"Fish and Limu are allowed on the Superferry"

Responding to the letter of 11/17 in The Garden Island News, "Superferry concerns need perspective" from Peter Antonson where he states, "...hundreds of pounds of fish have not been removed from Maui," and "During the summer, Maui's mayor got hysterical about 400 pounds of fish in a month that never left Maui."

Actually, fish and limu are allowed to be transported on the Superferry. It is the opihi, crustaceans, and rocks that are not allowed on the Superferry. In the case of opihi, unless they are immature, there is no penalty for being caught attempting to smuggle them aboard. Fish and limu are allowed to 'flow freely.'

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

About my favorite Kauai videographer and bookwriter:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081026/COLUMNISTS02/81026033...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
"Powerful tale told in Hawaiian"
By Lee Cataluna Advertiser Columnist

"Haunani Seward has seen the movie countless times but it still makes her cry.

The students in the little school where Seward is principal, Ke Kula Ni'ihau O Kekaha Learning Center, spent two years working on "The True Story of Kaluaikoolau." The result is a film entirely in the Hawaiian language — specifically in the Ni'ihau dialect — with English subtitles. It is the language in which the story was first told of the family that would not let anything or anyone tear them apart.

In 1892, after realizing that he had Hansen's disease, Koolau fled with his wife and young son into the wilderness of Kaua'i's Kalalau Valley rather than be arrested by soldiers and sent alone to Kalaupapa on Moloka'i. The child, Kaleimanu, succumbed first to the disease, and Piilani had to bury her boy and then her husband. Through it all, she held tight to her faith in God. After three years of living as an outlaw, Piilani returned to her family in Kekaha. She later told her story to a reporter, and it was first published in the Hawaiian language in 1906.

The story is beautiful and tear-jerking, and the high school students who portray Koolau and Piilani give an amazing emotional performance, but Seward says that's not what brings her to tears:

"I think I'm crying because it was so hard to do."

Aloha mai kakou,

As most of you know PBR Hawai`i (the firm contracted to conduct the Ha`ena State Park master planning process) will be hosting an open house here at Limahuli Hale on October 24-25th. See attached flier for details. Please pass this along to anyone who may be interested.

Mahalo,

Kawika Winter

Director, Limahuli Garden and Preserve

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Office: 808-826-1668

Mobile: 808-346-5708

The mission of the National Tropical Botanical Garden is to enrich life through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education by perpetuating the survival of plants, ecosystems, and cultural knowledge of tropical regions.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

As events unfold from afar, first with energy prices and more recently with financial markets, I cannot help but wonder if Kauai is prepared for what lies ahead.

These economic events began in earnest in August 2007, and since then I have been watching closely what the community of Kauai is doing.

What I have seen is the people of a beautiful place mostly continuing about their daily lives and not expecting nor demanding significant changes from public nor private sector leaders. The people of Kauai appear to have been comfortable and happy with things the way they have been.

That comfort level may change from here on out.

For the community, a good place to start is with the upcoming election. Both of the Mayoral candidates seem to be good, kind people, but Kauai will need more than that, and soon.

As the election approaches, I hope all of the voters will truly consider which one of these two imperfect Mayoral candidates has the experience and intellectual interest to help solve the complex problems set to rain down upon the island.

Crisises are never easy to deal with, but JoAnn Yukimura is the only one of these two who has shown the experience and knowledge on the issues to help solve the complex problems up ahead and bring the community together.

No matter what, Kauai will get through this hurricane, again. We are living in some of the most interesting of times. Let's make it a better place and community on the other side.

Aloha, Brad

LIHU'E, KAUA'I – Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairperson Laura H. Thielen will present an update on the state's continuing efforts to protect and enhance natural and cultural resources on Kaua'i and throughout the State of Hawai'i when the Governor's Kaua'i Community Advisory Council meets at 5 p.m Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Moikeha Building meeting rooms 2A/2B, 4444 Rice St. in Lihu'e.
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The meeting is open to the public.

Also attending the meeting will be Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation Administrator Ed Underwood.

Gov. Linda Lingle created community advisory councils to give the neighbor islands a stronger voice in state government. The Kaua'i Community Advisory Council holds monthly public meetings to seek community input and advise the governor of important issues, public priorities, and recommendations for state boards and commissions.

The members of the Kaua'i Community Advisory Council are James Anakalea, Stewart Burley, Linda Collins, Vilamor Galiza, James Itamura, Maka'ala Ka'aumoana, Barbara Smith, Matt Takata (chair), and Leo Trinidad.

LIHU'E, KAUA'I – Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairperson Laura H. Thielen will present an update on the state's continuing efforts to protect and enhance natural and cultural resources on Kaua'i and throughout the State of Hawai'i when the Governor's Kaua'i Community Advisory Council meets at 5 p.m Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Moikeha Building meeting rooms 2A/2B, 4444 Rice St. in Lihu'e.
Advertisement

The meeting is open to the public.

Also attending the meeting will be Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation Administrator Ed Underwood.

Gov. Linda Lingle created community advisory councils to give the neighbor islands a stronger voice in state government. The Kaua'i Community Advisory Council holds monthly public meetings to seek community input and advise the governor of important issues, public priorities, and recommendations for state boards and commissions.

The members of the Kaua'i Community Advisory Council are James Anakalea, Stewart Burley, Linda Collins, Vilamor Galiza, James Itamura, Maka'ala Ka'aumoana, Barbara Smith, Matt Takata (chair), and Leo Trinidad.

Island History

by Hank Soboleski

Coco Palms Burial Grounds

Coco Palms Burial Grounds beginning where the Wailua River empties into Wailua Bay and extending inland up the Wailua River Valley for about 2 miles on the southern and 3 miles on the northern side of the river, Wailua Nui Hoano (Great Sacred Wailua) is one of the oldest inhabited and most sacred places in all Hawai‘i. For centuries it was the domain of Kaua‘i’s ali‘i, and within it on the property of the Coco Palms Hotel is located the chiefs burial grounds. In February of 1973, about 30 skeletons were unearthed at Coco Palms by Louis Rego Trucking Co. workers during their bulldozer and steam shovel excavations for new construction at the hotel.
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When the skeletons were unearthed, hotel manager Grace Guslander immediately contacted archaeologist Dr. William “Pila” Kikuchi, who determined that “the bones appear to be prehistoric, or about 300 years old.”

Thinking out of the box: Council representation by districts
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by Juan Wilson - Special to The Garden Island

Looking back over the last six or seven years, it seems to me that Kaua‘i doesn’t need a county mayor or a planning or public works department, as much as Kapa‘a and Koloa towns do.

Since 2000 when The Kaua‘i General Plan was last revised, our county government has largely ignored the public will. The core of the General Plan was to protect and enhance the rural lifestyle of Kaua‘i. Our county government has failed to protect our island from greedy speculators, ag-land subdivisions and visitor industry intrusion into our neighborhoods.
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They have not addressed GMO herbicide spraying near schools or saved the monkeypod trees of Koloa.

Towns like Koloa would have done much better with their own mayor and local government services, rather than the current county government.

Why? Accountability!

Certainly, if the Koloa monkeypod trees were threatened, the community would have had better leverage with the Knudsen Trust if it was dealing with the Koloa Planning Department.

This article advocates that Kaua‘i begin the process, through the Charter Commission, to create local governance by townships (municipal corporations), centered around our largest population centers and extending to the boundaries of regional watershed districts.

It’s been a year already

You are invited! Puna North's Moku Meeting; District Charter Amendment

`Ano`ai Ka'kou,

You are invited! Puna North's Moku Meeting; District Charter Amendment

This Saturday @ 6pm, at Rich Hoeppner and Judie Lundborg's house in the
Wailua Houselots, 4865G Nonou Road. Call 822.0930 for directions.

please come - bring some yumm! (and try carpool;)

We will be having a potluck and meeting to prepare for successful
campaign to bring sustainable districts based on the customary Moku back
int the 21st century for Kaua`i in the form of district elections to the
County Council.

Thanks go out to folks who over the last month identified some areas of
improvement in the District Amendment, and through discussion have
wrought forth a stronger and more balanced proposal. Mahalo nui loa!

Why do we want districts for Kaua`i?

Perhaps you saw recently in the Garden Island an article about Anahola
resident and Councilwoman Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho. After years of
waiting, the community of Anahola finally has a lifeguard chair. This
is a small thing, but perfectly exemplifies exactly how people tend more
to take care what they see every day in their neighborhood. This is
part of what we hope Districting will do for Kaua`i as a whole.

If you have been to www.PonoKauai.org recently, you would know there are
only 84 days left to submit 2k valid signatures to get a Districting
Charter Amendment on the ballot -- they are all due June 13.

Please join us the Saturday evening as we map out plans for success.

aloha,

jonathan jay

Malama Kaua'i Radio Show w/ Stacy Sproat-Beck, Waipa Foundation, March 21

On KKCR (91.9 FM or streaming live online at kkcr.org) this Friday, March 21 from noon - 1:00 PM, hosts Chris Jaeb and Keone Kealoha are joined by special guest Stacy Sproat-Beck, the Executive Director of The Waipa Foundation, a 1600-acre, intact Hawaiian ahupua'a located along Hanalei Bay. Stacy has been championing Waipa's ahupua'a restoration and perpetuation, a model that is constantly being referred to by modern day sustainability efforts in Hawaii.

We discuss a Hawaiian perspective on sustainability. Whether it's reviving more taro fields to fuel the Thursday poi day which feed hundreds each week, restoration of the centuries old fishpond, the grand openning of a new Alu Like Hawaiian Library or the current fundraising drive to realize a commercial kitchen and hale imu there is no shortage of inspiring projects.

For more information on Stacy and The Waipa Foundation please visit: www.waipafoundation.org