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Aloha ,
For half a century, Hawaiians gathered each year on July 31 to celebrate the day when British Admiral Richard Thomas raised the Hawaiian flag in the islands, after five months of British rule in 1843. Following Thomas’ order to restore sovereignty to the kingdom, King Kamehamea III proclaimed a 10-day celebration. It was on this day that Kamehameha III expressed what would become Hawai’i’s motto: “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” — The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. July 31 became a national holiday, celebrated annually, until La Ho’iho’i Ea was banned by those in power fifty years later, in 1893. In the 1970s, Uncle Kekuni Blaisdell helped to resurrect the celebration of La Ho’iho’i Ea, and groups around the islands and across the world today continue to host gatherings on July 31.
On a Saturday blessed with rain, we were out for the gathering in Thomas Square in Honolulu. (Mahalo to Pono for the pictures!) Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono! How did you celebrate?
This month we continue to celebrate the life of the land! This enewsletter is full of actions, news, and updates–from landfills to monk seals! Mahalo for your aloha ‘aina, and your participation in issues and actions to protect the things we all love about Hawai’i nei.
Malama,
Miwa (and the rest of us guys at KAHEA)
News Highlights
Take Action, Spread the Work and Stay Informed!
Why So Quick to Change the Rules?
From wind farms to native forests and commercial fish farms to coral reefs, the stroke of a pen could change how all of these are governed before the end of the year. At least, that is what the Lingle Administration is working towards! DLNR is currently proposing new rules for Conservation Districts, which will fundamentally alter the way certain kinds of decisions are made for 2 million acres of public and private lands in Hawai’i. This will affect the future of “ceded” lands, nearshore and submerged lands, watersheds, and all mauka areas under conservation. Regulatory hearings may (understandably!) make you want to yawn, but if you have ever seen a bulldozer in a wahi pana then you know this is important. Please attend the hearing in your area and tell your friends! For more infomration, you can also check out the factsheet and flyer.
Take Action! Haleakala Solar Telescope Project
DLNR will hear public testimony on plans to build a new 14-story (143-foot) solar telescope on Haleakala on August 26 at 6PM. We really need to make sure this hearing is packed! The agency is currently considering a permit (CDUP) for this enormous astronomy project. The permit is required because Haleakala is in the Conservation District. Haleakala is also “ceded” lands, a place of ali’i burials–a sacred place for cultural practice and part of the cultural and natural heritage of all the people of Hawai’i. See flyer for more information.
“Haleakalā is precious, and it is an integral part to our identity as Hawaiians and to our culture. The price to our Hawaiian people and the impact on our culture and our personal identity would be devastating”
- Professor Mikahala Helm
What you can do:
(1) Attend the hearing. August 26, 6PM at the Tavares Community Center (90 Pukalani St., Pukalani)
(2) If you haven’t already, please sign the sacred summits petition and then ask three of your friends to do the same!
ont-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;”>Farms, Not Dumps…It’s a kakou thing
The struggle to protect agricultural and preservation lands in Wai’anae continues! Over 565 of your have already signed the “Farms, Not Dumps” petition for environmental justice. As you know, developers at Tropic Lands, LLC today are trying hard to change the zoning for a large area of Wai’anae (lands traditionally known as Ka’olae) to a big purple industrial zone. This rezoning could pave the way for another landfill in a neighborhood that not only already bears the brunt of Honolulu’s wastestream, but is the center of the largest Native Hawaiian community in Hawai’i. Read more on the blog.
What you can do: It’s a kᾱkou thing, and it’s a justice thing.
(1) If you haven’t yet signed the petition, please add your name today!
(2) Tell three friends and ‘ohana about this issue, and ask them to sign, too!
(3) Join neighbors from all over the island in a sign-waving on August 18. For more information on sign-waving, email shelley@kahea.org
Tah-Dah! We Just Approved Construction on Your Property
The UH Board of Regents made a big “tah-dah!” last month over their approval of their giant Thirty Meter Telescope project on Mauna Kea. Honestly, we were left scratching our heads. First thing, Mauna Kea is “ceded” public trust lands and a conservation district. There is nothing in the Hawaii state laws that requires a developer to approve his/her own project plans. (Eh?) So what does their approval of TMT really mean?
What if Kanoe and Tyler want to build a parking lot in your front yard? Kanoe writes the proposal. Tyler approves her proposal, and then sends out a press release saying “Parking lot approved!” Now, did you get any say about this parking lot? Nope! Does it matter? Of course it does! Click here for more information and a short “manufacturing consent” dance video!
Walk the Walk
A true plan for Mauna Kea
Fundamentally, the struggle on Mauna Kea is about power, money, and control–who has it, and who doesn’t. In 2009, DLNR approved UH’s latest management plan, in which UH attempts to affirm their control over Mauna Kea’s summit. According to this plan, UH picks all the decision-makers, UH picks all the advisors, and UH call all the shots. For all the talk about a different kind of “paradigm” on Mauna Kea, we just don’t see much that has fundamentally changed. Last week, the Mauna Kea hui filed the opening brief in our court appeal against the UH management plan. Building on the incredible gains made in the last 15 years, we are continuing to work towards a different kind of future for Mauna Kea, and a truly new paradigm for real community management.
Widening the Door: DLNR’s Wild Laundry List of EIS Exemptions
Generally, under today’s environmental laws, certain kinds of projects have to do an environmental review (Like an EIS). Other kinds of projects can be exempted. The BP oil spill at Deepwater Horizon has been a sobering reminder of why these kinds of environmental reviews and exemptions are so critical. (Can you believe THIS was exempted from EIS?
Today, DLNR is proposing a “wild laundry list” of EIS exemptions for DLNR-managed lands, from building new roads to chemical spraying. 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 abou this issue, please contact Marti at marti@kahea.org by Friday morning.
Monk Seal Habitat, Now!
We’ve been twiddling our thumbs for over a year now, waiting for the Feds to figure out what to do about critical habitat for monk seals. KAHEA and the Center for Biological Diversity sent a Notice of Intent to Sue yesterday warning federal regulators to expedite the critical habitat designation for Hawaiian monk seals. Critical habitat means that developers and government agencies have to consider monk seals BEFORE they start up bulldozers in nearshore areas. We know habitat is critical to the survival of endangered species. The time is now: 2009 saw the fewest baby monk seals born in 10 years!
Protecting habitat for monk seals helps protect these areas for humans, too. Subsistence fishers, surfers, divers, swimmers, and monk seals all benefit from the same protections. Critical habitat for monk seals helps ensure subsistence fishing grounds are not built over by developments like hotels, highways, and power plants.
Read more: http://blog.kahea.org/2010/07/30/pushing-for-the-protections-monk-seals-and-humans-need/
Mahalo Summer Interns!
Mahalo pumehana to Amanda Donlin, Tyler Gomes, Mark Jensen, and Kanoe Vierra, our stellar legal and undergraduate interns!
“My internship at KAHEA was a great first taste of legal, non-profit, and environmental work. The staff gave me the freedom to work on a topic that interested me. The sense of empowerment that I was imbued with gave me the confidence to use the skills that law school has been cultivating in a real-world application. The work environment of people genuinely excited to change the world around them made this summer truly enjoyable.”
- Tyler Gomes, Richardson Law School, Class of 2012
Interested in interning with KAHEA? Contact Miwa Tamanaha at miwa@kahea.org.
Important Dates and Upcoming Events
August 18th
Sign waving on Farrington Hwy at Hakimo Road. We’ll be getting together to make signs (August 11) and wave ‘em on August 18. Show your support for all communities fighting unjust industrialization and landfills. Can’t make it? Wave your sign where you are, take a photo and send it to us to share!
August 20
Support Maoli arts and KAHEA at PEWA in Honolulu! “Carl Pao and Solomon Enos’ working together inspired a collaborative consciousness expressed as PEWA. This ‘butterfly patch’ commonly associated with the repair of a beloved `umeke, is an old symbol of connective, a healing tool to bring flesh together, a link between man and gods, a rejoining of previous wood. The connection is in itself, a thing of beauty.”
See photos from the July event: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=26286&id=130604286951993
August 28
Huaka’i Kako’o O Wai’anae, the environmental justice bus tour through Wai’anae. The next tour is on August 28th, with a few more to follow this fall. Thanks to Hawaii’s Peoples Fund and the Hawaii Community Foundation, more than 120 people have had the privilege to hear first-hand testimony of environmental justice communities on the Wai’anae Coast. You can too. RSVP to Shelley by August 24th, shelley@kahea.org. Read about the latest tour on our blog.
September 4
Farmers’ Union O’ahu Meeting – Across the islands, the Hawai’i Farmer’s Union is organizing in support of family-scale agriculture and functioning food systems for our islands. For more information, contact Lydi Morgan 295-3375 or hfuoahu@gmail.com
www.kahea.org
blog.kahea.org
phone: 808-524-8220
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KAHEA: the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance is a network of thousands of diverse individuals islands-wide and around the world. Together, we work to secure the strongest possible protections for Hawaii’s most ecologically unique and culturally sacred places and resources.
Office Address:
1149 Bethel St., #415
Honolulu, HI 96813
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 37368
Honolulu, HI 96837
Phone: 808-524-8220
www.KAHEA.org
KAHEA is funded grassroots-style, and does not receive any Federal or corporate money. It is the financial support of many INDIVIDUALS, all giving what they can, that keeps the lights on and the campaigns going here at KAHEA.
*Our current email and web program
does not support correct Hawaiian language diacriticals. Apologies from us for spelling errors, and
please know that we are trying our best.
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