HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-07 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Kinsley McEachern Opposition Testimony From: Kinsley McEachern
To: Council Remote Testimony;WPCtestimony
Subject: Kapu Ka"u Punalu"u Beach testimony
Date: Thursday,March 7,2024 11:36:18 AM
Aloha mai kakou,
I am writing today as a deeply concerned citizen passionate about keeping Hawai'i,
Hawai'i, and in the hands of the indigenous people who malama the 'aina, human and
wildlife ancestors alike, and the natural ecosystems.
I am personally heartbroken to learn of the proposed 223 unit condominium,
restaurant, beach club cafe, golf course, wellness center and more development at
Punalu'u Beach. As a conservation biologist working for the State of Hawai'i Division
of Forestry and Wildlife on Hawaiian Endangered Species regulations, and a former
wildlife rehabber on Hawai'i island caring for injured and sick native species, I am
keenly aware of the implications of this proposed development on the wildlife who use
this beach to survive, as their nesting ground, and their generational home. The State
endangered Tio holo i ka uaua or Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi)
and threatened honu or Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) can occur or haul out
onshore within the vicinity of the proposed project site. Nesting season for the honu is
April through December and Tio holo i ka uaua can give birth to pups all year
round. Furthermore, the critically endangered honu'ea or Hawksbill Sea Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricate) nest on the beach during the months of May through
December, which is within the vicinity of the proposed project site.
Furthermore, this development has not been properly, ethically, culturally and
environmentally vetted. The local community and wildlife will take on the negative
externalities of this project while the gains go to developers who don't care about the
collective future of Hawai'i but care about their pocketbooks increasing exponentially.
There is no updated EIS for this development, there is no disaster mitigation plan,
and there needs to be an updated shore assessment and setback. The waste water
of the current infrastructure is already destroying nearby fishing ponds and pools, and
water systems for fires are outdated and failing. Furthermore, the impacts to the iwi
and sacred burial sites of Hawaiian ancestors needs to be properly assessed and
considered and there needs to be a burial treatment plan. Furthermore, the impacts to
citizens who live in the area with the increase to property taxes need to be considered
as a very valid implication.
I do not support this development project and this kind of development is not in line
with the needs of the indigenous and local people, wildlife, and natural ecosystems,
who are the real constituents of Hawai'i island, NOT the developers and owners
profiting off of this project.
Kapu Punalu'u, Kapu Ka'u!
Mahalo nui loa,
Kinsley McEachern