05-21-2008, 08:38 AM
With regards to amending the grading & grubbing ordinance (Chapter 10 of the Hawaii County Code)…
The chapter is entitled: SOIL AND SEDIMENTATION CONTROL
It took people who love to look at the forest to bring the issue to light, and everyone should be grateful that this is finally on the agenda of our County Council.
Yes, you may feel that your rights are being taken away, that you are no longer able to completely consume the forested vegetation from pin to pin across your entire property, but there are logical reasons for this …
We are on an island formed by five major volcanoes. That means mountains, elevation, relief.
What comes (from) up, must go down (hill) …. The more land clearing is done, the less the land will hold water. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to folks on the plains, but it should. You will flood MORE as time goes on, if grubbing and grading forested property continues at it’s current pace.
Trees, ferns, thick forest landscapes are like sponges. They hold the water and allow it to slowly percolate to the undersurface, and to collect in underground reservoirs, or run out to sea via lava tubes. When they are removed, water doesn’t get a chance to be absorbed by the forest-sponge. It runs DOWNHILL to the lower elevations over land, and floods out homes and roadways.
SO, YES, it’s our fore-fathers given right to develop land in the United States of America as we please, but … mowing the forest flat DOES CAUSE FLOODING, and depletion of the water table besides (since water won’t be going underground as much).
Now besides the flooding issue, another very real reason to be more aware of what you grub is, in order to preserve Hawaiian cultural (archaeological) sites and features, and to stay safe. So you may have bought a graveyard, a stone wall, a cobblestone walking path or a big hole in the ground. This may not mean a lot to you, but it should. We as Americans “own” what we have bought. But to be a responsible land owner in Hawaii, it’s better to think of ourselves as land stewards. When we take care of the land, it takes care of us. That’s not just a poetic cliché, it’s a very real fact.
County code, State statutes, and the lack of enforcement of either, allows us to destroy valuable cultural resources and our environment. These are about the only two things that federal government will put ahead of other land use laws. All of the problems listed in this post CAN be solved by innovative new ways of thinking. Get out of that canned “it is, therefore it is” box, and think creatively. We can develop whole new industries *and lots of jobs* around forest protection, water resources, natural resources management and restoration, if we put our collective minds to finding a good solution for everyone. Explore your land before you develop it. Find out what you’ve got …. Before it’s gone. Please join myself and others in the next steps to come…
Sincerely,
Kim Tavares
Puna CDP Steering Committee in support of:
Natural Resources Working Group
Culture and Historic Resources Working Group
Agriculture Working Group
Land Use Working Group
Community Development Hui of Fern Forest, president
Fern Forest resident
& Hawaii resident for over 30 years…
Mahalo.
The chapter is entitled: SOIL AND SEDIMENTATION CONTROL
It took people who love to look at the forest to bring the issue to light, and everyone should be grateful that this is finally on the agenda of our County Council.
Yes, you may feel that your rights are being taken away, that you are no longer able to completely consume the forested vegetation from pin to pin across your entire property, but there are logical reasons for this …
We are on an island formed by five major volcanoes. That means mountains, elevation, relief.
What comes (from) up, must go down (hill) …. The more land clearing is done, the less the land will hold water. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to folks on the plains, but it should. You will flood MORE as time goes on, if grubbing and grading forested property continues at it’s current pace.
Trees, ferns, thick forest landscapes are like sponges. They hold the water and allow it to slowly percolate to the undersurface, and to collect in underground reservoirs, or run out to sea via lava tubes. When they are removed, water doesn’t get a chance to be absorbed by the forest-sponge. It runs DOWNHILL to the lower elevations over land, and floods out homes and roadways.
SO, YES, it’s our fore-fathers given right to develop land in the United States of America as we please, but … mowing the forest flat DOES CAUSE FLOODING, and depletion of the water table besides (since water won’t be going underground as much).
Now besides the flooding issue, another very real reason to be more aware of what you grub is, in order to preserve Hawaiian cultural (archaeological) sites and features, and to stay safe. So you may have bought a graveyard, a stone wall, a cobblestone walking path or a big hole in the ground. This may not mean a lot to you, but it should. We as Americans “own” what we have bought. But to be a responsible land owner in Hawaii, it’s better to think of ourselves as land stewards. When we take care of the land, it takes care of us. That’s not just a poetic cliché, it’s a very real fact.
County code, State statutes, and the lack of enforcement of either, allows us to destroy valuable cultural resources and our environment. These are about the only two things that federal government will put ahead of other land use laws. All of the problems listed in this post CAN be solved by innovative new ways of thinking. Get out of that canned “it is, therefore it is” box, and think creatively. We can develop whole new industries *and lots of jobs* around forest protection, water resources, natural resources management and restoration, if we put our collective minds to finding a good solution for everyone. Explore your land before you develop it. Find out what you’ve got …. Before it’s gone. Please join myself and others in the next steps to come…
Sincerely,
Kim Tavares
Puna CDP Steering Committee in support of:
Natural Resources Working Group
Culture and Historic Resources Working Group
Agriculture Working Group
Land Use Working Group
Community Development Hui of Fern Forest, president
Fern Forest resident
& Hawaii resident for over 30 years…
Mahalo.