HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm No 0021.145 - Testimony - CA-7 - PONC fund and Maintenance fundSakura Yabuki
8th Grade
Volcano School of Arts & Sciences
Volcano, HI 96785
February 4, 2019
Charter Commission
Hilo, HI 96720
Regarding: 2% Land Fund Program
Dear Commission,
My name is Sakura Yabuki and I live in Volcano. I am a student at
Volcano School of Arts & Sciences and I am so privileged and lucky to go
to Kawa twice a month to aloha/malama the aina. Kawa is a very precious
and valuable because it teaches us about the land and provides use with
natural resources. When my class and I first went last year, Kawa was
untamed, wild, and now, because of our work with the guidance of Kumu
James Akau, Uncle Duane and Aunty Clarissa Pua, and Uncle Kaui Felder,
the place is now reconditioned above its original beauty. Kawa is a wahi
pana, a very special place that should stay preserved so I can visit in the
future to swim, play, and see the amazing mini waterfalls that appear
during high tide.
At Kawa, when we first arrive we ask for permission to enter with an oli,
afterwards we usually walk to the beach to start our kilo. When we do kilo
we pick a spot to sit and observe the land, wind, plants, sky, ourselves,
water, etc. Then we usually split into different groups to divide the work and
get more done. The first few times we went to Kawa, we were working on a
rock wall around the fish pond and the fresh water spring. We also used
shovels and rakes to clear the debris out and deepen the springs to have
Comm. No. 21.145
better water flow. We've also worked on is clearing the brush to make trails
and to clear other existing trails, water the keiki plants, and plant other
native plants. Examples of said plants are alahe'e, milo, wiliwili, niu,
naupaka, kou, and kukui. We need the money to have an on-site nursery,
and supplies like shovels, watering cans, wheel barrels, etc. Doing our
work to conserve Kawa helps provide food for ourselves, like fishing; it also
helps show tourists see the other part of Hawaii other than the resorts,
beach parks, and museums. We need the money to help continue the work
we do so that the next generations can have this place, we should also
keep this place for cultural purposes, Kawa has been here for hundreds of
years and is a sacred to many. We also should keep it as a teaching tool
because it teaches us about the native plants and animals along with giving
back to the land, and to appreciate what we have.
Even though we have over half the land in conservation, it's zoned
conservation, getting rezoned exclusively to big hotels making the land
unprotected. Keeping the land can help with our air quality as we expand
little by little, it also brings the community together by aloha/malama the
aina. If you look at the national parks, some parts of the park aren't taken
well care of. With Na Mamo o Kawa, they are one group focused on this
one piece of smaller land rather than a huge area where they can't handle
most aspects of it. With the government shut downs and the funding cuts to
the national parks the selling of the land to the national park may not be the
best idea.
Sincerely,
Sakura Yabuki