HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0942.156 2006-2008
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Murashige, Laura
From: George Massengale [geo.audubon@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 8:30 AM
To: Hawaii County Council
Subject: Testimony in support of Council override on Bill 224
Attachments: Big Island Testimony Override 4 22.doc
Attached is testimony from the Hawaii Audubon Society on Bill 224 motion to reconsider.
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For the Protection of Hawaii's Native Wildlife
r HAWAII AUDUBON SOCIETY
850 Richards Street, Suite 505, Honolulu, HI 96813-4709
Phone/Fax: (808) 528-1432; hiaudsoc@pixi.com
.~QN $Q www.hawaiiaudubon.com
Date: April 22, 2008
To: Hawaii County Council
Re: Override of Mayor's veto of Bill 224.
TESTIMONY IN STRONG SUPPORT OF VETO OVERRIDE
Chair Hoffmann, Vice Chair Pilago and members of the County Council. I have offered written
testimony on behalf of the Hawaii Audubon Society at previous hearings, and I do so once again
on behalf of the society's 1,500 members, of which, over 300 live on the Big Island. You should
be commended for your previous efforts in passing Bill 224, which from a purely environmental
perspective was a major step forward in protecting Hawaii Island bird and animal ecology.
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.
Over the years the Hawaii Audubon Society has participated in a number of ecological surveys
with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural
Resources. We have found cigarette butts in the stomachs of numerous bird and aquatic species,
including many listed on the endangered species list including; the Hawaiian Duck, Nene
Goose, the Green Sea Turtle, and Hawaiian Monk Seal.
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Overriding the Mayor's veto 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 encourage the council override the veto of Bill 224, and take a significant step
towards ensuring the survivability of our endangered and threatened bird, aquatic species.
Respectfully,
John T. Harrison, Ph.D.
President