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| Pohue Bay petroglyphs. Photo by Andrew Zenk from azenk.org |
DAMAGED PETROGLYPHS on the Nani Kahuku `Aina property have been found by Sierra Club hikers, according to Nancy Cook Lauer’s report in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald. The story said hikers “discovered bulldozer damage to petroglyphs they fear will only increase with the development of the proposed Kahuku Village project.”
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| Tomorrow is the deadline for public comments on the Kahuku Village draft EIS. |
Diane Ware, who leads hikes for the environmental group, told the Tribune Herald that the Big Island chapter of the Sierra Club will respond to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the resort by submitting comments and photos showing damage.
The 16,000 acres owned by the hui is located between Kalae, the South Point bluffs, and Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos. It is across the street from the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, extends from Hwy 11 to the ocean, and borders the turtle nesting shoreline at Pohue Bay.
Nani Kahuku `Aina partner Katherine Peroff, according to the Tribune Herald, said that no roadwork has been done and no bulldozers have been on property since her hui purchased the land. She said she has seen damage to petroglyphs herself and that the development would help to protect them. “Each petroglyph would be photographed and marked and such for protection,” she told the Tribune Herald.
The Draft EIS points to numerous petroglyph fields and other cultural sites, as well as Pohue Bay, where endangered hawksbill turtles make their nests. The Draft EIS points to creation of a cultural center and environmental programs in tandem with resort development.
Nani Kahuku `Aina partner Katherine Peroff, according to the Tribune Herald, said that no roadwork has been done and no bulldozers have been on property since her hui purchased the land. She said she has seen damage to petroglyphs herself and that the development would help to protect them. “Each petroglyph would be photographed and marked and such for protection,” she told the Tribune Herald.
The Draft EIS points to numerous petroglyph fields and other cultural sites, as well as Pohue Bay, where endangered hawksbill turtles make their nests. The Draft EIS points to creation of a cultural center and environmental programs in tandem with resort development.
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| Petroglyph at Pohue Bay. Photo by Andrew Zenk from azenk.org |
Sierra Club’s Ware said she first saw bulldozer tracks and petroglyph damage in 1998, and can’t say the damage was done by current developers. “You have to suspect with development, with petroglyphs down there that they want to give access to, you’re going to see more…. If they widen that road or pave it, you know that they’re going to be doing more damage,” Ware said.
The resort plan calls for reclassification of conservation property near the ocean for urban development and rezoning for resort and commercial use. Two hotels, condominiums, estates, a golf course and commercial centers are planned. The developers plan to use about 1,600 acres of the 16,000 acres of property they own.
Developers say they would bring 400 construction jobs to Ka`u for the $1.1 billion project that would take more than a decade to build out. More than 1,500 permanent jobs would be created, the developers contend.
The Tribune Herald story points out that “other developers have previously tried to develop the land as Hawaiian Riviera Resort in the 1980s. But that effort to build five hotels, 1,000 residential units, an airport and a marina was scuttled after an eight-year battle before the state Land Use Commission.”
The resort plan calls for reclassification of conservation property near the ocean for urban development and rezoning for resort and commercial use. Two hotels, condominiums, estates, a golf course and commercial centers are planned. The developers plan to use about 1,600 acres of the 16,000 acres of property they own.
Developers say they would bring 400 construction jobs to Ka`u for the $1.1 billion project that would take more than a decade to build out. More than 1,500 permanent jobs would be created, the developers contend.
The Tribune Herald story points out that “other developers have previously tried to develop the land as Hawaiian Riviera Resort in the 1980s. But that effort to build five hotels, 1,000 residential units, an airport and a marina was scuttled after an eight-year battle before the state Land Use Commission.”
The deadline for public response to the Draft EIS is tomorrow, Nov. 6. The draft EIS is available at the Hawai`i Department of Health Office of Environmental Quality Control website. Comments can be emailed to oeqc@doh.hawaii.gov.
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| The 68.6 square mile Kahuku Watershed. Kahuku means projection. Image from www.hawaiiwatershedatlas.com |
THE KAHUKU WATERSHED is one of the watersheds around the state being studied for preservation under an initiative launched by Gov. Neil Abercrombie this week at the national convention of the Society of American Foresters. Kahuku watershed is 68.6 square miles and extends from the ocean to an altitude of 6,886 feet. It is one of six watersheds in Ka`u District. Abercrombie is proposing a budget of $11 million a year to protect watersheds throughout the state. Much of the money would be used to eliminate invasive species from watershed areas. See more at www.hawaiiwatershedatlas.com.
IT’S GROUNDBREAKING DAY for the new Bay Clinic building which is going to help bring back a closer connection between patients and health care providers, according to Paul Strauss, Bay Clinic CEO. “Gone are the days when a patient of Bay Clinic does not know who his or her provider is. We want to go back to the days of the old style ‘family doctor’ where we have a relationship with each of our patients, and we know them and their extended families. It’s the personal relationship that people have with their health care provider that helps in the healing and health promotion process, and more importantly, building mutual trust,” he said. The new facilities, which will be constructed on the land in front of the current Bay Clinic makai of Hwy 11 in Na`alehu, will be large enough to significantly increase patient appointments for medical and dental care as well as counseling.
FALL FLING brings music, arts, crafts and activities for the family to the grounds of Punalu`u Bake Shop today. Sponsored by the Ka`u School of the Arts, it is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
BRANDY SHIBUYA graces the stage of the Miss Aloha and Miss Kona Coffee pageant this evening at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa. The 2011 Miss Ka`u Coffee is aiming to represent the Big Island in the upcoming Miss Hawai`i competition. Tickets are still available for tonight's pageant.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS with scholarships to study at the annual Kahumoku `Ohana Hawaiian Music & Lifestyle Workshop are coming to Pahala today. The weeklong workshop at Pahala Plantation House features instructors like Keoki, Moses and George Kahumoku; John and Hope Keawe; Herb Ohta, Jr.; Dennis and David Kamakahi and James Hill. A free Veterans Day concert will be held this Friday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House.
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| The Ka`u `Ohana Band will participate in the Veterans Day celebration at Na`alehu Park on Friday. |
A VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION will be held also in Na`alehu Park, sponsored by the Ka`u Multicultural Society. The Ka`u `Ohana Band will provide several marches to set a tone for the event, said band spokesman Robert Domingos. Speakers will include County Council member Brittany Smart. The event will include games for kids, displays of veteran photos and memorabilia. It begins with a blessing at 9 a.m., with entertainment to follow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
THE KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE will host another meeting this coming Tuesday, Nov. 8 at Ocean View Community Center beginning at 5:30 p.m.
