In our featured article this month, UH Mānoa Professor Candace Fujikane shares some powerful community stories about urbanization and the future of farming in Hawai‘i. Candace (pictured here, far right, with Aunty Lucy Gay and Aunty Alice Greenwood) was an early rider on our Environmental Justice Bus Tours, and in support of the work of the Concerned Elders and Waiʻanae communities members to protect agricultural lands in Wai‘anae, began work interviewing farmers and documenting family farms along rural Hakimo Road.
The stories she is today helping to tell, show a pattern of farmers repeatedly pushed out by urban development. She concludes, “The next generation of farmers can provide food and jobs only if we are committed to a future for agricultural lands in Hawai‘i.” You can read Candace’s full essay and see an interactive map of Lualualei Valley on our website at www.KAHEA.org.
Mahalo to Candace and to all of our KAHEA ‘ohana who give so generously and work so passionately for a sustainable future for Hawai‘i nei! Below, more juicy news and updates on grassroots community work around the islands!
Mahalo pumehana,
Miwa Tamanaha
(and the rest of “us guys” at KAHEA).
Monk Seals Save the Beach
Thanks to the continued advocacy of KAHEA, the Center for Biological Diversity, and a wide ‘ohana of monk seal huggers around the globe, the proposal for expanding critical habitat protections for the highly endangered Hawaiian monk seal was finally released on June 2. We are liking! Critical habitat protections means the U.S. government cannot do things on these beaches -- like build a Federal highway or deploy killer sonar -- that would impair the quality of these resources for monk seal survival. So, critical habitat = good for monk seals, and good for everyone else who like go beach. Read more on the blog >
The public has until August 31 to send in public comments, and we’re working to set up an action page now! But no need just twiddle those thumbs until then, please make sure to show your commitment today by signing the petition and by “liking” the Save Our Hawaiian Monk Seal facebook page.
Got Pa‘i ‘Ai?
On May 5, 2011, SB101 was unanimously passed by the House and Senate, recognizing the importance of pa‘i ‘ai and making a way for cultural practitioners to share and sell traditional pounded kalo (taro). This amazing victory was made possible by the committed citizen advocacy of the LPA ‘Ohana and many others around Hawai‘i who mālama Hāloa and love paʻi ʻai!
(Mahalo to Uncle Earl Kaawa, Aunty Penny Levin, Daniel Anthony (of Mana 'Ai) and Amy Brinkler for keeping everyone (and us!) updated and sharing so generously of their knowledge!)
Read more about the effort to put pa‘i ‘ai on the table >
Line in the Sand Rally
Mahalo to all who came out to the “Line in the Sand” Rally for protecting our shorelines and defending beach access! It was a great day of sign-waving and sand castles, and a great show of aloha for beach access and shoreline protections, as people from around O'ahu came together to demand their public officials uphold shoreline setback laws, not bend the rules.
Click here to see a slideshow of pictures from the rally >
The Wronger You Are, The More Expensive It Is
While the UH administration has already spent $1.1 million on lawyers to defend their TMT development on Mauna Kea’s public conservation lands, our little team of volunteers and community members is fundraising at the grassroots to raise $20,000 to pay for attorneys to defend the summit >
That means that we’ll be spending less than 1% of 1% in the next year on lawyers than what the UH administration has already doled out. Ultimately, in the struggle to protect Mauna Kea, we have won in court--time and time again. Goes to show, money can’t buy everything!
Our legal intern, Bianca Isaki, gives her take on conflicts of interests, public money and development of the public lands on Mauna Kea. Read more >
You can help KAHEA and the Mauna Kea hui raise the $20,000 needed to continue our defense of Mauna Kea’s public conservation lands in court. Every little bit helps! Please give today!
Community Victory! Can't Eat Concrete
We are excited to report a big recent victory for communities in Wai‘anae Moku, where the State Land Use Commission rejected a speculative bid to flip agricultural lands in Lualualei Valley into a “purple spot” light industrial park development. This win came after hundreds of hours of community work, grassroots organizing, research, and good old-fashioned showing up. Mahalo to everyone who signed the petition and collected signatures, came to sign-waving events, testified at hearings, and walked door-to-door!
Congratulations especially to all the Wai‘anae Moku community members, Hakimo Road residents, Lualualei farmers, MA’O Youth, EJ Working Group, and the Concerned Elders, to whom this victory truly belongs! Read more about his victory on the blog >
You can show your solidarity and sign the petition to protect this farmland today at: http://bit.ly/purplespotpetition
We (heart) our Sustaining ‘Ohana!
Mahalo to our six new Sustaining ‘Ohana members, who answered our Earth Day kāhea! Your monthly gift helps give us resources we can count on each and every month to keep our community campaigns moving!
Not a member yet? We have a “Sustaining 'Ohana” Challenge from Earth Friends to recruit 100 new monthly donors this year. Monthly donors join our Sustaining 'Ohana by giving a small gift each month. Can you give $5 a month? $10 a month? Please help us meet this challenge! Show the love by making your pledge today!
Upcoming Events
Save Oahu Farmlands Rally At The State Capitol Jun 30, 2011 from 09:00 AM to 12:00 PM— State Capitol, Oahu, — by Lauren Muneoka. Please mark your calendars and save Thursday morning June 30th for a rally at the State Capitol. That morning the Land Use Commission (LUC) will consider allowing D.R. Horton's application to permanently cover over 1500 acres of the best remaining farmland in the State, with 12,000 houses.
Paepae o He'eia presents: La Holoholo Jul 02, Jul 16, Jul 30 from 08:30 AM to 02:00 PM — He'eia Fishpond, — by Lauren Muneoka. Paepae o He'eia presents La Holoholo, a fishing event, open to registered public.
See details on these events and more at: http://kahea.org/events. If you have events you want us to post, please contact Shelley Muneoka at shelley@kahea.org or 877-585-2432 (toll-free, all islands)
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Our mailing address is:
1149 Bethel St., Suite #415
Honolulu, Hawai'i, 96813
Our phone number:
808-524-8220
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