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| Kalani DeCoito encourages hunters, ranchers and landowners to help one another. |
ABOUT 75 HUNTERS, ranchers and land managers met last night at Pahala Community Center to work out ways to retain access through ranches and farms to hunting grounds. Kalani DeCoito, who organizes hunting tournaments in Ka`u, urged hunters to organize and educate their community to assist landowners so they will be welcomed onto their property. Suggestions came from many hunters: When you see a stray cow, call the rancher. A broken fence or water pipe? Call the land manager. If there is rubbish, don’t think, “That is not my rubbish; I’m not picking it up. Malama the `aina. It is all our rubbish.” It was also suggested that hunters police one another by reporting anyone thieving or vandalizing.
Hunters acknowledged that poachers and others who cut fence, wreck water lines and troughs, and leave gates open waste so much of ranchers’ time and money making repairs and rounding up loose cattle that the ranchers sometimes close the access to hunting.
DeCoito and land managers agreed that only a small percentage of hunters ruin it for everyone. Hardest hit are people for whom hunting and fishing are necessary to feed their families.
During the meeting, Lani Cran Petrie, manager of Kapapala Ranch, addressed the use of a two-mile access road through eucalyptus trees on Kamehameha Schools land that her ranch recently leased in order to have extra grazing area to save cattle during the drought. She proposed to allow hunters through the eucalyptus to access hunting areas mauka, through signing a waiver and calling in each time they go hunting. If registered, they will receive a code to open the gate and can proceed. She said that she wants to help the community to continue the hunting tradition.
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| Paul Makuakane, left, asked ranchers to respond to reports of loose cattle eating kalo and sweet potato, while Mike Silva, right, was concerned about lost hunting dogs. |
How about staying late to find lost dogs? asked Mike Silva. If hunters lose dogs, call her and she will let them stay past hunting hours to find their dogs, she replied.
She said, however, it takes days and sometimes weeks of extra effort when gates are left open or fences cut and cattle are left “huikau” – mixed up.
Legal hunting hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
She said, however, it takes days and sometimes weeks of extra effort when gates are left open or fences cut and cattle are left “huikau” – mixed up.
Legal hunting hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Paul Makuakane asked ranchers to respond quickly to reports of loose cattle eating farmers’ crops, including his kalo and sweet potatoes.
Some hunters, including Eddie Salmo, offered to donate hours to help the ranch with fencing and other chores.
The phone number to request to traverse the road through the eucalyptus grove to go hunting is 928-8405. Applications were circulated among hunters who attended the meeting.
The phone number to request to traverse the road through the eucalyptus grove to go hunting is 928-8405. Applications were circulated among hunters who attended the meeting.
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| Longtime rancher and hunter Wally Andrade asked hunters to help the ranchers. |
Rancher Wally Andrade also spoke up, saying hunting was his life growing up in Ka`u. “I was one hunting freak,” he proclaimed. He gave the hunters suggestions to get along with landowners: “You got to educate these guys what is respect. When you go hunting, put back the loose cattle; respect the rancher. Then come talk to me; chase some pigs. I will open the gate for you,” he said.
Others who came to Ka`u to share their mana`o included state game warden Jackie Kaololu, Jim Thayne from Forest Solutions, which manages the eucalyptus trees, Kala Kanakaole, with the land operations division of Kamehameha Schools and pig hunter Hano Grace. They all encouraged open communication and cooperation between hunters and land managers.
Others who came to Ka`u to share their mana`o included state game warden Jackie Kaololu, Jim Thayne from Forest Solutions, which manages the eucalyptus trees, Kala Kanakaole, with the land operations division of Kamehameha Schools and pig hunter Hano Grace. They all encouraged open communication and cooperation between hunters and land managers.
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| Lani Cran Petrie, of Kapapala, shares the struggles of the ranch through the drought and the vog. |
THE HISTORY OF KAPAPALA RANCH was presented to hunters at the meeting on access to the forest. Manager Lani Cran Petrie noted that Kapapala is the second oldest continually operating ranch on the island, having only four owners in the last 150 years: William Reed and Charles Richardson from 1850 to 1877, C. Brewer from 1877 – 1975, Parker Ranch for two years and Gordon Cran, Lani’s respected paniolo father and family since then. She reminded the hunters that the land is rugged, the job of raising cattle is difficult and the vog and recent drought have made this a survival situation for the iconic Kapapala Ranch. She asked for everyone’s kokua.
THE HISTORY OF KAMEHAMEHA schools, which owns land in Ka`u that is leased out to ranchers and foresters and sometimes used for hunting access, was also presented at the hunter meeting. Kama Dancil, the KS local land manager, explained that the purpose of Kamehameha Schools is education. Most of the funding for the educational programs throughout the state is raised through its Financial Assets Division and Commercial Real Estate Division, with such projects on this island as the Four Seasons at Hualalai and Keauhou Shopping Center. The Land Assets Division brings in only two percent of the income.
Kamehameha Schools owns 295,000 acres on the Big Island, with 65,000 acres in Ka`u, and most of this land is managed for its conservation values. Some of it is leased out, however, and it is up to the lessee to determine who they will allow on the property, Dancil said. In fact, Kamehameha Schools is leasing out all of its eucalyptus stands in Ka`u to ranchers.
PAHALA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH holds its annual Market Day tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It includes a thrift sale, plant sale and bake sale.
THE BIG FUNDRAISER for the high school band One Journey is on for this Sunday, March 6th at the radio station on Maile Street in Pahala. It will be a CD release party and will raise money for their trip to O`ahu to participate in Brown Bags to Stardom. One Journey will perform along with other musical groups including Gene and Chris Akamu, and the new band Keaiwa. The fundraiser is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plenty of music and plenty of food will be available to help these talented youth.
THE HISTORY OF KAMEHAMEHA schools, which owns land in Ka`u that is leased out to ranchers and foresters and sometimes used for hunting access, was also presented at the hunter meeting. Kama Dancil, the KS local land manager, explained that the purpose of Kamehameha Schools is education. Most of the funding for the educational programs throughout the state is raised through its Financial Assets Division and Commercial Real Estate Division, with such projects on this island as the Four Seasons at Hualalai and Keauhou Shopping Center. The Land Assets Division brings in only two percent of the income.
Kamehameha Schools owns 295,000 acres on the Big Island, with 65,000 acres in Ka`u, and most of this land is managed for its conservation values. Some of it is leased out, however, and it is up to the lessee to determine who they will allow on the property, Dancil said. In fact, Kamehameha Schools is leasing out all of its eucalyptus stands in Ka`u to ranchers.
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| Jaeneise Cuison, candidate for Miss Ka`u Coffee |
THE BIG FUNDRAISER for the high school band One Journey is on for this Sunday, March 6th at the radio station on Maile Street in Pahala. It will be a CD release party and will raise money for their trip to O`ahu to participate in Brown Bags to Stardom. One Journey will perform along with other musical groups including Gene and Chris Akamu, and the new band Keaiwa. The fundraiser is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plenty of music and plenty of food will be available to help these talented youth.
MISS KA`U COFFEE CANDIDATES have only a few hundred tickets left to the pageant scheduled for Saturday, April 23rd at 5:30 p.m. at Ka`u High School gym. The pageant, featuring Miss Ka`u Coffee, Young Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Peaberry competitions, will also feature a choreographed dance involving all the candidates. The $12 tickets are available from the candidates.
