HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-05 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Rebecca Melendez Opposition Testimony From: Rebecca Melendez
To: W PCtesti mony
Subject: NO to APPLICANT: BLACK SAND BEACH LLC(PL-SMA-2023-000046)
Date: Tuesday, March 5,2024 9:25:03 PM
Please DO NOT approve the SMA permit to allow new developers to use and desecrate
the wahi kapu of Punalu'u.
Punalu`u bay is home to the threatened Honu,Green Sea Turtle and it has been seen many times that
tourists don't understand or even know Hawai'i law.Tourists have not only touched turtles but have
allowed their kids to sit on turtles while they take their photos.This application would bring in all types of
tourists rather than build homes for locals.
The daily impact to the environment of hundreds of people traversing on the tiny beach,taking sand and
iliili pebbles is inevitable,if this development is approved.
A corporation will be encroaching upon the fragile and pristine ecosystem of Punalu`u Bay and Black
Sand beach and Nmole Cove.This would be very detrimental to the indigenous and endemic animal
habitats,native flora and fauna and the freshwater springs that is the life for us all.The native Loulu
Palm tree,native hawaiian poppy,Pua Kala and the Native cotton plant Ma`o important to the fauna
ecosystem there.
Endangered species live here including the`Ope`apea the native Hawaiian Hoary bat,the Honu`ea
Hawksbill Turtle who lay their eggs and build nests on the sand,the `ilioholoikauaua monk seal,the
native damselfly,the Koloa duck,Nene the Hawaiian goose, `auku`u,the Pueo native Hawaiian Owl,the
Io native hawaiian hawk and many rare varieties of limu,ko`ele,opihi.The Nai`a spinner dolphin,
porpoise,Kohola Humpback whale,Sperm whale,various species of Mano shark and pilot whales are a
few of the sea creatures that inhabit the waters in and around Punalu`u and Nmole bays.
Please say NO not only for all the species that live there at this historical bay but also because the Big
Island already has issues with local rubbish landfill,there is known sewage that has been leaking into the
ocean,I've been told power outages have happened,the traffic on the island has increased to an extreme
rate,water resource...Please,look at all these island resources because it needs to be fully clear that the
island has enough resources for future developments or not,because as it is now,it looks like the islands
resources are being affected by all the already approved new developments.
Please say NO to this application.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Melendez