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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0349.951 2006-2008 Murashige, Laura From: Melissa Fleming [mfleming@co.hawaii.hi.us] Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 10:26 AM To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: FW: FW: FC Agenda for September 18, 2007 meeting ,.:J~ ~C~ -----Original Message----- ~ From: KA'U Preservation [mailto:danny@kaupreservation.org] Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 9:43 AM To: Fleming, Melissa Subject: Re: FW: FC Agenda for September 18, 2007 meeting Melissa, Please distribute to your all your contacts: PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KA~U PRESERVATION RESPONDS TO MAYOR'S LISTENING PROJECT REPORT Sept. 17th, 2007 REPORT CONFIRMS THAT COI~IUNITY IS AGAINST THE SEA MOUNTAIN PROJECT OFFERS NO NEW INFORMATION ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY GRASS ROOTS MOVEMENT At a cost of over $40,000 per page, the "The Ka'u Listening Project Report Summary" prepared by James Kent and Associates confirmed that the Ka'u Community does not support the Sea Mountain Development that includes a shopping center, two resorts and over 1,000 luxury homes that would damage the sacred sites and fragile springs of Punalu'u. County tax payers have spent over $80,000 on a poorly written and misleading two page report that provides no new conclusions and even attempts to defame the leadereship of Kau Preservation that has been recently recognized and honored by the County of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Legislature and the Gov. of Hawaii for their important work in protecting the sacred lands of Ka'u. Most of the language in the report is verbatim "cookie cutter" statements from the James Kent And Associates Website (http://www.naturalborders.com) that could be applied to every situation. The James Kent Website promotes a wide range of options for finding "solutions" for corporate interests and "reducing or eliminating" grassroots efforts. In one of the case studies listed on their Website where a community successfully stopped a dangerous mining operation, they decry the lost opportunities for the corporation. In another, they describe how they helped a lumber company clear land that according to concerned citizens would, "cause soil erosion and damage the habitat for the elk and deer." The report reads: "The formal opposition who had wanted to stop the cutting for their own narrow and vested reasons lost their grass roots support and were unable to overcome the company's technical arguments once emotionalism was removed." And in another, they even ridicule the establishment of 1976 National Forest Management Act that helped stopped dangerous clear cutting of our National Forests. Luckily in this case, James Kent and Associates underhanded methods did not work and the forest was saved and the case resulted in the establishment of the 1976 act. In this report it reads: "However, the issue could have been resolved at the emerging stage while numerous options remained open, eliminating the need for the 1976 Act." The goals of James Kent and Associates is to find ways to "Implement Projects Successfully" including projects such as the Sea Mountain Five Project even if it damages the fragile ecosystem at Punalu'u and destroys the cultural legacy of Ka'u. In the report summary, they claim Kau residents fear for their safety due to the tactics of Kau Preservation leadership, but offer no facts to back this statement up. Now even our local Newspapers are printing this false statement and helping Sea Mountain~prpponents 1 Comm. ~~'LL~t ~rjjµ Ref. To: ~zef. Bate cCp ~ g d~ in defaming the reputation of the hundreds of members of Ka'u Preservation. This flies in the face of reality as Ka'u Preservation has been the leading force in organizing public hearings and generating interest in these issues. In-fact, Ka'u Preservation worked tirelessly to promote community involvement, helping to bring out over 500 residents to the June 4th public hearing requested by the County Council. The group even mailed an educational mailer about the hearing to every resident in Ka'u, promoting community involvement. Most recently, Ka'u Preservation produced the MALAMA PUNALU'U CULTURE and MUSIC FESTIVAL, one of the largest festivals ever held in Ka'u that was free to everyone. Over 2,000 people attended the event each day that focused on cultural demonstrations and education. Over 2 days the event brought over $50,000 into the community and was supported by nearly every business in Ka'u. It was sponsored by Hawaii County, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, KAPA Radio, Hawaii Island Journal and Healing Our Island Grant. During the event the Governor proclaimed Sept. 1st Pele Hanoa Day in honor of her work to protect the sacred lands of Ka'u. Pele Hanoa is president and founder of Ka'u Preservation. It is clear by this report that the goal of James Kent and Associates is to find a way for the Sea Mountain Project to be built and to destroy the grass roots movement in Ka'u that has been successful in its effort to stop the massive development so far. Now is the time for leadership from the Hawaii County Council. They must demand an explanation why $80,000 was wasted on this shady and misleading report. And on Wed., Sept. 19th they can protect the vital and most fragile lands along the coast at Punalu'u by passing Resolution 169-07 and protect Punalu'u forever. Danny Miller D1reCCOY Of Media KA'U Preservation PO Box 472 Na'alehu, HI 96772 808-928-8144 danny@kaupreservation.org 2