HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm No 0021.150 - Testimony - CA-7 - PONC fund and Maintenance fundMara Keliikuli
8th Grade Sl udeni
Volcano School oQ`ArILs 4? sciences
volcano, Q pQ 96785
Regarding: The 2% land nand program
February 04, 20118
Charter Commission
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Aloha Kakou e Hawaii Charter Commission,
My name is Mara Keli`ikuli, my parents are Junior & Sheyenne Keli`ikuli,
we live in the area of Ola`a, Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. I'm in 8th
grade and go to school at VSAS. I'm happy, that I get to talk about this amazing
place that we call Kawa, we go there, to malama the `aina. Kawa is a special
place to me because it gives me some time to relax with my friends, and reflect
on me while also helping to save our rare, endangered, and also native
environment.
When I first visited Kawa, it was very new to me. It was a beautiful place
with a wonderful new experience. Not familiar with my surroundings, I felt out
of place. With open hearts and guidance from Kuma James Akau, Uncle Duane,
Aunty Clarissa Pua, and Uncle Kaui Felder it has changed my perspective on
things. I look forward to going there, to take care of my land. This is such a
wonderful, and gorgeous place, and deserves to be taken care of. Kawa is a
Wahi Pana, "A Legendary Place", that in the process, can be better improved
with the help from future generations. The thrill I get, going down to Kawa is
an experience that teaches me, so much about this amazing place. Nothing that
you can learn at an ordinary public school. This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity, and I'm so glad that I get to be a party of it. Being able to have a
part in the restoration of Kawa is an amazing feeling that can only make me love
this place even more.
Kawa is a very important place to many people, including myself. Within
my short time of visiting I have learned so much. not just about the place but
about myself. While there I am able to reflect on myself, and I can see a part of
myself there. To the people that are taking care and helping with the
restoration, Kawa is more that just a job. There is a strong connection that can
compare to nothing else, if this is taken away it would be as if someone was
taking away a part of yourself. Kawa is special, like nothing else I've ever seen,
and it is something that I look forward to seeing in the future. Since going to
Kawa my perspective on things have changed completely. Someone I know
even said, "You know, since going to this place you have changed a little.
Comm. No. 21.150
Something in you is a bit happier and it's just amazing!" And that opened my
eyes to something greater, and bigger than myself, and it clicked "You have to
make sure that this wonderful place stays around, for the future, they will absolutely
be blown away by it.", I thought to myself. To you this may just seem like
nothing, "It's just a piece of land.", but it's more than that, we take care of our
native species, endangered and rare, and it's like nothing else. It feels amazing
to be able to call myself, a part of something that is greater than myself. Kawa is
something that is covered with invasive species, and needs help. With this fund
it's getting the help it needs. Much of Kawa is still undeveloped and culturally
rich, and could be much more. What I'm really saying here is, please don't take
away this magnificent opportunity, it's something you could only wish for.
The PONC fund, was voted for by majority of voters to fund Kawa. It has
been noticed by many people that this is important for our community, and I
believe you should too. Kawa is too good to fail.
This is an important topic to focus on and I'll tell you why. What 1 have
did at Kawa so far just this year, is collect native hawaiian seeds (`A`ali`i, Kukui,
and Naupaka Kahakai), planted native hawaiian plants (`A`ali`i, Ti, Niu, Milo,
Kou, Akulikuli, Alahe`e and Wiliwili). Some other things we did was cleared
invasive plants such as, the Christmas Berry plants, and Haole Koa. We
collected trash from along the beach, collected pohaku (stones), cleared paths,
and made stone wall. Kawa is a very special place and it should be recognized .
Overall what we do here help with the restoration of Kawa. We are saving this
place and all of these amazing things. So we should not be given up on. The
importance of this place is far too complicated for someone to just look at and
judge. It's unique, and something you have to get to know in order to be able to
judge it. And even then, you would be too blown away by the experience that
you couldn't even dare speak something bad on it's name.
Mahalo, Mara Keli`ikuli