Grading & Grubbing Testimony this Monday, May 19

[Bob Orts]

quote:

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Originally posted by kimtavares

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.

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If I understand what you’re saying, a major item is that clear cutting can destroy precious cultural and archaeological sites and features. If so, I fail to see how this ordinance will solve anything. It may, through hit or miss, save an item or two, but still allows the wholesale destruction. Now I agree that saving one out of a hundred culturally important features is worth it, but if they are that important, why not address the cultural, historical, and archeological issue in it's entirety instead of relaying on a throw of the dice?