to utilize this
area rich in both biological and cultural diversity. While it is important to preserve
both cultural features and natural resources, this preserve will also help protect the
increasing endangered lifestyle of its human inhabitants. The Punalu~u Cultural Preserve
will create better jobs through educational careers and a stronger economy for Ka'u and
the island of Hawaii by building partnerships with leading educational institutions
around the world. The preservation of this "living classroom" will ensure that the 2,000+
year old Hawaiian teaching tradition, Ho'o hana lima (hands on learning), continues to
thrive.
Vote in favor of Resolution 169-07 and walk with the community towards a more sustainable
way of life, one that protects imperiled environments and perpetuates island culture.
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