Environmental Caucus interview with Chair Gary Hooser will be broadcast Thursday evening on Olelo Channel 52 at 5pm. Its also streaming at Olelo on Demand, search for Malama Aina with Bill Sager. Tell your friends.
Category: Uncategorized
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February 23, 2011, General Membership Meeting Reminder and Agenda
Aloha all,
We have an important General Membership Meeting in just a few days. We ask once again that you join us in person.
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Time: 6:00
Location: St. Clement’s Episcopal Church Auditorium
1515 Wilder Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96822-4614
(808) 955-7745
Neighbor Islands: Please contact lynn@navigatinglife.org if you would like to join our meeting via teleconference.
Tentative Meeting Agenda:
6:00 meeting called to order with a check in from Neighbor Island ParticipantsChair Report:
1. We have amended our Bylaw in accordance with the Rules Committee. We are asking you to accept them. (We encourage you to review the Bylaws changes before attending the meeting. If you would like to review our amended Bylaws click on this link. All changes required and accepted by the rules committee are in bold; these are the changes that we are asking you to accept. If you wish to have a copy of these bylaws at the meeting, we ask that you print it out yourself, as we are trying to remain as paper free as possible.).
2. Explain and open nominations for SCC Representatives:
ARTICLE NINE: CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CAUCUS NOMINEES TO THE STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Section 1. A person seeking election as a representative of the Environmental Caucus to the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai`i must be a registered voter and member of the Democratic Party of Hawai`i, and of the Environmental Caucus on or before the scheduled date of the biennial State Party precinct meetings in the even-numbered year in which the person seeks election.
Section 2. A person seeking election as a representative of the Environmental Caucus to the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai`i shall file, with the Secretary of the Environmental Caucus nomination papers, which shall include:
1. Ten dollar ($10) filing fee payable to the “Democratic Party of Hawai`i”;
2. Signatures from five members of the Environmental Caucus;
3. Written statement showing:
A. A demonstrated involvement and active participation with the Environmental Caucus meetings and/or Environmental Caucus activities; and
B. Commitment to attend the State Central Committee and Environmental Caucus meetings.
Section 3. The nomination papers shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Environmental Caucus prior to or at the meeting of the Steering Committee of the Environmental Caucus to be held ten (10) days prior to the deadline for submission of nomination papers to the Democratic Party of Hawai`i. The Steering Committee of the Environmental Caucus will meet, review and make certification(s) based upon the adopted criteria above on this date and time at said Steering Committee meeting. If application is rejected for certification, the applicant will be informed with 48 hours.
3. We are calling for a special General Membership Meeting on March 23, 2011, (location to be announced) to vote on our SCC Representatives. All nomenies are requested to have their paper work in by our next Steering Committee meeting on March 9, 2011.
4. Treasure/fundraising report
5: Subcommittee Reports on Important Legislation to follow:
Natural resouces
Energy and Climate
Food and Farm Sustainability
Meeting scheduled to adjourn at 7:15.
Then grab a bag if popcorn and get ready for an inspiring documentary because following our official meeting, the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii is sponsoring a special showing of Two Angry Mom’s
A documentary about two women who set out to change the way their schools provide food to their children by creating school gardens. Also, an informative and inspirational “How to Guide” for how our community can to do the same.
Check out these video clips or, visit the Two Angry Mom’s website
The movie is schedule to start at 7:30 in the St. Clement’s Auditorium (running time 62 minutes). Admission to view the film is free and open to anyone in the community, so please forward this e-mail to your friends, and ask everyone you know to join us at 7:30. The popcorn however is not free, and all concession profits will help us to pay for this informative Caucus event.
Finally, for those who are interested, we have invited several local educational and garden experts to lead a question and answer session after the film.
I hope to see you there.
Lynn
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HB1385 – What now?
HB1385 was the bill which would’ve protected the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on the Big Island. It provided for a 2000 foot shoreline setback on state land on the big Island. It didn’t get a hearing and is dead for this session.
When it was first submitted to the environmental Caucus it was a proposal to provide a shoreline set back on state lands from Ulupo point to South point and around to Volcano national Park. That’s what the caucus voted on to support. The bill as submitted included all state lands on the Big Island.
The purpose, which the caucus supported was to protect Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, protect public access to the coast and provide an opportunity to build a trail parallel to the historic Trail which would provide biking and hiking opportunities.
The objectives are worthy of our continued support.
Rep. Chang held the bill in committee because he wanted a resolution from the County indicating their support. It also appears we may have stepped on some toes at the Hawaii County Caucus. We should definitely have had their participation and support, but being new and inexperienced, we were not aware of many of the institutions on the Big Island whose support we should have solicited.
Personally, I think this proposal is very complex and we approached it without sufficient research. I think our legislators will want to have a plot by plot analysis detailing information about each piece of state land. I think they want to know things like:
1. The geology of each plot and how subject the coast is to erosion and other impacts of sea level rise.
2. Where the Ala Kahakai trail is in relation to the coastline.
3. What species are present on the plot.
4. What potential impacts might this proposal have on potential future developments.
5. What maintenance costs are foreseen. For instance, will fountain grass need to be controlled in order to maintain access.
With this kind of information are legislators will be better able to evaluate the projects impacts and benefits.
In pursuing this project in the future we need to touch bases with as many organizations as possible. We need to know who our opposition is and the breadth and depth of our support.
I do not think volunteers can gathered the detailed information the legislators will require. Gathering this information will require funding. I suspect that if the state was to contract this study the consultant would charge over $100,000. With todays economy that will be difficult to sell.
A resolution asking UH Hilo Environmental Students to take on the study with a stipend for expenses, and perhaps a tuition scholarship would be a practical way to provide the needed information.
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We’re Official!
Aloha Members,
As many but not all of you know, the need to create an Environmental Caucus was overwhelming supported at the last State Democratic Convention. Since that time, we have been allowed to function as a Caucus without being officially recognized as a Caucus. In order to become officially recognized, we needed to supply three things:
1) Proof that we meet the minimum requirement of twenty members to form a Caucus. We currently have over 150 members and growing.
2) Proof that we represent more that three counties. We currently have members on every Island with the exception of Moloka’i; so send a copy of this e-mail to your environmentally concerned friends on Molokai’i and ask them to give us a call.
3) Our Bylaws needed to be recommended to the State Central Committee by the Democratic Rules Committee in order for the State Central Committee to officially certify us as a Caucus.
The third requirement was by far our biggest hurdle, and today our Caucus received that recommendation. Following a brief question and discussion period, the State Central Committee overwhelmingly certified our Caucus and welcomed us aboard. So it is official. We are no longer the baby Caucus. We are no longer the Environmental Group. We are officially the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i.
I personally wish to thank those members of our Caucus who attend today’s SCC meeting with me: Alan Burke, Mike DeWeert, Mary Guinger, Juanita Kawamoto, and Charlie Ice. Mike in particular spent many midnight hours putting last-minute touches on the bylaws to ensure the Rules Committee gave us a favorable report. I also want to thank everyone on the rules committee, with a special shout out to Lynne, for working with us ensure that we passed this final hurdle. And more than anything, I want to thank the many dedicated members who worked on writing our bylaws in the first place. I don’t know all your names, but you know who you are. We as a Caucus are grateful.
So let’s take a moment to celebrate.
Next, we need to pick our representatives to the State Central Committee. More about that in my next posting. Just keep February 23 and March 23 available. We have two extremely important General Caucus Meetings that we would like you all to attend.
More specifics and details are soon to follow.
Lynn Marie Sager
Vice Chair
Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i -
Action alert HB1385 Shoreline set back
Contact you Mayor and County Council members and ask them to support this bill.Juanita Kawamoto spoke to Representative Denny Coffman and he stated he and Representative Jerry Chang found that the need for the Hawaii County Council to create a resolution requesting for the set back was needed prior to the State requesting for the bill to be able to give the bill a stronger support from all the various County and State entities. Rep. Coffman apologized for not mentioning this to you sooner but that right now they are heavily into the session with alot of work piling up. If you need to talk to Juanita about the meeting which happened this afternoon around 5:30pm She can elaborate but the comments he made seemed to make sense to Juanita that they want to be sure that the county is in full support via resolution and then the State can reaffirm the support by finishing with the bill. I hope this will be of help to you. I did not meet with Rep. Chang as it was stated by Rep. Coffman that the county resolution was the holding point and would remain as long the county did not respond.a hui hou,Juanita Kawamoto BrownSubcommittee ChairFood an Farm SustainabilityEnvironmental Caucusof the Democratic Party of Hawaii
