Snow job
Snow job
What public support?
The environmental assessment on the Department of Land and Natural Resources Ka‘u Forest Management Plan claims that most of the public is in support.
What “public” are they talking about?
Are they talking about the count of votes from Ka‘u residents who depend upon the forest as a food resource and deep cultural connection?
Or, are they talking about the islandwide public? Islandwide public support would include all of those with an obsession about native species. It would also include the large population who have swarmed to the jobs created by the huge windfall of funds from the federal and state to clean the land of non-native species.
The lofty goals are to return ecosystems to pre-human conditions. Maybe some of the supporters for this plan are among those who fall for the fear propaganda that non-native species are sucking up the water supply, while water-draining developments go forward.
The governor calls his lovely watershed protection campaign, “The rain follows the forest.”
The truth is the state follows the federal money and mandates — while the local people get snowed under.
Nani Mench Pogline
Keaau
Alii Drive darkness
Let there be light
As a visitor to Kailua-Kona, I loved to walk along Alii Drive, but I experienced some frightening moments during early and sudden evening darkness, which other walkers may have also experienced. I found myself stumbling along in pitch-black darkness in areas without any lighting and was in scary proximity to traffic.
Might there be ways to provide some unobtrusive solar lights, which would minimize installation and maintenance and energy costs and not inconvenience the neighbors with more the large and intrusive street lights?
Marion Busch
Rotterdam, The Netherlands