Please submit testimony for KIRC bills SB2743 & HB2101
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Act is to utilize a portion of state conveyance tax revenue to replenish the Kaho‘olawe Rehabilitation Trust Fund to be used for the long-term rehabilitation and maintenance of the Kaho‘olawe island reserve.
ABOUT
The mission of the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) is to implement the vision for Kaho‘olawe Island in which the kino (body) of Kaho‘olawe is restored and na poe o Hawai‘i (the people of Hawai‘i) care for to land. The Commission has pledged to provide for the meaningful and safe use of Kaho‘olawe for the purpose of the traditional and cultural practices of the native Hawaiian people and to undertake the restoration of the island and its waters. To many, Kaho‘olawe is a symbol of resilience, hope for the future of the Hawaiian Nation, and an opportunity to rebuild a cultural heritage.
The KIRC has received no public assistance since its 1993 inception, despite the federally mandated report citing “in the short term, federal funds will provide the bulk of the program support for specific soil conservation projects and related activities. In the longer term, however, state revenues will be needed to continue and enhance those activities initiated with federal funds."
As it stands, the Kaho‘olawe Rehabilitation Trust Fund will be depleted in 2016 – halting the restoration of Kaho‘olawe – unless we secure the commitment of the State and Federal Government as well as the people of Hawai‘i.
HOW
If you have not done so already, register with the Hawaii Legislature website at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/login/register.aspx. This will allow you to submit testimony without the need to re-enter required information, and receive hearing notice notifications by e-mail (generally, we are only given 72-hours notice that our bill has been scheduled for its next hearing, so receiving these timely notifications is important).
Visit http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/ and enter the KIRC bills (SB2743 & HB2101) into the “Bill Status/ Measure Status” box and click “GO”
Click “Submit Testimony” to enter your details and testimony (feel free to use the sample below – or – to customize your own testimony based on one or more of the talking points below).
*BONUS* Please take 5 minutes and submit your testimony to the Maui County Council Members addressed below. You may copy the emails and paste.
riki.hokama@mauicounty.us; Mayors.Office@co.maui.hi.us; robparsons@earthlink.net; don.couch@mauicounty.us; elle.cochran@mauicounty.us; gladys.baisa@mauicounty.us; michael.victorino@mauicounty.us; mike.white@mauicounty.us; robert.carroll@mauicounty.us; stacy.crivello@mauicounty.us; don.guzman@mauicounty.us; margaretwille@mac.com; garylhooser@gmail.com; tbynum@kauai.gov; netra@maui08.com; kauaibrad@hotmail.com; achitoff@earthjustice.org
The KIRC SUPPORTS these bills for the following reasons:
As the only island listed on the National Register of Historic Places in its entirety, containing nearly 3,000 archaeological sites and features, it is imperative that the State preserves this important resource for current and future generations through this financial support system.
Without the KIRC’s ongoing protection of Kaho’olawe’s coastal ecosystem, including the adjacent nearshore environment and coral reefs that can be covered with, and choked by, derelict fishing gear, nets, a huge variety of plastics and other debris items, species including the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, threatened green sea turtle, endangered hawksbill sea turtle, endangered humpback whale, endangered Hawaiian dark-rumped petrel, and endangered Newell’s shearwater will be put at risk. It is imperative that a trust fund be stabilized to continue this work.
Kaho‘olawe is a unique ecosystem preserving immensely valuable cultural and biological resources. It is surrounded by the richest marine ecosystems remaining in the Main Hawaiian islands and providing replenishment of fish and invertebrates to other islands’ waters. The KIRC’s massive restoration program designed to revitalize the ecology and cultural history of the island will benefit all of Hawai‘i's people for generations to come. Please support bill (SB2743 or HB2101).
As the only Island Reserve set up entirely in trust for a Native Hawaiian Sovereign Entity, the KIRC is well poised to change the economic landscape and life quality of Native Hawaiians and the communities in which they reside by means of a truly unique experience on the island of Kaho‘olawe. The State must maintain the responsibility of supporting the Kaho‘olawe Rehabilitation Trust Fund.
BACKGROUND
Decimated of its natural environment through years of over foraging and military bombing, an estimated 1.9 million tons of soil is lost annually on Kaho’olawe to erosion. Severely eroded landscapes cover one-third of the island, with runoff choking the Reserve’s pristine reefs and significantly impacting the ocean ecosystem. The Reserve’s inventory of 3,000 cultural sites and features – all part of the National Register of Historic Places – are in constant need of protection from these damaging circumstances. Despite an extensive, 10-year cleanup by the U.S. Navy, unexploded ordnance litter one-third of the island and all surrounding waters, leaving areas off-limits and life-threatening.
A portion of the Navy’s cleanup budget was allocated as a trust fund for the 1993-instated Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC), established by the State of Hawai‘i to manage Kaho‘olawe, its surrounding waters, and its resources, in trust for the general public and for a future Native Hawaiian sovereign entity. Since the Navy’s 2003 transfer of control-of-access to the State of Hawai‘i, the KIRC has worked with thousands of inspired volunteers to implement the vision for Kaho’olawe through its Restoration, Ocean, Cultural and Operations programs.
The KIRC has received no public assistance since its 1993 inception, despite the federally mandated report citing “in the short term, federal funds will provide the bulk of the program support for specific soil conservation projects and related activities. In the longer term, however, state revenues will be needed to continue and enhance those activities initiated with federal funds."
Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/KircMaui or http://kahoolawe.hawaii.gov/leg-updates.shtml for further information and regular updates.
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