|
|
 |
|
|
| A Io (Hawk) keeping an eye on Ka`u |
|
|
|
The King and the Turtle
Once upon a time, in a place called Punalu`u, there was a turtle who laid golden eggs.... Well, they weren't really
made out of gold, and it wasn't just one turtle who laid them, but you get the point.
Just like the case of the proverbial goose and the greedy king we have the same situation today at Punalu`u. For many
years the tourists and the newcomers have always been drawn here by the turtles. These kind folks have continuously provided
Ka`u with a steady stream of dollars. If Robert`s Hawaii wanted to they could improve their own amenities at Punalu`u and
increase our revenues without spoiling the ambiance, but that doesn`t translate well in the corporate world of investments.
So, instead, what Robert's wants to do is cut open the precious turtle and get all of the gold out at once.
It won't work. This new proposal will only turn Punalu`u into another one of those places which our current users prefer
to stay away from.
Please, let's not start searching for new unknown people who may have a lot of money to spend. When Hawaii's rural demographics
tip in the city direction we will all become strangers in our own backyard. Keep the country "country!"
Jerry Warren
Na`alehu
"Keep Ka`u Country"
With concrete jungles and rat races dominating too much of Hawaii's landscape, pristine areas like the Ka`u District are
becoming rare commodities to say sadly.
With much of the Hawaiian culture becoming a disappearing phenomenon, it is of extreme importance to keep Ka'u the way
it is. In addition to that, improvements to the area like reforestation would be great for forestry tourism.
With its rich and deep heritage, much study has to be conducted in the area so as to document and preserve Ka'u's landscape.
Such studies can uncover things of cultural significance which can be beneficial for cultural tourism.
Concrete jungles leads to rat race like conditions such as traffic jams, pollution, crime and desecration of sacred lands.
Ka`u has a proud tradition of being pristine and sacred. Such conditions should be kept for future generations as well as
the present. Enough said!
Dean Nagasako
Pahala
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 28, 2005
Dear Senator Inouye:
I am writing in support of efforts to extend Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park to protect the remaining undeveloped southern coast of the Big
Island of Hawaii. This coastline, commonly referred to as the Ka'u
Coast, runs to the southwest from the Park's boundaries to South
Point. I have led numerous university groups on environmental field
studies in this region of Hawaii. I feel strongly that the proposal to
protect the Ka'u Coast captures the best of our reasons to establish
national parklands.
I am an economist who works on natural resource management and
environmental underpinnings of our economy, such as eco-tourism. My
work in this field has expanded beyond my community in northern
Minnesota. I have gained an understanding of how the development
pressures that present challenges to the stewardship of lakes and
forests in Minnesota pose similar threats, perhaps even more severe, to
sustaining the environment and culture of Hawaii. The Ka'u Coast is
the last long, contiguous natural coastline in Hawaii that remains
undisturbed yet vulnerable to commercial development. Its rich natural
and cultural history must be preserved through the protections provided
by national park designation.
It provides key habitat to endangered marine species, including the
hawksbill turtle and the green sea turtle. Even today places such as
Punalu'u Beach see a steady stream of visitors that are unaware of
that some of their actions in enjoying marine creatures threaten these
species' survival. The dismal trend is that growing numbers of
visitors will exceed the carrying capacity for high impact visitation, a
high impact that results from people being uninformed about responsible
behaviors that respect the place and its human and non-human
inhabitants. My students have experienced this first-hand and are
optimistic that just a bit of education of visitors would go along way
in reducing the human impact. The carrying capacity for visits to this
area would be much higher if people were practicing low impact methods.
Similarly many visitors could be taught to avoid things done out of
ignorance about the sacred sites they wander into.
But educating visitors about responsible behaviors is just one part of
the solution. The incredible quality of the natural setting would be
destroyed by the condominium developments that are poised to spring up
given land development trends. Not only would this be a severe loss to
society, but also to future generations. And I view this as
short-sighted and narrow-minded economically, as the potential for
sustainable development through eco-tourism will be diminished forever
if this coast becomes another stretch cluttered by the types of
development seen elsewhere. Even from an economic perspective, the area
can be more valuable if preserved for purposes of sustainable tourism
instead of the unsustainable development that appears imminent.
Preservation of the values of this area will enhance future tourism
activities, not constrain them.
The rich cultural assets of this region demand protection. There are
Native Hawaiians who perpetuate the cultural traditions of living with
nature and "aloha aina", the love of the land. The Ka'u Coast has
many important archaeological sites and areas of religious significance.
Ancient trails remain today that allow people to sense first-hand the
interconnections within Native Hawaiian society and with nature. The
social value of these cultural and historical assets would be severely
damaged by the type of development that is on the verge of occurring.
Currently the synergy between natural processes and people who honor
traditional cultural practices is maintained in critical mass so it
could be shared with increasing numbers of visitors that can learn to
enjoy this area in a respectful manner. Educating visitors about the
Ka'u District's rich natural and cultural heritage would not only
serve to preserve this area, but it would provide sustainable economic
opportunities for the people of this region. Also educating the
visitors to Ka'u who come from all corners of the globe could
spillover in raising people's consciousness as they visit other
precious areas of the planet.
Extending Volcanoes National Park to include the Ka'u Coast presents
our generation with the opportunity to preserve a unique area for future
generations for the same reasons past visionaries preserved areas such
as Yellowstone and Yosemite. This opportunity to serve the interests of
future generations may not last long and these values could be lost
forever. I hope you will lend support to this grass-roots effort by the
people of Ka'u and others who have come to love this place. The
reasons to include the Ka'u Coast in Volcanoes National Park are as
compelling as for any of the national treasures we already protect
within existing national parks.
Thank you for you attention to this important matter.
Patrick G. Welle, Ph.D.
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
pwelle@bemidjistate.edu
Join the forum and add your comments and suggestions on how we can protect KA`U. Click on the email below to send us your
thoughts. Mahalo!
webmaster@kaupreservation.org
Support Ka`u Preservation in protecting Sacred Ka`u
|
|
|
|
