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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022_04_19 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes Game Management Advisory Commission County of Hawai’i Minutes Meeting Date/Time: April 19, 2022, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm Place: Office of the Mayor, 25 Aupuni Ctr., Pueo Conf. Rm, Hilo HI Via Zoom and in person at the West Hawai’i Civic Center, nd 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy., Bldg C, 2 FL, Kailua-Kona HI 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL: The meeting was called to order at 6:01 pm by Chair Antonio. Roll call by B. Kossow: District 1 - Vacant District 2 - Kean Umeda, Present - in person (Hilo) District 3 – Rhon Leomana Turalde, Present – in person (Hilo) District 4 – Brian Ley – Present, via Zoom District 5 - Abraham Antonio, Present - in person (Hilo) District 6 - Grayson Hashida – Present- via Zoom District 7 - Vacant District 8 – Cortney Okumura – Absent District 9 - George Donev, Present- via Zoom A quorum was established with six in attendance. Need at least five. STAFF: Diana Mellon-Lacey, Attorney, Corp Counsel (Zoom – Kona Office) Ba rett Otani, Executive Assistant to Mayor Roth Barbara Kossow, Administrative Specialist Mayor’s Kona Office Chair Antonio reminded commissioners on Zoom to be visible on the screen and to make known if anyone else was in the room while voting on an issue. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: March 15, 2022, deferred. 3. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: Chair Abraham Antonio, welcomes anyone that may want to say something regarding an agenda item may do so anytime throughout the meeting. 4. PRESENTATION: a. Ramzi Mansour, Director, and Michael Kaha, Acting Solid Waste Division Chief, or the County Department of Environmental Management, will be present for a discussion on 1 the issue of boulders blocking access to the ʻŌlaʻa Forest Reserve behind the Volcano Solid Waste Transfer Station. AA: Right now it looks like we got Mr. Ramzi Mansour acting Solid Waste Division Chief, sorry. We’ll have a discussion on up at the Volcano Transfer Station about the boulders blocking the public access to Olaa Forest Reserve. RM: Yes, Aloha Commissioners – this is Ramzi Mansour – the Director of the Department of Environmental Management and I believe also I have my Acting Solid Waste Division Chief Mike Kaha, as well, on the line. And we’re here today to address any of your questions or concerns pertaining to that road accessing DLNR property, the reason my staff – we definitely need to get into an agreement – we have no issues people accessing that road for hunting purposes but the challenge that we have from a transfer station operation – people have been cutting the fences and getting inside our facility to do – to wash their games after they finish the hunting process and, um, it’s just not being secure. So we need to get into some type of memorandum of agreement with DLNR on the responsibility of maintaining that road and the gate to it so at least we don’t have vandalism and people cutting our fence to the transfer station so we definitely don’t object to the idea of people accessing that road – it just – we need to get into a better understanding of the role and responsibilities. So if Mike, if you, I don’t know if he’s already logged in – he could add more to it but like I said, we don’t object to people accessing but we need to have an agreement with DLNR on the maintenance and the upkeep of, you know, people cutting the fences and what have you – going into our facility. AA: OK. First of all, thanks for correcting me on your position, Mr. Mansour. I was just going off of what was written over here, but, anyway, thanks for the correction. As far as what you’re stating, I really don’t think you’re correct because if somebody gonna catch a game in the back of your guys’ facility you guys don’t have potable water so that doesn’t make sense to me of who – why would they be washing their game with unpotable, unclean water? Who would do that? SM: Well, that, well, I’m just reporting to you what my staff has been noticed, right… SM: ….over the year and… AA: Right, I understand and I’m just stating that… So, like I said many times before, I’m a lifelong resident here and I’ve been hunting up there for many years and I’ve been there from before the facility was upgraded, right, and there was no problem back them – the only problem was the problem that you probably still have today – if you open up the road is, even though your transfer station is right there – people still seem – still not to find out how to dump their trash, right, so we still would be encountering the problem of people dumping the trash on the side of your guy' facility. Now, when you guys upgraded the facility – you guys put the fence in there – it’s not hunters that’s breaking in – so hunters and gatherers should not be penalized for other people’s negligence for cutting you guys’ fence for trespassing – Barett you like put up that one picture with the two people walking on the… I personally took this picture on a weekend when I was up there and this is two people while the facility is closed that went through the fence that somebody cut through – do they look like hunters or gatherers to you? 2 BO: Hand on, I going to share the screen. RM: I cannot see that… AA: Hold on, it’s coming right there… RM: OK. Yeah… AA: I know what you’re saying about the, about your attendance and people expressing their things to you but I don’t think so, and if, that forest – that hunting area is actually open 7 days a week so if you guys open it up again, open up the road again you’ll get more hunters in the area that going be more observant of the times of when the facility is closed and that’s gonna be like free security guard while they passing through the area. RM: Well, I think that’s the challenge is we need to have a better understanding of our responsibility and DLNR’s responsibility when it comes to accessing the land behind our transfer station because, you’re right, we got a road – if we open it up they’re gonna go all the way in the back of the transfer station. Vehicles, you know, are gonna end up parking there – is not gonna be noticeable from the main road as you come in so are you suggesting that there’s a security that goes up there at a certain time of the day? AA: No, what I’m saying is – if the road gets open again and hunters go up there cause it’s an open hunting unit 7 days a week and hunters access that road 7 days a week it’s like having an extra security person there while they’re trans versing in and out off of that road. So you have like an extra presence because right now if the facility is closed, you actually have no one there to patrol the facility, right? RM: Well, the whole idea is… MK: Hey, Ramzi, it’s Mike Kaha with Solid Waste Division… RM: Yeah, oh, Mike, yeah, thank you, Mike, I… MK: I’m so sorry, um, so I’d like to speak to that, again, hi everybody, my name is Mike Kaha and I’m the Acting Solid Waste Chief working for Ramzi, um, I appreciate Ramzi speaking up earlier and if I could add my manao as well – Ramzi is doing his best to provide comment but it’s kinda a little bit unfair because he’s only been with the Department for a little over year so, um, to answer some of the questions – I appreciate that video there, um, the thing that I want to speak about really is the idea from the hunters’ side that if we open the site open that there’d be more people that would be helping guard the area, I mean, that sounds good and everything. I just want to say two things, the real part of it is when we did open that road up, um, we were actually seeing more of the break-ins in so what (unclear) seeing that it is 100% or some percentage of the hunters doing it – what I would go back to is saying what Ramzi said before – that it allows bad actors – whether or not we’re saying hunters or not and I’m not making that statement but we’re gonna allow bad actors access to an area that is not visible. People typically do bad things in the dark of night when they can’t be seen and they’re not going to do it where 3 the light shines on them or in full view of the community. So when we put the rocks back in that corridor our break-ins reduced significantly. We were basically fixing that fence almost every month, probably twice a month and I want to share with everybody on this call – the repairs get costly. On the light side maybe $1,500 dollars on the heavy side, upwards of $8,000 dollars every time that we have to fix that fence. So, again, the last thing is – with the hunters going in their job isn’t to protect our site and I appreciate what you’re saying but the fact is that you folks go into the forest area, right, and that’s where you guys are – that’s where you guys should be, bad people still come in there so, you know, a couple of things again – we saw a marked improvement as far as the number of times that my fence got broken into – we saw that they dropped – while it’s not entirely – our cost to keep repairs going on at Volcano’s decreased, um, and then lastly, you know, as far as not allowing the hunters access, um, right now we’re just talking about vehicles – I am – I would more than happy to allow hunters to drive back there if we could put up a pipe gate and then, you know, you guys want to go and get access through the DLNR or DOFAW of whatever and be able to drive back there – I think you guys might want that as well, right? And then lock the gate behind you? I just don’t want it to be unfettered access and that’s kind of where we’re working right now with DOFAW is if that’s something that we can do then, by all means, you know, the hunters are happy, you guys can go in there whenever you guys want. Just work with DOFAW on getting the access codes. I have no problem with that – so that’s all I want to share with everybody. Thank you. AA: Thanks, Mike. Abraham – District 5. So, it goes to actually – it’s not just this situation but, you know, it’s just a wide comment, you know, the hunters/gatherers and even fishermen we get so much reprimanded because of like you said, of that black, of that – what did you call ‘em MK: Bad actors… AA: So, you know, we get – we in general get penalized and restricted a lot because of that – because of that type of bad apples, so, as far as, you know, that I just cannot stress that enough, um, we get so much restricted, so much areas, you know, because of the few bad apples, I just know that, and by you saying that that just… RM: Maybe, there’s a way that we could come up to set a satisfactory conclusion, you know, but the current situation definitely needs to change… AA: Well, the, thing is… RM: ….if it’s bad actors that causing that, um, you know, we all understand, um, but unfortunately it’s happened so what are you guys recommending besides the current situation. Definitely, the current situation is not working for us because like Mike was mentioning between $1,500- $8,000 dollars every time we fix the fence it’s twice a month it adds up. GD: George Donev – District 9 – if I may ask a question to Mike and Ramzi – that picture you showed – that fence is that your boundary to like the site or? That you’re blocked off with boulders whose land is that? Is that your land – the transfer station land? MK: That’s the County’s land… 4 GD: The County’s land… MK: So that picture that you saw earlier – was actually what it looked like, um, you know, at the very beginning so if you look, um, as you’re looking at the site and you see… AA: \[Unclear\] MK: Yeah, that one would be a better one. This is like early on so this hunters’ access check in is now further back behind the fencing. It’s no longer located there so at one time it used to be all the way in front… AA: No, it’s still there in the front… Unless… MK: I’m sorry… AA: Abraham – District 5. Unless they moved it within the last couple of weeks it’s still up there in the front. That’s a recent photo… MK: This check-in area? AA: Yeah… GD: And so there are more obstructions now at the start of the trail or is this the current situation with the… AA: George, Abraham – District 5. So that boulders right there is the County public access… GD: OK. AA: To go in the back. As far as the fence line – that’s still – that’s the transfer station facility, but that road next to it is what we’re discussing and that property still belongs to the County. GD: And who placed the boulders there in the first place? Was it the – whose jurisdiction – like who had the authority to place them. RM: The people, I guess, to answer your question – the people that put the boulders there are the County staff, DEM staff – the people that operate the transfer station. So that road actually – the fence technically our property line to the transfer station at the end of that road, so that road, part of the transfer station property – if that answers you question. MK: So if everybody’s looking, again, this is Mike with the County of Hawaii Solid Waste Division – this is the actual diagram of the site and what you see that kind of that red area – we were blocking that area so the picture that you saw earlier was when it was first developed it was before everything got put in and it was further out – right now you would drive down this road between the fence line where it’s kinda greyed out – and that heavier line, that heavier dark line – so you would, you know, you would drive down this road all the way to the back, you know, you know you come around the corner and then you kinda see where that – there’s that little black mark kinda like on the diagonal on the left side of your screen – that’s where the hunter 5 check-in station is now, or at least it was a month ago when I checked so if it’s located someplace different I haven’t been there over the last month. This is as of a month ago. Now there is no other roads. If the hunter check-in station is now by the blocks where that red area is – that’s where it used to be and my understanding is it used to be all the way in the back by this black line – the diagonal line. It got moved, in fact, I thought I spoke with Ian Cole a little while ago and he mentioned to me that he had moved it back there, you know, a year ago or something like that. That was why I was saying that when the hunters come in and, you know, they can still get back there – it’s just that a lot of them park upfront here in front of that boulders and then they walk toward the back to that diagonal line. GD: Is there a - was there originally road access to that hunting trail or area… AA: Yes… GD: Or was it to the hunter station and then on foot only? Are you in any way restricting the passage of potential vehicles that were able to beforehand access some part of the trail or the hunting area? AA: Yes… GD: So that is being restricted. So you’re actively restricting that with the boulders. MK: So no different than a lot of the beach access, right, you don’t let people drive out to the beach. They all drive up to the access road and then they walk in. So no more than what you’re seeing to the beach access. GD: That’s fine but if there was precedent to having access in multiple modes of transportation before and this has suddenly changed from having that (unclear) being in existence for a while in an attempt to deter certain crime that sounds like a law enforcement issue not necessarily something that would be better served by preventing access from hunters going in. I think those two are conflating. You should invest in security… Cameras… More law enforcement to prevent break-ins versus restricting access in certain cases… MK: Well, I would probably bunt that to our Corporation Counsel to answer that. I would imagine that and, again, I’m not, this is not a legal thing at all but, you know, you’re right, the facility as it stands now is not the same facility that was 20 years ago. So, you’re right, in the sense that… RM: In addition to that – just to let you know – this is not about public access roads – this is private road owned by DEM. So technically, there’s not public access need to be there anyway. So it’s a private, pretty much it’s pertaining to the transfer station, it’s not designated as public access road – I just want to make this clear… MK: Yeah, I just wouldn’t, I mean, I’m glad that Ramzi’s speaking to that, I will just say that if there’s a question about legality that that would be unless there’s a lawyer that’s representing the State or the County – I couldn’t answer that, although your question, you know, your statement is good, for the purposes of us having a discussion I can at least acknowledge that, um, for us this diagram that you’re looking at right now – to the extent of those lines that you’re looking at – those are – that’s all the County’s property. We were, you know, that’s all within our surveyed 6 area and so that red line is within our property, within our boundary. So, and then the rest of it for access, I couldn’t answer, I don’t have an answer for that… GD: OK. My comment on this is just essentially to say that, you know, the County may own property in many places that also necessitate public access, I don’t think that is uncommon and… MK: Sure… GD: ….probably by going against precedent you are going to upset certain members of the community especially that are concerned with what our Commission does and so thank you again for appearing today to address this but I think, you know, if you will in measures like this then you’ll probably get some sort of backlash just probably better ways of addressing this than blocking access to people because I think, like sure, there may be less of certain damage you’re seeing but there’s a proportional amount to the community in other ways so, um, that’s probably something that you should consider in your decision making in going forward especially with public access and you know land access rights like this, you know, there’s broad \[tape gap\] Hawaii constitution and County and other jurisdictional things that say specific public land access so, um, I don’t know \[tape gap\] if you’re correct – like you should probably \[tape gap\] counsel for those specific things, but my \[tape gap\] about how \[tape gap\] and disallow access \[tape gap\] mitigate other factors that, you know, we… MK: To go back to my earlier comment and then (unclear) at least consider the fact that (unclear) is trying to work towards a solution that would, um, everyone’s – the hunters will \[tape gap\] and as far that aren’t really used \[tape gap\] they won’t be able to hide, you know, and for the hunters that go back there, I mean, they’ll be able to do that, it’s just that one additional step, you know, the ability to go through there \[tape gap\] what they want, you know, as far as the County’s concerned well it’s exactly what we’ve been saying, it’s just that we \[tape gap\] for the \[tape gap\] any reason to go back there and I \[tape gap\] you know aren’t given an area where they can hide. I think that makes us happy. We’re always going to be some level \[tape gap\] continue to address that \[tape gap\] it’s just figure out a happy medium where everybody \[tape gap\] get \[tape gap\] while you’re right that we want to be acknowledged that there is a set amount of community that is having issues here – the hunters and what not – hunters and gatherers – there’s also, you know, the community at large that utilize that station have some expectations that they can come into a site that they put their moneys to that is, you know, able to be kept nice. I don’t think the two are at odds with each other, I think we can both agree and come to some middle ground, I really do. DML: Chair Abraham? AA: Yes, Diana. DML: Yeah, I’m the attorney for DEM Solid Waste Division as well as covering GMAC and I am aware of some discussions that have been held with DLNR about installing a pipe gate and I’m not exactly sure, Mike, where that gate would go and if that’s on the County’s property or the DLNR’s property but I have agreed to work on a memorandum of understanding with DLNR to get that in place and plan to be working on that this week so, um, it’s helpful to have this information because I’m not as clear on the dividing line and where DLNR’s property starts and the County’s end. 7 RM: I think Diana is the pipe gate is gonna be where the red line – where the rocks are now. DML: OK. RM: So it’s gonna be on a County property – we need to get into an agreement with them to allow ingress/egress access to the property but also we need to define the roles and responsibilities… DML: Right… RM: ….of that gate and any vandalisms and maintenance that’s required on that road. Because technically that road – that fence – the current fence currently the way it stands – technically it should be on our property line which is right on DLNR’s property line as well, but when they designed that site they allowed for that stretch of land so we could be able to go outside and maintain our fence within our own property. DML: I see… RM: And that’s the reason they allowed that 24’ easement for, to be able to get in there and do repair on the fence and what have you – the intention was, like I said, it’s not a public access, it’s not a public road, it’s absolutely part of the transfer station properties but we can definitely, like Mike said, we need to come up with a reasonable solution that everybody can live with and I think to do that is we work with DLNR and we also want to work with the Commission to make sure that it’s satisfactory, you know, action or mitigation that we trying to do, so, and that’s why I opened the first time open the question is this is our intention in what we’re trying to do so but the current situation is definitely unacceptable so if you guys want to add more solution to it we can entertain it. DML: It would be helpful to me, Ramzi, and this Diana again, just to hear what the Commission thinks it needs… RM: Exactly… DML: Are we talking about people driving back there or keeping it to foot access only? RM: Right, exactly, that’s what we need to hear. SM: Stanley, from the public. Did you guys have a public notice on this – that you guys just put the boulders there or you guys put out something so the public would know that it’s – now you cannot go there? And, when it happened? Mike or….? RM: I don’t know if the staff put a public notice but once again, people shouldn’t be on that road anyway, it’s part of the transfer station operation. SM: I would think, though, that if that’s the case then that’s supposed to be from years ago that the hunters know about this situation. 8 RM: And I think that you’re right, and I think that’s maybe part of it is the miscommunication that’s why we communicating with DLNR so everybody understands this is – this is not a - it’s not a DLNR road, um, but if they want to have ingress/egress we can enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with them as well, but our really major concern is the vandalism and the illegal dumping on that road because… Go ahead… TN: It’s Teresa from the public. Was there access prior to the transfer station being there and if there was access where would the access to the areas of, I don’t know, to go hunting or gather, where was it before the transfer station was there? AA: What you’re asking Teresa? TN: I’m asking if anyone can answer the question – was there access there before the transfer station got there. AA: Abraham – District 5. Well, I can speak for as long as I live and as long as I know I’ve been up there and that road has always been there from the previous facility and I understand what Mr. Mansour is saying about it being County property, um, to the other side of that – there was as far as I can remember, there was no public notice – they just upgraded the facility, put the boulders – four years ago I went to DOFAW and I asked them about the boulders because I was thinking why are you guys blocking the access and they said, oh, it’s not us, it’s the County. So they went and talked to the County, either County of the State moved it to the back of the facility – the back corner of the facility – now Mr. Kaha is saying there is vandalism went up from the time that it was in the back of the facility but they were already having vandalism from previous before there were even boulders and water tanks were stolen and I think solar panels were stolen – a whole bunch of stuff was stolen from that facility but… TN: So, my question is – at other transfer stations like – they had 24-hour guard service, especially during the holidays they would put security guards there, I mean, what other options have they looked into other than putting boulders? I mean… RM: Just correction – we don’t have a 24-hour security… TN: I know because Paauilo Transfer Station had a guard there when I wanted to do – dump my father’s trash… RM: OK. TN: ….and there was a guard there saying on that particular day we couldn’t dump, because they had security guards. RM: OK. Wait, it’s our… – let me tell you… TN: In other words… AA: Hold on Teresa…. 9 TN: Wait, wait, wait… You have to let me speak because in other words what other options besides boulders that you could look into other than the boulders and 24-hour security when it’s needed or, you know, 12-hour security when it’s needed, or 6-hour security when it’s needed. I mean you have to look at other options than boulders. RM: OK, you… Other options cost money – are you willing to put the monies for that? TN: You, ah, we pay our taxes. We pay our taxes… RM: Not, not… TN: That’s where the money comes from and the commercial people put a weight tax when they dump their fill at Puuanahulu so, you know, you need to ask the County what funds you need – you need to put it in your budget so you can have access to these funds in order to have security there cause you can’t blame (unclear) respectful. We malama aina. I’m a gatherer we malama aina – we don’t vandalize. And hunters… RM: Well, unfortunately, you’re right… TN: Hunters have more respect for the land than most people that may be visiting here. RM: We, you’re absolutely correct. TN: Yeah, but we preach – we practice what we preach. We malama aina. RM: Right. You’re absolutely correct but that’s the reason – let’s go back to this first question I asked and Diana asked – what are your guys interpretations of access? And currently, they have an access – they have an access currently. AA: OK. Abraham – District 5. So there’s other – there’s 3 accesses to that area, right, there’s one right on the road, it’s called – the lower section of Aloha Forest Reserve and you can – there’s a hunting trail that you can access if you’re a hunter, a stalker, or like a hiker then you can access there but my main thing is for and I brought this up with forestry too, is people with dogs – that hunt with dogs – you cannot let your dogs out or even on leash and they slip out of your hand and they gonna get out – they gonna get out into the highway and get run over and now you lost one of your dogs – they hit – you gotta pay damages to somebody’s car because of some kind of slippage. Now, above you guys transfer station there’s a 25-mile marker that DOFAW has an access there too – that one – that road also – that little driveway also is not far enough off the road. Now the access point at the Volcano Transfer Station – it goes back I would say easy 600 yards maybe a little further I would say – and that’s more than sufficient enough to eliminate any accidents of your of hunters letting their dogs out and ending up out on the street – that’s kind of the real reason why we’re pushing the access for that Volcano Transfer Station access is safety for the hunters, for the animals and for the public too, because even if you band somebody’s dog you going try divert ‘em and you know you going bang somebody else’s car and then, you know, so, that’s why vehicular access to that road is, I say is very strong, and I talked to DOFAW about the other – cutting in the other access points and they’re saying, oh, we need to do an EIS and all these different steps that they need to do where your guys access point is 10 the easiest route that hunters can get in and be safe for everyone. It actually becomes a safety issue also, that’s... As far as the gate – like Mike said – you got to take another step. You know there’s a lot – you get up in the morning you got to do all these steps that you already have to do before you even reach the forest, when you reach the forest there’s all these other steps that you have to do so now DEM wants to put another step for us either to call DOFAW or whatever and get a key, get an access code and then what you’re gonna, they’re gonna change the access code every week or every day – that’s something that needs to be discussed. RM: And I think that’s, you know, that’s good we’re having this discussion and the thing that’s and I’m sorry my phone is being, breaking and so my apologies it feels like I’m talking sometimes over somebody because it’s just – I’m using my cell phone for the call… AA: That’s fine… RM: So definitely there is, you know, I understand the safety issues, um, and, you know, hopefully, you understand our issues, maybe we could – let me ask you this question – are these hunters – are they kinda have an association that represents them so they could easily get access, you know, with a code, if we end up putting a pipe gate? AA: Abraham – District 5. That still goes back to that extra step. RM: So your concern is the extra step – nothing else. AA: My concern is safety for the animals and for the public. That’s my main concern. RM: But even if we open the road you’re gonna have cars stacking up all the way to where the rocks are anyway. AA: How are you gonna get that? RM: So that doesn’t, right, that could be a possibility? AA: How are you gonna get that? RM: Let’s say you have 10 or 20 cars coming all at once, they not gonna be able to fit that road, correct? AA: Your guys gate is not even in line with the road - it’s on the side of the road – there’s enough access to go around that 10, 20 cars. Have you been to the site? RM: Well, I’ve seen the site, I’ve been to the site – but my concern is – let’s say we have 20 cars – the last car comes in – it’s pretty much gonna be close to the vicinity where the current rocks are… AA: OK. OK. RM: So that kinda doesn’t… 11 AA: OK. So your guys’ facility opens at 6:00. A hunter is normally in the forest – on that road or in the forest by 5:00. They’re gonna be in the forest by 6:00 so that’s before traffic or the public even start lining up on the days that your guys’ facilities are open because your guys’ facilities open because your guys’ facilities open what – every other day up there? Or Saturdays, Monday, Tuesday, Saturday or something – three days out of the week or something? Mike, can you help? MK: Sure. Again Mike with Solid Waste. We’re open Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, I believe. AA: There you go, that’s only 3 days out of a 7-day week. DML: So Abraham? AA: Yes, Diana. DML: Just as a question then – so hunters would be driving in on the road with their dogs and their vehicle, right? And then where would they – would they be parking their vehicles while they went in the forest or just unloading and moving their vehicles elsewhere – I’m a little bit… AA: Abraham – District 5. At the end of that road, there’s actually, there used to be a parking area that hunters parked, and then there was a trailhead that you can go and walk in from there. DML: So we would need to determine if that parking area needed enlargement. AA: But that parking area is technically in the State land already, in the State… DML: Abraham, OK. AA: So the County has no reason to worry about that parking area – we just discussing from point A of DEM property to point B of DEM property. Not the rest of the road. DML: Well, the thing is Chair Abraham if we’re doing a MOA with it with the State which that seems to be the feeling – then we would have to just specify who is responsible for what and if that’s on State land and State takes responsibility for the parking area then that’s clearer. AA: Right, and that’s the same thing that we’re trying to do up at… LT: The Kaupakuea…. AA: The other facility behind Akaka Falls… LT: Yeah, Akaka Falls… AA: ….above Akaka Falls… If we get the County to come in and repair that piece of access of County road, then the State would come in and repair the rest of the road on State land and also make it a parking area and that’s what we had a verbal agreement in one of our meetings previously 12 and we already have a letter into County Planning and we still haven’t gotten a response yet from them either. GH: This is Grayson from District 6. Mike or Ramzi with this trespassing – have you guys installed cameras or made police reports for these trespassing? MK: For the times that we were able to determine the trespassers, yes, mostly the reporting has just been for the damages to the facility itself. The damages happen, you know, in the dead of night, early in the mornings, and are not caught on camera. Um, on the times that we do come into the site at 6:00 in the morning – and our guys get there actually a little bit earlier, probably about 5:30 – and we find people in the site then, yeah, we go through the steps of reporting the trespassing. AA: Abraham – District 5. And Grayson – they also put up game cameras on the facility and those were also stolen. MK: Yeah… And again, Mike with Solid Waste – if I could share and I really, I’m glad that I’m on this call I, um, apologize my video isn’t working but, um, a couple of things I do want to share. The Solid Waste Division separate from all the other divisions within the County – we, you know, we contract in upwards of $700,000 dollars every year for security so we do, you know, try to secure all of our sites. Unfortunately, we can’t do the 24-7 you know 24 hours a day seven days a week, um, but we do try to have security on our sites and it’s a lot of money and it comes from the taxes… AA: Hey, Mike, Abraham – District 5. MK: Yeah. AA: I got an idea… MK: Yep… AA: So you said your guys – when is your Volcano Transfer Station open again? MK: I believe it’s Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays… AA: OK. When is your Glenwood Transfer Station open? MK: That would be the other days – Mondays, Thursday, Saturdays. AA: OK. So when your guys’ facilities open - both of ‘em right – you guys have lot attendants or you guys have security – you guys actually have security before the lot attendants arrive. Am I correct? MK: That’s correct – the security comes in at 6:00, well they get there a little bit earlier and they stay until our attendants show up and then they return back to the site at 4:00. 13 AA: OK. So how’s about if you guys erect this metal gate, right, when the security comes in the morning to open cause they, they – as soon as they get there – that’s the first thing they do is open that gate instead of open the transfer station gate – I would say the Volcano one – as far as the Glenwood one – if they’re going to Glenwood they can – it’s not that far about – much more travel – to them to go run up to Volcano open that gate and then transfer back down to Glenwood and then do their facility monitoring and at the end of the day at 6:00 or whenever the security leaves again so now you open the gate at 6:00 and you close the gate again at 6:00 and that’s controlled by DEM, by DEM security. How’s that? RM: What happened – this is Ramzi – what happens if somebody didn’t get back to their car at 6:00 and they are still in the field? That could create a problem if we lock the gate and somebody’s still inside. AA: Then you have a combination lock and you have a number for you guys 24-hour hotline and then they can access – somebody on the other line can access – can give them the code access to open the gate. RM: And that’s really what my quest - suggesting every year if we put a gate with a code - that the hunters call a number to get a code… AA: But see my thinking – Abraham – District 5. My thinking with that is if you call DOFAW, DOFAW does not come in at 6:00 or 5:00 in the morning. Their office hours are at 7:00. By that time, it’s too late. So all I’m saying is the security that you guys already paying for versus it’s at Volcano or Glenwood – I see what you’re saying about the afternoons but at least in the morning this is one problem that’s already handled for in the morning, right? Now, as far as the afternoon, then that’s a different discussion that that’s different thinking that we need to take that anybody else in this Zoom meeting can come in and chime in at any time and have any other ideas. SM: Ah, Stanley, from the public. I think the combination thing is a good idea and if you going run it that way then – for the hunters – then the hunters in order to get the combination has to use their hunters license number because that way you going know that it’s a hunter and not, you know, anybody from the public so… RM: That’s a great idea. I like that, that’s, you’re right – that way you keep track of whose… \[Discussion on the side\] TN: Abraham – Teresa from the public. Why don’t they just have a hot line? A hunter’s hotline? AA: You can ask them right there… TN: That would have an access code… SM: But you gotta get one hunter license because… ?: So we can track… 14 TN: Excuse me, Teresa from the public… If there was a hotline to access the code after-hours that would be an idea to consider. AA: Abraham – District 5. MK: So this is Mike from the County, so, um, I like the direction that this is going, it sounds like it’s more of a – if the Game Commission now is all right with the idea of a gate with a combination that somehow can be figured out I think the details then can be worked out between DOFAW Fish and Wildlife and the County. I think for purposes of this call if we’re saying that seems to be something good – I mean I’m liking the direction of this… AA: OK, Mike, my next question – next question Mike – Abraham – District 5. So the other thing was brought up to me – with through DOFAW was who’s gonna pay for this gate. Now came back to me that DEM wants the State to pay for the gate but it’s on County facility so why should DOFAW pay for the gate to have gathering access? MK: OK, so, I’m hoping that we can all see that this is our attempt to try to work with everybody here… AA: Yes… MK: Again, I do not know of any existing – anything that exists now, that says that this is something that exists – I’m glad to hear cause, there’s obviously a lot of people on site – when I got here in ’14 and we did put up a public notice to everyone in the community that we’re going to be working on that site and we started development in ’15 and then we, um, finished the site, I believe, in ’16 – but we put up the public notice, we let everybody know what was happening. The access right now, I’ve seen of the pictures from before, it’s a far cry from what it used to be so I won’t sit here – for the people that were hunting and gathering in that area from before if you are saying that where the trailhead is now and where it comes off the road that this was exactly how it used to always be – I’m gonna say that that’s not what I had on my records as far as the development of the site – it was not that at all – it was very overgrown – if there was a road – it wasn’t like it exists now. So I just – two things – it seems to me that – I just want to be clear – what exists now is so far better than what it used to be to say that this is a better area for everybody – it makes sense – why develop another area above the site or below the site go through EISs and all of that. We’re also seeing that our division is for solid waste – that’s our purpose, we’re, our background profession is to make sure that there’s an efficiency base for you guys – the community – not just hunters and gatherers – but the community take their rubbish – just last week we had break-ins and there were like three of my containers that the winches were ripped off of it and so we were having a hard time figuring out \[tape gap\] take scrap metal to the scrap metal vendors and we were able to figure it all out we got it all taken care of – but these things do happen – so I’m not gonna – somebody said earlier that break-ins happened before and it’s happening now. I never said that it wasn’t – I said that it – when we opened it up – unfettered access – that the break-ins rocketed and that when we put the rocks back that it decreased – but you’re absolutely right – that kind of stuff happen. And they happen across our island and you’re right, you know, you guys all – me too – we all pay taxes for those things to get handled but we also pay, you guys pay us to make sure that we manage the area correctly, right, like we’re not just like closing our eyes and going home every night – that we’re 15 trying to do the right things – so the suggestion that we’re going to put a gate there and then opening it up and then leave and not have somebody working there throughout the day, it’s questionable whether or not that’s the best way to manage that facility – as far as the cost - put up the gate but to even manage a hotline it seems like the ask here is for the County to not only manage the solid waste side of it but to also now manage the hunters, and to manage that gate, and so again we come full circle with my budget is to make sure that I have a facility that is not getting broken into that people that want to throw away their scrap metal that, you know, if they – somebody mentioned earlier that we never had solar panels but there was a facility in Pahoa that had solar panels that was taken – not at Volcano and there was, um, office there that had their water tank taken, but, that’s even more of a reason why we want to have a secured facility and so a lot of the things that we’re seeing here is not – we’re not off base – we’re all agreeing for the same thing… AA: Mike? Abraham – District 5. Sorry for the interruption but we just got to wrap this up – wrap up this conversation we’ve got to move on… MK: Yeah… TN: Abraham, Teresa from Kona. AA: OK. Make it quick, Teresa. TN: Yeah, real quick, what is the difference between the costs of the ongoing repair and the cost of security? Would the security offset the cost of repair if they did have security there? Cause if they had security and cameras that were would it mitigate repairs having security there? Just a question… RM: All right, yeah, it’s a good question but just to let you know we usually don’t intend to budget for purposely understanding that somebody’s gonna damage our fence. AA: OK. RM: You know, if you don’t throw a dollar figure in the budget with the idea you know somebody’s purposely is gonna go and damage the fence. TN: Well… AA: OK, OK, OK. Thanks Teresa, thanks Ramzi. Um, so… BL: Abraham, can I get in? AA: Only if you’re real quick Brian… BL: OK. Brian – District 4. Hey, as a certified old guy you know every step counts when you get old and you know when it may not seem like a long walk but when you’re humping meat out at the end of the day it does make a difference for older people and I assume there’s power at these facilities, correct, electricity? 16 MK: No, there’s, there’s none. BL: There’s none. MK: OK. BL: OK. I was just curious about police dispatch’ cause the police have dispatch 24/7. I don’t see why we couldn’t have a bank of cameras that the dispatch watched 24/7 and as soon as they catch somebody, you know, to dispatch a police officer – that was just crossing my mind and Ramzi and Mike I just appreciate you guys coming. I know it’s hard and dealing with the County and dealing with everything it’s put you guys in the middle of the crossroad with a bunch of agitated people and I appreciate you guys coming and talking to us tonight. That’s all I got to say, thank you. AA: OK. Abraham – District 5. OK, thanks Mike and Ramzi. Going forward though, one thing, if you guys have any more meetings with DOFAW can you invite – make sure that a Commissioner from GMAC is present from this point forward so they, um, for one they can put their input and for two they can bring it back to the Commission or if not, you guys, one of you two can come back to the Commission and give a report. RM: Yeah, that’s, Abraham – District 5, that’s perfectly fine with us but I think, let me just state one more thing before we leave you guys to run your business, I think, would you guys be acceptable to be assigned a combination code and you guys could distribute that to the hunters. AA: That’s something to be discussed. RM: OK. AA: All right, thanks. RM: All right, thanks, you guys. BL: Thank you, aloha. RM: Aloha, same to you. b. John Terry, the State GMAC Oahu commissioner will give a presentation on private land access. AA: Our next presentation person, John Terry had a personal emergency so that’s pretty much the reason why I let that presentation or that discussion run on a little long. So next we got Old Business. Stanley Mendes going give us an update on the closure of Waipio Valley. 17 5. OLD BUSINESS a. Stanley Mendes will give an update on the closure of Waipiʻo Valley SM: So, I went to the lookout and talked to the security over there and they’re not letting anyone go down, ah, pedestrians – the only people can go down is the residents and the taro farmers, um, I was there and they had to turn people away and they tell ‘em to go to Pololu Valley instead. The County had gotten this Australian firm to study that road and they came back and made the suggestion to – report the findings to the County and the Mayor and the Council so basically the Mayor and the Council because of these findings shut the road down. There was a big rock slide from the mauka side of the road and, again, I confirm there was a dozer, a D9 dozer that walked down and hit the guard rail – and undermined the road on the makai side so basically that’s what we’re up against. As far as accessing for hunting and stuff like that – unless the Commission can come up with something to go to the Mayor and the Council to open up for the hunters I don’t see that happening and residents and the farmers are really happy about this because the tourists go down and create all kind problems, especially when they driving down and people coming up and they won’t stop and pull over so, yeah, so they not letting anyone go down except the taro farmers and people who live down there. So my suggestion is for the GMAC as far as go hunting and fishing and stuff go to sit down with the County Council and the Mayor and see what they can come up with. LT: Leomana – District 3. Do we know how long – cause remember the last time we talked we talked about it’s about 5 years it would take – so is that the – still the current – five years. SM: Yeah, I think, I think going be even longer before they get, you know, cause now they gotta go make all kind – the study was to say that the road was unsafe – how the condition was – and now when they going down there to do stuff they gotta study what to do and stuff like that so I – they said… LT: A long project, yeah? SM: Yeah, going be one long project so unless, you know… AA: Thank you, Stanley, um, as far as, I feel as far as GMAC is concerned about the Waipio access, ah, we don’t, we not gonna really pick this up via tourists going down there and the reason why but, ah, going back to the letter being formed with only for one hunter – public access for the hiking trails and I guess fishing areas, yeah, hunting trails and fishing access, um, well there could be same thing like they said about Volcano Transfer – there still can be – you can defer from a tourist to a local resident and I’m pretty sure all the local residents that’s around the area they know how to drive on that road, how to take turns and whatever they need to do to access that road and if, if the Commission agrees with me – that’s what we should form a letter or go back to the County Council or – and the letter is to the Mayor – so just in that regards – in regards the security should know what a tourist is and a local resident is. Any comments from the Commission of any way that we should keep going this forward in this or we just pass it on. NP: Ah Nani Pogline here – a commenter from the public. 18 AA: Ah, I think the fear is that the access will never again be open to the public and I think the public needs reassurance that at some point, at least for residents of Hawaii, the access will be opened up and for GMAC particularly that the access would be opened up for hunters, fishermen, gatherers, so I think maybe GMAC could write a letter requesting that there would be clarity in that that at some point there would be the restoration of access, after all, it’s public access, it’s a shoreline that should be public, um, it seems to me there’s no clarification about if and when we’ll have access again. LT: Leomana – District 3. I support that. I think, as a native Hawaiian, I know if I wanted to go hunt I can get down there whenever I wanted to. But, like you were saying, I’m kinda afraid for the access for the general public and the hunters because a lot of us still go hunting back in those valleys and if we stop then I’m afraid that the native plants and animals might get affected by a short term overpopulation of the pigs or whatever animals might be living in the back of the valleys that the hunters currently go get and I know a lot of people who still go all the time and if they cannot go then the plants and animals back there they just get destroyed so I support that writing a letter to – as Nani said – gain some clarity to the future of this, um, and I do want to uphold the law – the law is public access to our shorelines and as a native Hawaiian that’s one of my most favorite laws – it gives me the opportunity to go fish and gatherer wherever I need to, um, and I don’t want to stop anybody else from doing the same things so I support that letter. TN: Teresa in Kona from the public. AA: Go ahead, Teresa. TN: I think what we’re referring to is PASH, right? The parity we should have is their thought, their ideas on getting access to hunters and gatherers and the public but with limitations to outsiders, meaning tourists, because I think that’s their biggest issue is having those that don’t understand the relevancy of safety to everybody that lives down there. AA: Abraham – District 5. Right, you’re right Teresa, and that’s why we’re asking for clarity and that’s why I’m asking \[tape gap\] the Commissioners their opinion on it, but you’re correct, we just need – it has passed but we still can put in our manao on the situation because if nobody’s going down there now, you know, then they’re stopping public access to the shoreline and you know for what we’re for what GMAC was created for… TN: Yeah, Teresa again from Kona, um, is there a committee that they have, is there ongoing meetings with them, is there someone we can discuss this with and be part of their meetings? I’m just asking, thanks… DML: Chair Abraham, this is Diana. AA: Yeah, Diana… DML: ….and I know that Cyrus Johnasen has been involved in conducting a number of meetings on the issue so he would probably be a good point of contact at the Mayor’s office. AA: So he’s a County employee? 19 DML: Yes. AA: OK. Thanks Diana. Any other comments from the Commissioners about this letter? So I guess we’ll move it – I’ll personally contact Cyrus and take this – take the concerns that we just discussed and then I’ll report back to you guys next meeting. OK. b. Commissioner discussion and vote on the palila/sheep draft letter prepared for Mayor Roth. AA: Next one is the letter that we wrote up to advise the Mayor to advise the Governor to postpone thth the eradication on April I think 28 and 29. So I – and Diana you can correct me if I’m wrong but I think we voting for this letter to move it forward to the Mayor, right? DML: Sorry, you would need a motion on the letter. AA: OK. DML: And then you can have a discussion. AA: OK. So can I have a motion to send this letter for the palila critical habitat eradication postponement and then we can have a discussion after? LT: Leomana – District 3. I’d like to call for a motion for the letter on the palila/sheep draft letter prepared for Mayor Roth. DML: You need a second. AA: Yeah. BL: Brian Ley – District 4. Second the motion. DML: Now your discussion. AA: OK. Discussion. Did everybody have a chance to look at that letter? BL: Yes. AA: Everybody’s fine with that letter. KU: I am. AA: OK. Kean, Grayson shaking his head yes. OK. Everybody seems OK. OK, so is there any discussion on the letter? No? Last chance get, um, Diana, can we make a vote to move the letter forward to the Mayor. DML: Ah, yes, we should have the vote so Commissioner Mendes? 20 AA: Commissioner Mendes is no longer in seat. DML: OK. Maybe I have… SM: I’m here but I’m not a Commissioner anymore. DML: Ah, OK. So who is District 1 now? So sorry… AA: Vacant. DML: Sorry, it’s breaking up. Will Commissioner for District 1 is present? SM: We don’t have one yet. DML: Oh, no, you’re, we’re waiting. AA: Yeah. DML: OK. And you’re not carrying over – we don’t have a carryover until? AA: His carryover is done already unless you approve him to stay longer. DML: So it’s vacant. All right. So Commissioner Umeda? KU: Yes, I vote yes. DML: OK. And then 3 is still vacant as well? AA: No, Leomana – District 3, I vote yes. DML: Oh, OK. Good. And I think I have an old list here. BL: Brian – District 4. Yes, affirmative, yes. DML: OK. And Chair Antonio? AA: Yes. DML: Commissioner Hashida? GH: Yes. DML: And District 7 is still vacant? AA: Yes. DML: Yes, so District 8? Cortney Okumura? 21 BK: Absent. DML: Absent, OK. And District 9? Commissioner Donev? GD: Yes. DML: So motion carries. Action: L. Turalde made a motion for the commission to prepare a letter to Mayor Roth on the palila critical habitat. Seconded by B. Ley. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. 6. NEW BUSINESS: None 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Chair Antonio took out of order, Legislative Updates HB1872, SB3298 to discuss under Announcements and other the committees followed. AA: Under announcements, did me, and Brian update you guys on our last trip to Oahu? Last meeting? We did, ah, Brian? BK: Yeah, March 18. And thank you, Brian, I received your mail yesterday. BL: OK. Good. Finally. AA: Did I update you guys on that Oahu trip? Yes, or no? BK: No. AA: OK, so, yeah, we going after, OK, so, me, and Brian went to Oahu talked to a bunch of legislators and senators and house representatives and we had a good day. It was a total new experience I think for me and Brian and, um, the reason why I’m bringing this us up and actually I going get deeper into it, um, under, um, and it’s not on here… BK: Legislator updates are on there, I’m pretty sure it’s number 8. AA: Oh, yeah, I going get into deep, we going get into it deeper under Legislative updates – but the reason why I’m bringing it up under announcements is our Bill HB 1872 is going to go to a committee conference this week so, I’m asking the Commission for another trip to go back to Oahu possibly this week, to go speak to the other legislators that’s on that committee to support HB 1872. DML: So Chair Abraham, this is Diana. AA: Yeah. 22 DML: Just as a point of order, since you didn’t have it on the agenda, I think you’re gonna have to do it all of it Legislative update, but you can call Legislative update and take it out of order and then \[tape gap\] that way and so then you’d be looking for a motion… AA: OK. Abraham – District 5, I just figured that was under announcements so announcements I thought would be kind of like open discussion ah? But if it’s not then, yeah, I’ll move up Legislative update, that’s - OK. So let’s move up the Legislative update – so, again, me and Brian went to Oahu we had a good day, we discussed – at that point in time it was in the senate and we discussed it with Water & Land for the senate which was Senator Inouye and we discussed with her about taking out the DLNR amendments that was from the House which is an HB 1 – she actually agreed with us and she took out the amendments from HB 1 from DLNR and she created SB 2 so because she did that, it’s going to a conference committee and there’s a whole, basically, it’s a whole new ball game and it’s almost like it’s starting again, but not really and we’re gonna get the house representatives and senators and they all got to discuss why the senate is not agreeing with the house and they gotta come, they gotta find this happy medium I guess, or at this point, it’s what’s basically happening but, ah, so that’s why we – that’s why I’m asking the Commission to go back to Oahu again and gain more support from the House members that we haven’t talked to and the Senate members that’s also in this committee that we haven’t talked to. NP: May I make a comment from the public – Nani Pogline. AA: Yeah, go ahead Nani. NP: Yeah, I believe that it was Brian and Abraham’s trip to the Legislature that actually did make big changes for our bill for the good, it was their conversation and visit with Senator Inouye that caused the removal of the DLNR amendments in motion and alluding and distracting from the intent of our bill and because of their trip over there I think that was the main reason they were so effective in getting that removed which resulted in Senate Draft 2, and so that’s what we’re fighting to hold on to, which is actually our original bill, Senate Draft 2 without the DLNR amendment. Thank you. AA: And actually it’s not just – at this time it’s not just me, I think George is also on our Legislative Committee, so if George, if you’re available this week to just go on a spur of the moment kind of Oahu trip and go to the Legislature then, you know, you’re invited cause you’re part of the Legislative Committee, if you’re available. GD: Thank you, I don’t think I am but I will – we can communicate about that. AA: OK. DML: Oh, excuse me, Chair Abraham, this is Diana again. You’re asking for a motion to approve the trip or to approve the trip for how many people? AA: Apparently, just me. Cause Brian is in Texas, so Brian cannot make it this time and, unless Leomana can come with me, but the only thing I see with that is Leomana is not, or even Kean, 23 but they’re not part of the Legislative Committee so I’m not sure how that’s gonna work cause that’s what Leomana brought up last meeting. BL: Brian – District 4. I think the problem last time was that Leomana would have been the third rd party and that would have violated the Sunshine Law. That was why we didn’t take the 3 so we could, you guys can take two regardless as long as they’re Commissioners there shouldn’t be an issue. DML: Um-hum. I would agree on that. BL: And the Council can back it up. AA: OK. If Diana says OK and if nobody else is available and Leomana is available, then me and Leomana. DML: So you need a motion for the two of you… AA: So I’m asking for a motion. Kean, are you available? OK. George is not available, Brian’s not available, Cortney is not here, Leomana, are you available? LT: Next week… AA: Sometimes, spur of the moment. LT: Yes. AA: OK. So I’m looking for a motion for me and Leomana to go on a trip to Oahu to go to the Legislature and talk to representatives and senators about HB1872 and looks like we get the same almost the same problem but not as bad as for SB 3298, so can I have a motion from the Commissioners? BL: Brian – District 4 – I make a motion that Abraham and Leomana go to Oahu to talk to the State House, to talk to our representatives and senators in relation to our Bill HB 1872 and any other GMAC concerns that they may discuss with the senators and representatives while they’re there acting under the capacity of the GMAC representatives. DML: We need a second. GD: Donev – District 9. I second. AA: OK. Any discussion? NP: I have a comment, Nani, from the public also of the Legislative Committee. I would suggest that you guys go sooner than later because as soon as the Committee conference is scheduled for our bill there’s only 24 hours, so actually, we know all the Council Committee members right now, their names were released, they’re posted, so you know exactly who to go to visit, so you could go anytime – sooner than later. 24 AA: OK. BK: Chair, this is Barbara. So just want to state that you all did keep the cost to a minimum so the rest of the Commissioners know that the trip on March 18 cost about $411.00 dollars all for the air fare and the meals. And we have funding in the account and I believe our attorney had mentioned at the last meeting that we put a cap of $1,000, no more than $1,000 dollars… AA: No worry, we not going to spend ‘em all. BK: And please watch what goes on your receipt. Thank you. AA: Um, yeah. So discussions up – so Diana can you make a roll call vote? DML: OK. AA: Minus Mr. Mendes… DML: Right. District 2, Commissioner Umeda? KU: Yes. DML: District 3, Commissioner Turalde? LT: Yes. DML: District 4, Commissioner Ley? BL: Yes. DML: District 5 – Chair Antonio? AA: Yes. DML: District 6 – Commissioner Hashida? GH: Yes. DML: District 8 – is not here. Ah, District 9 – Commissioner Donev? GD: Yes. DML: Motion carried. BK: Thank you. AA: Perfect, thanks. Thanks, everyone. 25 Action: B. Ley made a motion that Chair Antonio and Commissioner L. Turalde travel to Oahu as representatives of GMAC to talk to the State House, its representatives, and senators in relation to GMAC’s Bill HB1872 and any other GMAC concerns. Seconded by G. Donev. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Cultural Practices LT: Aloha – Leomana – District 3. So for the Cultural Practices Committee this week is probably one of the more important cultural weeks of the Hawaiian culture – this is our Merrie Monarch hula week – it’s our hula festival and a lot of the times we have stories and ancient tales – we call ‘em moolelo – about one of our game animals the pig – the puaa. And so for my cultural practices this week I just wanted to encourage everyone to, if you can watch on Friday, just watch the Merrie Monarch and just pay attention cause you’ll learn a lot about Hawaii’s wildlife – we usually talk and do hula of the native wildlife, all the animals, all the flowers, all the islands, so, yeah, that’s all I have today for Cultural Practices. AA: Thank you, Leomana for the great information, um… LT: Easy homework… “Hunter, Fishing Day Expo,” September 24, 2022” AA: Yeah… Section D – it’s our Committee is was actually formed under Outdoors Day, which is actually is in June 14, I think it was, Outdoors Day, so, we not going have enough time to do anything like that so we actually changed, same Committee unless anyone else want to join the committee but it’s called Hunter/Fishing Day Expo and it’s gonna be September 24. At this time, we locked in the Butler Building facility through the County, um, and at this time we just looking, we gonna be looking for vendors, actually, that’s what it’s called – vendors – so we going give you guys and update in future meetings and Hunting/Fishing Day Expo it’s going forward finally. Like I said before, Tom Lodge, that’s why we have our funding technically, and you guys know Tom Lodge was in GMAC for many years and, ah, now his dream probably, finally going to come true this year. So, that’s the update on the Hunter/Fishing Day Expo unless we get anymore commissioners or members from the public that want to join that committee at this time. All right? OK. TN: Teresa from Kona. AA: Eh, Teresa. TN: Let me know… I’m interested. AA: OK. So, ah, all you gotta do is, I guess, let Barbara know that you like be part of the committee. There you go, you’re part of the committee. 26 TN: OK. LT: Can I give an update if I got some stuff already, Chairman? AA: For what? LT: For the… AA: Oh, yeah… LT: OK, Leomana, – District 3. For this Fishing and Hunting Outdoors Day, like we said, we’re trying to look for vendors and sponsorship. I already got a couple of sponsors. One of my ideas was to have classes or some sort of activity that teaches maybe outdoor safety or maybe you get trapped in the forest overnight and you gotta, I don’t know, find a warm place to sleep on Mauna Kea so maybe sleeping classes if you get trapped outside in the forest when it’s raining and you got your dog who got hurt – maybe some animal care classes or anything of that sort. I also already got my sponsors to donate some shirts and hats – this is one of the shirts that my sponsor will be donating – Kryptic \[sp?\] – and two – I already asked two people in town if they’re willing to just do a pop-up tent outside in the parking lot so it’s not too hard for people to come and be active. So they can just pop up a tent, put a table and maybe just talk stories. I have two of my friends willing to come in and just talk about the wildlife because they’re out there on the ocean and hunting every single day so I’m like, eh, just come and talk to the community and just be there to have back and forth and ask questions. So that’s just where my mind is going with that and I just wanted to give out some ideas so that where everybody can keep that in mind and let the people you know what’s going on. Mahalo. AA: And Brian, maybe you and Dexter, you and your brother can come and give some trapping presentations of something, ah, Brian? BL: Dan? AA: No not Brian Ley, Brian Ogawa. BO: Brian Ogawa - Ah, more or less one fisherman but um… AA: Fisherman welcome too – its Hunting/Fishing Day… BO: Yeah, I know, I know, but what you looking for? Outreach? \[Unclear\] AA: Yeah, outreach, information, however, we can help the public, you know, gain more knowledge, you know, ah, as Brian said he went to the – Brian Ley – said he went to the - was it the Puuanahulu public meeting and a lot of people there doesn’t know how to take care of their game and, you know, they so, um, afraid of some of the diseases that is – that it’s just so – they’re just afraid of stuff that they don’t need to be afraid of if they do proper game management, right, even for fishing and stuff so – you use gloves, you wash your hands constantly or, you know, there’s proper game management, um, game care after, after dispatching of the fish, the, you know, the mammal, the bird, whatever, right. 27 BO: I see you know, um, as far as what I know – I live in Paradise Park – if Brian gets access to traps that residents can use, cause we get one pig problem here… AA: Yeah. BO ….you know, I already talked to a couple – I get one friend’s trap – you catch a couple they’re not going come for couple months. You know, but, ah, yeah, yeah, I’ll keep in touch. Mahalo. AA: \[Unclear\] yeah, Dexter, how’s it going? I never see you over there Dexter hiding… But even you, you invited for come and, you know, if you’re interested – come and teach the people about the, you know, trapping if you share your knowledge or manao about what you guys do out in the field, ah? You stay muted I think – no one can hear you… Talk… I think maybe you never dial in maybe; I don’t know… You can hear but if you dial in you kinda. No, OK, nothing. LT: Morse code with your eyes… AA: That’s all right, guy, we’ll bring ‘em up next month – this going be one topic. OK. I go call you, yeah, I’ll call you, OK… OK. Shooting Range KU: Yes, actually, the Shooting Range at 60-Mile Marker – I just want to thank the people that went up and did some cleaning – the range looks a lot better. Whoever did it – thank you very much. AA: Kean – is it just cleaning that they did or, Abraham – District 5, or did the state of hunter education – did they do any other improvements yet to that facility? Is that something we need to bring them back? KU: No. AA: Maybe put some fire underneath their toes again or something? KU: No, not yet. AA: So we just \[unclear\] up, what you think? KU: Ah, you know, COVID’s done, well, supposedly but that was, you know, one of their concerns so, ah, I’ll try to reach out to Darren and try to see what they going – he can do… 8. COMMISSIONERS REPORTS: (Taken out of order, under Announcements) 28 9. COMMITTEE REPORTS BY DISTRICT: AA: OK. Thanks, Kean. Ah, District – 3, Leomana? LT: Yeah, aloha, sorry, District-3, Leomana, I have my computer and I’m logged in on top of the mobile office. I just wanted to share, our last trip to Mauna Kea, ah, if everyone can see that… How do we – OK, yeah, this is our Mauna Kea trip this past month with DOFAW to collect some of the wild cattle on top of Mauna Kea inside of the – is that public hunting area? And we had access through the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, um, some of the key points is we collected five cows – an average of 20 people out there gathering – we had proper gathering ethics and pono practices. Sorry, there might be a little bit of lag – but I just wanted to share some of the pictures that we got of us in the forest as a team, going in, hiking in, and taking these animals out. So we went in – we had about 15 people and we got rides – it was about a mile and a half to two miles in – they gave us a ride on their side-bys and their Polaris so we didn’t have to walk the whole way, um, this is a short little video of us working on one of the cows… AA: Time lapsed… LT: Time lapsed…. And this was the crew that was willing to take a picture at the end. There’s a lot more of us but not everyone wanted to be in the picture. Right there… Mahalo. AA: Yup and, ah, that was a, you guys did see me and Brian Ley in there also. Um, District – 4. Brian? BL: Brian – District 4. Hey, I’m not really as big as I look in that picture, I’ll tell you that. Anyways, we forgot to mention that Abraham and I and Nani had a Zoom meeting this afternoon with… AA: Suzanne Luke. BL: Luke, I’m sorry, I’m running on 3 hours sleep. We had a meeting with Luke about HB 1872. We thought she was gonna be on the committee but she isn’t but we had a really good talk with her – she had some good ideas, she’s really pro-game, pro-outdoors and, ah, you know, it was a good conversation. We got a lot from her. She’s gonna back her bill, she’s gonna pull some strings and bend some ears on our behalf, so, we got that, so we forgot to mention that Sylvia Luke was a good supporter for us today and we had a good Zoom meeting with her. Thank you. AA: Ah, me – District 5. My District 5 report will be what we started with which is the Volcano Access. District 6 – Grayson? GH: Aloha, this is Grayson from District 6. My only report is to let everybody know that I will be resigning my commission for personal reasons. But I wanted to take the moment to thank all – the Chair and all the Commissioners, everybody from the public for all your help and what you guys do. I really appreciate working with you folks and hope that you guys continue the great work that you guys are doing. Thank you very much. BL: Mahalo, Grayson. LT: Right on, Mahalo… 29 AA: Thanks for your service, Grayson. BL: Good luck. AA: Take care of yourself and your family – always number one… BK: Thank you, Grayson. Please put it in writing. This is Barbara… And to everyone, um, Grayson’s term actually ends at the end of this year. AA: District – 9, George? GD: Nothing new to report. 10. ADJOURNMENT: (8:30 pm) Action: B. Ley moved to adjourn at 7:40 pm. Seconded by G. Donev… Motion passed unanimously. Next Meeting: May 17, 2022 Respectfully submitted by, Barbara Kossow Secretary 30