HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0942.027 2006-2008
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Murashige, Laura
From: George Massengale [geo.audubon@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 6:19 PM
To: Hawaii County Council
Subject: Inadvertently attached wrong testimony deocument
Attachments: Big Island Testimony 2.05[final]doc.doc
We inadvertently attached a wrong testimony document for tomorrow's hearing on Bill 224. Would you
please pull that document and replace it with this one. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience
this has caused.
Mahalo
George Massengale
Legislative analyst
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~A~'E1Ij For the Protection of Hawaii's Native Wildlife
r HAWAII AUDUBON SOCIETY
W 850 Richards Street, Suite 505, Honolulu, HI 96813-4709
G'~ Phone/Fax: (808) 528-1432; hiaudsoc@pixi.com
.~ON S~ www.hawaiiaudubon.com
Date: February 3, 2008
To: Hawaii County Council Committee on Public Safety and Parks and Recreation
Re: Committee hearing on Communication 942 (Bill 224) Relating to Prohibition of Smoking in
Certain Places
TESTIMONY IN STRONG SUPPORT
Chair Ikeda, Vice Chair Yoshimoto and members of the committee. The Hawaii Audubon
Society would like to offer this testimony in strong support of Bill 224. The Hawaii Audubon
Society was founded in 1939, and has over 1,500 dedicated members statewide. The Society's
primary mission is the protection of Hawaii's wildlife and habitats. The Society supports efforts
that improve habitat resources and protects our endemic bird species.
It is well known that our ecosystems are under attack. Hawaii has the highest number of listed threatened
and endangered species in the nation. There are 394 threatened and endangered species in the State of
Hawaii, of which 294 are plants. Many of these threatened and endangered species reside on the Big
Island.
We know that cigarette butt litter is a major problem at our beaches, in the ocean and throughout
the watersheds which carry water, trash and debris to our beaches. Cigarette butts discarded in
parking lots, along sidewalks and in street gutters miles from the coast inevitably make their way
through storm drains, creeks and rivers to the beach and the ocean. Direct litter of cigarette butts
at the beach adds to the problem. It isn't just a matter of unsightly trash and litter. Toxins from
cigarettes collect on the filter and are then washed out into our waterways and the ocean. Birds
and sea mammals ingest the butts, thinking that it's food. All of us can do things to eliminate
cigarette litter throughout our watersheds.
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Passage of Bill 244, will go a long way in eventually improving the costal ecosystems on the Big
Island. The reduction of smoking related litter; cigarette butts, cigar tips, lighters, and the
wrappers on cigarette packs, will ensure the survival or many of our State's endemic and
indigenous birds, sea turtles, and costal fishes.
We strongly urge this committee to pass this proposed ordinance.
Respectfully,
George Massengale
Legislative Analyst