HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunication No. 2022-07 -(Vetoed) Draft Ports of Entry Support LetterMitchell D. Roth Mayor
Lee E. Lord Managing Director
West Hawai‘i Office 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Hwy Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i 96740 Phone (808) 323-4770 Fax (808) 327-3563
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
Zendo Kern Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow
Deputy Director
East Hawai‘i Office 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 Phone (808) 961-8288 Fax (808) 961-8742
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer planning@hawaiicounty.gov
DATE: March 10, 2022
TO: DR. LEYLA KAUFFMAN
Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council
FROM: KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE
SUBJECT: Support for Hawaiʻi Ports-of-Entry Biosecurity Program
Aloha,
The Kona Community Development Plan Action Committee on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi would like to express support for the Ports-of-Entry (POE) Biosecurity Program (formerly known as Māmalu Poepoe), which actively surveils our ports for pests like invasive ants, coconut
rhinoceros beetle, Africanized bees, new mosquito species, and more.
We are highly supportive of proactive efforts taken to prevent the naturalization of new damaging species. For many years, the Kona district has been subject to severe impacts from invasive pests that have cost us not only monetarily but have also negatively impacted our health
and well-being. From the destructive coffee berry borer which has the potential to reduce crop
yields by up to 90 percent, to the aggressive fountain grass that degrades pasture lands and increases the intensity of wildfires, to the little fire ants that blind our pets and make growing more difficult for our farmers, we are plagued by the worst of the worst in Hawaiʻi. Our burden is already great without the addition of new pests known to be some of the worst in the world.
For many years now, economic analyses have made it clear that relatively small investments into biosecurity can have large payoffs later. Just one of the invasive ants targeted by this POE program, the red imported fire ant (RIFA), has been projected to cost Hawaiʻi more than $200 million per year should it become established here. The health costs of diseases carried by
certain species of mosquitoes, the losses to our honey industry and pollination services caused by
Africanized bees - any of these impacts run into the millions of dollars annually, yet this statewide program costs less than a million dollars a year. Truly a bargain! Kona has a wonderful mixture of many large- and small-scale agricultural endeavors. We are
currently engaged in a robust effort to implement and move forward a community-driven vision
to enhance and improve our district. We appreciate any biosecurity efforts that seek to allow us
Communication Number 2022-07
Dr. Leyla Kauffman Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council
March 10, 2022
Page 2
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer planning@hawaiicounty.gov
to plan for the future of our community without additional strains from new invasive species that could affect our environment, our farmers, and the health and well-being of our residents.
Mahalo for your consideration,
Charles Young Chair, Kona Community Development Plan Action Committee
KM:hb
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Biosecurity Program.DRAFT.2.24.22.docx