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HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm No 0021.143 - Testimony - CA-7 - PONC fund and Maintenance fundTravis Wood 7th grader Volcano School of Arts and Sciences Volcano, Hawaii 96785 February 5, 2019 Charter Commission Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Regarding: 2% Land Fund Program Aloha Commissioners, My name is Travis Wood and my parents are Alex Wood and Lisa Canale; we live in Volcano. I am lucky to go to Kawa because I get to understand Kapu Aloha or sacred love and what it is to Kawa. Kawa is important to the community, all my schoolmates, the teachers, and me because it is a beautiful place that has so much history and hopefully it will hold its beauty and history forever. Every three Wednesdays, my class goes to Kawa to Malama Aina and Aloha Aina. We plant native plants like wiliwili, kou, niu, coconut, kukui, and naupaka to name a few, along with that we take away invasives and move rocks to help with beach erosion. Before our class came to Kawa there were loose rocks everywhere, the invasive plants were overgrown and there was so much trash. Now after almost two years our hard work, there is a working fish pond, we rarely ever see trash and only a small amount of invasives. And if you continue the 2% Land Fund, we can continue our work at Kawa along with the people from Na Mamo o Kawa like Kumu James Akau, Uncle Duane, Auntie Clarissa Pua, and Uncle Kaui Felder and restore Kawa to its past beauty. If you continue to buy more land like this, Hawaii can have more beautiful land. Comm. No. 21.143 Over the past three public votes 63% of voters have voted for the 2% Land Fund and are most likely still for it. Having more wild untouched lands like Kawa will not just be good for us but for the tourist who come here so they can see the real Hawaii. Compared to the rest of the Hawaiian islands Hawaii has the most wild, undeveloped land and housing is more affordable because there aren't as many hotels that jack up the prices of living here. Kawa is not just a place to work, it is also a wonderful place to relax. There is a nice beach that people can swim or surf at, but if you want to escape the big crashing waves you can go to the fish pond nearby. And if you continue to buy more land like this there could be places for people to visit and enjoy. There are a lot of native plants at Kawa some of which are endangered and can be helped to recover with our and any conservatories help. We can also help animals at Kawa. And if you continue with the 2% Land Fund conservatories can help other plants and animals at other places. If you stop funding some plants and animals won't get help. Kawa has lots of plants that ancient Hawaiians used for their canoes like milo and alahe'e and now these plants are endangered, but we are trying to help them at Kawa, but if you stop the land fund some places with those plants will get bulldozed over and will not get saved. In the future I hope to see more land like Kawa because of the 2% Land Fund. And if you continue with it that will happen, but if not there will be more hotels, housing prices will rise, and maybe some endangered plants will not get saved. If you stop the funding tourists will not see the true Hawaii, but if you continue Hawaii will be a better place for all. Mahalo, Travis Wood