Take Action

Please join and sign the petition today!

The plan must be approved by the Council for the City and County of Honolulu before it becomes law. We are asking Councilmembers to reject the “purple spot” and protect agricultural lands throughout the Wai‘anae Coast.

Become a spot remover! You can sign this petition to tell Councilmembers NO to more loss of precious rural agricultural lands! And NO to government that serves wealthy developers over the interests of local families and communities!

You can learn more and sign the petition at: http://tiny.cc/purplespotpetition

View, download and share the informational fact sheet here: http://tiny.cc/purplespotinfo

From our friends and ‘ohana at Sierra Club Hawai’i Chapter:

In a 7-1 vote last week, the State of Hawaii Land Use Commission approved Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii, Inc.’s proposed reclassification 767 acres of farmland to the urban district. Castle & Cooke proposes to build thousands of new homes and a medical complex at Koa Ridge between Mililiani and Waipio.

The Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter, as a party to the case, asked the Commission to deny the reclassification because the project would adversely impact an already congested highway and prime agricultural lands.

“Castle & Cooke’s plan for Koa Ridge is the epitome of urban sprawl,” said Robert D. Harris, Director of the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club. “When we’re importing 85 to 90% of our state’s food, it’s absurd to pave over land that has been consistently and profitably providing food for O`ahu.“

The Sierra Club brought expert witnesses before the Commission earlier in the year that testified about the detrimental impacts of losing nearly 800 acres of some of the best farmland in the state. Even Castle & Cooke’s own expert noted that the Koa Ridge proposal would develop approximately 5% of O`ahu’s remaining prime farmland (soil rated “A” and “B” under the ALISH system). The State Department of Agriculture testified that fifty percent of O`ahu’s prime farmland had been paved over in the past fifty years.

“Diversified agriculture increased 475% between 1990 and 2004,” said Harris. “There has been a resurgence of interest in eating in a local and sustainable manner. But if we want further growth in agriculture, we need to have the farmland.”

There are other anticipated demands on farmland, like growing bioenergy, which will require thousands of acres of farmlands with a ready supply of irrigable water. “It’s a slippery slope,” Harris continued.  “As we develop more agricultural land, it drives up the cost for the remaining parcels and makes it more difficult for other farmers to grow local.”

One knowledgeable scientist testified that University of Hawaii faculty researchers are concerned O`ahu will lose its capability to feed itself unless large farmlands like Koa Ridge were preserved. “We’re just one hurricane away from starving,” said Harris.  “We’re dangerously reliant on food from being shipped into O`ahu. Preserving and growing agriculture in the State is a matter of basic food security.”

Other witnesses testified about the surplus of land already proposed for development in Central O`ahu and the negative impact of increased traffic on folks traveling along the H-1 corridor. The state’s traffic expert testified that the peak “rush hour” traffic could extend bottlenecks on the H-1 freeway potentially from as early as 5:00 am in the morning and similar hours in the evening.  The H-1 already has a grade “F” designation, the worst service traffic level.

The Sierra Club believes that the housing demand can be met without sprawling on more agricultural lands in Central O`ahu. Existing urban areas in Central O`ahu, such as Wahiawa and Waipahu, should be redeveloped. Further, over 13,000 units of housing have already been approved on over 1500 acres of agricultural land for new growth in Central O`ahu. Although the developer claims that new land must be developed to meet growing demand, population in some surrounding Central O`ahu communities actually decreased between 1990 and 2000.

“O`ahu is hitting some real limits to growth. We need to start redeveloping built areas instead of paving our finite and precious farmlands,” said Harris. “Particularly with plans for over 13,000 new housing units already on the books for Central O`ahu, it’s outrageous that the Commission would authorize new development of the best agricultural lands in the state.”

For more information, you can check out Sierra Club on the web at http://www.sierraclubhawaii.com/media.php

And here’s coverage from back in May of part of the LUC hearing on Koa Ridge: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/May/21/bz/hawaii5210320.html

Mahalo to all who took action in the last few months, asking the Army Corps of Engineers to hold a public hearing on a permit to allow Hawai’i Ocean Technology, Inc. (HOTI) to build a proposed 247-acre ahi tuna feed lot off the Kohala Coast. 100% of the feed for this project would be imported from fisheries in places like Peru, and 90% of the tuna they feedlot will be exported to Japan and the continental U.S. (Does this sound like local food sovereignty to you? Not so much.)

Last week, we got news that HOTI has withdrawn their permit application. They may still be looking to do a smaller one-cage “experimental” operation. We’ll keep you updated. But for now, count this is a victory for the ocean.  Mahalo for your action! Thanks to you, we’re a little closer today to a collective vision of food sovereignty and a functioning food system for Hawai’i. To learn more or to join the hui in support of pono aquaculture, you can go to www.ponoaqua.org

We had our first sign-making party in the “Keep Waianae Country” effort.  We are getting ready for the Land Use Commission to visit the parcel of farmland that Tropic Land proposes to turn into an industrial park.  Their visit happens on Wednesday August 18th at 1:30 pm.

Want to join us?  We’ll be on Farrington Highway where it intersects with Lualualei Naval Access Road and with Hakimo Road at 1:00 pm.

Can’t make it, but still want to participate?  Then make a sign in support of keeping Waianae country, take pictures of you and your friends holding the sign, and then send the pictures to us at miwa(at)kahea.org.  We’ll make sure the LUC sees it.

And if you live along the navy road or Hakimo road, then hang a sign on your fence where everybody can see it.   We’ll be passing out the beautiful signs we made next week.  Let us know if you want one.

Big Mahalo to everyone who came out to help us make signs.  It was a lot of fun.  And who knew Tyler would turn out to be poster-painter extraordinare… in addition to top ace legal intern?!  Finger painting ain’t just for kids anymore!

We’re liking this thought-proving post from journalist Anne Minard, on the “next great telescope race”–Day 14 of her “100 Days of Science.” She asks some great questions about the fundamental purpose of the two U.S. proposals for “next generation” giant land-based telescopes being proposed for construction within the next 10 years. Do we really need THIS much telescope, guys?

Charles Alcock, director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, acknowledged that the two telescopes are headed toward redundancy. The main differences, he said, are in the engineering.

He said the next generation of telescopes is crucial for forward progress in 21st Century astronomy.

“The goal is to start discovering and characterizing planets that might harbor life,” he said. “It’s very clear that we’re going to need the next generation of telescopes to do that.”

And far from being a competition, the real race is to contribute to science, said Charles Blue, a TMT spokesman.

“All next generation observatories would really like to be up and running as soon as possible to meet the scientific demand,” he said.

But when I asked him why the United States teams haven’t pooled their expertise to build a single next-generation telescope, Blue declined to comment.

In all, there are actually three teams (two from the U.S., and one from Europe) racing to build the first of these giant land-based telescopes: Extremely Large Telescope (Europe), TMT (U.S.), and Giant Magellan Telescope (U.S.). (And no, we’re not making these names up… in almost every description we could find, these bad boys are characterized first and foremost by their massive size.) The total estimated price tag for all this summit development? $2.6 billion dollars.

In the midst of this competition to build the first and the largest,  the worldwide community of those who share aloha for sacred summits are humbly asking:  for time and real consideration for native ecosystems, threatened endemic species, the cultural meaning of sacred space, cultural practice, and the natural and cultural heritage we have to pass forward to next generations… all in short supply on earth today. Can we not rationally slow down this latest race for space, in the interest of the future of life on our own planet?

Today, DLNR is proposing a “wild laundry list” of EIS exemptions for DLNR-managed lands, from building new roads to chemical herbicides. That’s 57 pages (fifty-seven!) of exemptions. Yeesh. We are asking the Office of Environmental Quality and Control (OEQC) to send DLNR back to the drawing board. If you or your organization is interested in participating in a group letter to OEQC or just want to know more about this issue, please contact Marti at marti@kahea.org by Friday morning.

Aunty WalterBea shares stories of Mauikupua, the demi-god.

This weekend we hosted our fourth Environmental Justice Bus Tour–this time with an added stop at the Farmer’s Market.  Mahalo to everyone who came out to learn more about Wai`anae! We had a great mix of people hailing from far and wide.  Groups represented were Nakem Youth (from Kalihi), CEJE, Hawai`i Farm Union, the Hawai`i Independent, and the Lawai`a Action Network–as well as some community members.  Special shout out to Nakem Youth for blogging your reflections of the bus tour! Check it out! Here is some of their powerful testimony:

Mark: “We gotta change our public perception of Waianae. I didn’t know about the agricultural lands, it was beautiful to see and very different from the way the mainstream media presents it.”

Sonny: “I have family members who live in Waianae and I fear for their lives. There are many kids who run around and I don’t want them getting hit by trucks…”

Rochie: “I live in Waianae I didn’t know what was really happening.  The dumpsite was all blocked and I thought it was for housing development.  We need more transparency from these companies and the state.”

Powerful! More at their blog.  Mahalo to Nakem Youth member, Mark Fiesta, also for putting up such beautiful photos of the event. Here’s a link to his blog. Solidarity is a beautiful thing. Mahalo to everyone for coming, if you are interested in joining our next tour, it is on August 28th.  Email shelley@kahea.org for more information.

The Ho‘ike for the second graduating class of Ka Makani Kaiaulu o Wai‘anae that was held last friday totally renewed my internal spring of hope for the future of Hawai‘i.  Ten young people with nothing in common, but their home along the Wai‘anae Coast, came together to learn about the history and power of social justice movements in Hawai‘i and around the world… and they got to participate in a little movement building themselves.

“Waianae needs more voices,” the returning institute student added. “A lot of people are affected by what’s going on but don’t do anything about it. It’s like an ongoing unfinished project. … We are just trying to do our part and along the way we are learning so much about Waianae, the cultural history, and the impact we can have on our future; not just in the community but the whole world if we do something.”

KAHEA staff had the honor of working with this youth during this summer program.  We helped with some of the curriculum and encouraged them to participate in the LUC hearing on the Concerned Elders’ Petition to Intervene in the reclassification of ag land for an industrial park.

These students are an inspiration.  Smart, compassionate, and full of possibility.  The hope is to continue this program next summer or maybe even expand it into a year-long program.  To do that, though, would mean a lot of community support and financial backing.  If you are interested in donating to this program, click here.

Here is a link to the full story on the Ho‘ike in The Hawaii Independent.

From Shelley:

This past Saturday, a small group of determined “door knockers” set out to give a heads up to residents on Hakimo Road in Lualualei about a proposed industrial park planned in their neighborhood of small farms and homes.  Of all the 30 or so people we talked to, not a single person had heard about or been notified of these plans to industrialize the valley.

I have to admit, I was nervous going into a rural community knocking on doors, but everyone was really nice.  They were thankful we came by because otherwise they would have never known that an industrial park is being proposed.   Of course it helped being with Aunty Alice Greenwood, who everyone knows, and it felt good to hear people express their gratitude for  her determination to fight.  Those kind words are important to me because I’m always wary to get into other people’s business–knowing that we have their blessing and request to move forward tells me that we’re on the right path!

One thing that really tugged at my heartstrings was meeting more than one family that lost their farm in the Kalama Valley evictions in the 1970s.  These families relocated to Wai`anae and 35 years later are again facing the displacement of their family business and rural lifestyle- -from some of the same developers!

For rural Hakimo Road, the developer’s own numbers cites an additional 522 trucks an hour during peak hours! I don’t even know how that is possible, but that figure comes directly out of their EIS report. The only legal access to the property is rural Hakimo Road. (Though the proposed site is actually on Lualualei Naval Road, this private road requires an agreement with the Navy for regular access.  Our calls to the Navy have confirmed that no such agreement exists!)

If you have ever been on Hakimo Road you will know that 1) there are NO sidewalks, 2) it is narrow and winding, and 3) is already dangerous at the current traffic level, let alone with the addition of over 500 big trucks!  One resident pointed out to us, “Go walk up and down, you’ll see flowers at almost every turn marking all the accidents!”–it was so sad, she was right.  There’s a preschool on this road and many residents are worried about the health and safety of the kamalii (little ones) who go to school there.

Can you imagine if this was going on in your neighborhood?  You can sign here to stand in solidarity with this community!

The first preliminary hearing in the whole purple spot saga was held on May 20th before the Land Use Commission.  The Land Use Commission met to decide whether the Environmental Impact Statement is complete for Tropic Land’s proposal to turn 96 acres of fertile farm land into an industrial park at the back of Lualualei Valley (the industrial park is the purple spot).

All six commissioners present agreed that the EIS is complete, but some of them made clear that based on the public testimony presented they had serious concerns about the proposal itself.

Testimony presented to the Land Use Commission alleged that Tropic Land, LLC  is operating an unauthorized truck baseyard on agricultural land and has illegally mined pohaku from a known ancient Hawaiian cultural site.

“At least 85% of the farmland has been covered with asphalt,” said one eye-witness.

Activities like storage of trucks, and vehicle repair and maintenance are not allowed on land zoned for agricultural use.  Waianae Coast residents said they filed complaints with both the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Enforcement Branch and the City and County of Honolulu.

Tropic Land, LLC has been cited on at least three other occasions for engaging in activities on the Lualualei property that were not consistent with its agricultural classification.

Pictures also documented the mining of stones on preservation land adjoining the Tropic Land parcel.  Cultural surveys conducted on the parcel in the 1990’s confirm that this stones comprised a substantial, culturally significant platform.

A Nanakuli resident testified that ¾ of the substantial stone platform had been removed and some of the stones were used to make a sacred place to reinter Hawaiian burials exhumed by Wal-Mart on Keaaumoku Street.  Tropic Land, LLC did not have authorization from the State Historic Preservation Division to remove stones from this site.

Tropic Land, LLC was before the Land Use Commission to change the classification of their Lualualei Valley property from agricultural to urban, in order to allow them to construct an industrial park on the property.

The Land Use Commission accepted Tropic Land, LLC’s final environmental impact statement for the industrial park proposal, but not before voicing concerns about the testimony presented by the public.

Holding up a picture of trucks parked behind a fence on the Tropic Land parcel, Commissioner Contrades  asked Tropic Land’s attorney William Yuen, “is this correct?”  Mr. Yuen said he had not seen the photograph, but that the property is not paved and trucks are not being stored on the property at this time.

Commissioner Wong asked Yuen a series of questions to clarify that acceptance of the EIS did not in anyway demonstrate support for or ensure approval of the project.

Commissioner Teves requested that the Commission perform a site visit to “see the so-called commercial use of the property in its present form, to see if it is true or not.”

What does this mean for the future of the purple spot?

It means that the formal one-year process to decide whether to rezone this part of Lualualei Valley from ag to urban has started.  The hearing on the actual rezoning decision will be held on September 9, 2010 at 9:30 before the Land Use Commission.

It also means that the developer will have a very hard time arguing that this industrial park proposal is consistent with Waianae’s Community Sustainability Plan, since the current has no purple spot allowing for industrialization of this area… and the amended one with the purple spot has not been adopted by the Honolulu City Council.  In fact, staff at the city said they don’t expect the Waianae Community Sustainability Plan to come before the Council the Fall of 2010.

The Mufi administration is painting this issue as parks/sustainable development along rail vs. conservation lands. We believe it’s an artificial divide. What this is really about is the integrity of a fund created by voters–by the people–in defense of ag lands, important habitat, open space, and cultural sites. Too big to hassle with process? Mufi believes he can simply sign these funds away for rail development.

From Marj, at Conservation Council Hawai’i:

Please keep an eye on the City and County of Honolulu’s Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund.  Let’s make sure it’s not taken over by the politicians.  This Special Fund was set up by the people for the people to protect important land on O’ahu for future generations.  Resistance by some to the Fund, the Commission that make recommendations on expenditure of the Fund,  and the fair and transparent process of applying for the Fund (which was set up by the CWNL Commission 2 years ago) is disappointing.

This is such a wonderful program.  I’d hate to lose it.  E maka’ala kakou.  Defend the Fund.  Thank you.  Mahalo nui loa also to Ian Lind for his diligent investigative reporting and bringing this to the public’s attention. See Ian’s report at http://ilind.net

From Shelley:

Aloha mai kakou,

Pa’a in Hawaiian means many things, such as to be firm or fastened–like an ‘opihi to a rock, to be vigorous, steadfast, engaged. Last week we held a press conference unveiling the Pono Aquaculture Alliance (PAA) which is made up of groups and individuals who are calling for a critical look at open ocean factory fish farms  in Hawaii–a business that is slated to expand more than 900% in the next 5 years.

Why are we concerned? Ocean aquaculture comes in many types, from traditional loko i’a (fishponds) to industrial-scale factory fish feed lots. In Hawai’i, we need to make some important choices today about the kind of future we want for aquaculture in these islands. We at KAHEA believe that aquaculture must be pursued in a way that does not harm our oceans and lands, does not allow genetically modified fish or feed, does not dump pharmaceuticals in our waters, does not block public access, and does not privitize public trust submerged lands. If cannot? Well, pohō.

There was good press coverage, check out the story that ran in the Honolulu Advertiser.  http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20104090332 We want to thank Uncle Kale Gumapac of Kanaka Council, Rob and Christina from FWW, Aunty Kat from Ka Lei Maile Alii Civic Club, Henry Curtis of Life of the Land and Dr. Neil Frazer from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at UH Manoa who all contributed to this event. And a special mahalo to Uncle Isaac Harp for his work on this event, his manaʻo, and his solidarity.

What I believe:  Today, Hawaiʻi is being used as a test lab that proponents call “pioneering” but I would call “reckless”.  Supporters of industrial fish farms are selling their industrial model as “modern day Hawaiian fishponds”–a claim that is not only misleading, but demonstrates a lack of understanding of traditional resource management.  One of the benefits that  proponents cite is that their model will help lessen over-fishing.  This isn’t true if you’re raising carnivorous fish (like the kahala–”kona kampachi”–grown at Kona Blue, or like the ‘ahi operation venture capitalists at Hawaii Ocean Technologies–HOTI–are trying to start up) that require wild fish being caught elsewhere and imported–creating a hole in the wild food chain.

Later in the evening, after the press conference, we held a community meeting at UH Manoa Hawaiian Studies building.  We want to thank all the concerned citizens who showed up to learn and contribute their mana’o on this topic.  You guys can check out PAA’s unity statement and get more information about OOA at ponoaqua.org.

We must remember that the stakes are different, dare I say higher, for community members.  Worst case scenario for big business is they lose money, and have to pack up and go home.  Worst case scenario for the community is the end of free access to our oceans, which means losing the ability to feed ourselves and our children and their children.

Sustainable Living Educational Series
Introductory classes on Now in Waimea! (across from Parker Ranch Center)

Introduction to Solar Power Systems | Thur. 02/25/2010
http://greencollartech.com/introduction-solar-power-systems-class.htm

Introduction to Rainwater Harvesting – Catchment Systems | Thur. 03/04/2010
http://greencollartech.com/introduction-rainwater-harvesting-catchment-systems-class.htm

Introduction to Sustainable Gardening | Thursday 03/11/2010
http://greencollartech.com/introduction-sustainable-gardening-class.htm

Introduction to Green Home Building | Thur. 03/18/2010
http://greencollartech.com/introduction-green-home-building-class.htm

Introduction to Professional Web Design and Development | Thur. 04/05/10
http://www.waimeaeducation.com/classes/475/introduction-to-professional-web-design-and-development

Introduction to Online Marketing | Thur. 03/29/10
http://www.waimeaeducation.com/classes/474/introduction-to-online-marketing

Classes are currently being held in the Waimea Community Education Center.
Help your family, your neighbors, your community. It starts with you!
Learn how to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

View instructor bios, class details and register online: