Category: Uncategorized

The Conservation Council for Hawai‘i strongly supports HB 935, which increases the conveyance tax on high-end real estate transactions and directs an additional ten percent of conveyance tax proceeds to the Natural Area Reserve Fund for watershed protection and invasive species control. Invasive species are one of the most significant threats to our watersheds, native species, habitats, cultural areas, recreation areas, and agricultural lands. 

·        The Rain Follows the Forest initiative is working to ensure fresh water is available for the people of Hawai‘i in perpetuity by protecting our watershed forests, a central goal of A New Day in Hawai‘i plan.

·        Healthy forests that are not overrun by invasive species efficiently capture and deliver fresh water into streams and aquifers for our use.

·        By pulling moisture from passing clouds, forests can actually increase water capture up to 50% more than through rainfall alone.  

·        When forests are lost or degraded, Hawai‘i loses its source of fresh water.

·        More than half of Hawaii’s forests have been lost.  Historically, the threat was overharvesting and development.  Today’s threat is invasive plants and animals.

·        The longer we wait to take significant action, the higher the cost will be to reverse the damage, thereby threatening water supplies for future generations.

·        Forests also help mitigate erosion and runoff into our precious streams and coastlines.

·        Healthy forests will become even more critical as we experience the likely effects of climate change, including more severe storms but overall less rainfall, and temperature changes that may benefit invasive pests.

·        The conveyance tax bill would support this watershed protection through essential forest management programs, invasive species control, land acquisition, and other conservation programs.    

·        The development and sale of real estate helps drive Hawaii’s economy, but it also puts pressure on our natural resources.  It makes sense to spend a portion of conveyance tax revenue on protecting those natural resources.

·        In recent years, enormous amounts have been invested in the development and sale of real estate, and continued investment in development and construction is helping to lift our economy out of recession.  Yet, we make a comparatively tiny investment in protecting the natural resources that also drive our economy and provide benefits that allow us to survive in the middle of the vast Pacific.

Link to status and bill:

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2013/hearingnotices/HEARING_WTL-ENE_2-5-13_.HTM

The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party has not formally taken a position on this Bill as of today. However action of this bill is time sensitive and has a direct impact on invasive species which is an important priority for the caucus.  Please look into this and submit your testimony today!!!

Aloha all,

I just received this notice from Sen. Ihara today. Thought you might like to attend.

Lynn

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In case you haven’t heard yet, the first bill to address the PLDC law (SB942) has been scheduled for a hearing by the House Transportation Committee on Wed, Jan. 30, 10am, in conf. rm. 309. SB942 seems to repeal much of the PLDC law, HRS §171C, including exemptions, but not sure what harmful powers still remain.
Hearing notice — http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2013/hearingnotices/HEARING_TRN_01-30-13_.HTM
Bill info/text — http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=942&year=2013

The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii would love to see you to our next General Membership Meeting. 

We will be acknowledging all our Officers, Regional Representatives, and Subcommittee Chairs, as well as giving them a chance to report to you. We also have an IMPORTANT VOTE that we need our Caucus Members to make. Finally we have a dynamic speaker sure to inspire a memorable discussion.

 General Membership Meeting Details
Date and Time: August 22, 2012, 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm

 Location: Environmental Caucus Main Office, 
State Headquarters of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i
 , 1050 Ala Moana Blvd, #2660
Honolulu, HI 96814
, (808) 596-2980

 As always, neighbor island members may attend via the Internet, using gotomeeting.com. Please see the instructions at the end of this email for details.

 Evening Agenda:

• 5:00 Volunteers arrive to help set up (feel free to come early and help)
• 5:30 Greetings and Food (Pot Luck, so please bring your favorite dish)
• 6:00 Call to order with Executive Committee acknowledgments and reports
• 6:40 IMPORTANT VOTE: We are asking for changes to the Bylaws, and in order to do that we need your vote. We will email our members the changes prior to the vote, and also have the changes available on paper at the meeting, so that you can review them prior to the vote.
• 7:00 Special speaker Ron Cannarella (see bio below)
• 7:20 Questions and Answers

Special Evening Speaker: Ronald J. Cannarella

 As far back as he can remember, Ron Cannarella had two role models: Jaqcues Costeau and Officer Spock. One saved the world, and the other got to explore strange new worlds and seek out new civilizations.

Upon completion of his forestry degree in 1985, the US Peace Corps gave him the opportunity to establish a Forestry Department for the island of Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, which had unilaterally been granted its independence from Great Britain only a few years earlier. From there, Ron moved to Washington, DC where he worked for one year at EPA before accepting a two year contract position in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands where he established the Marshall Islands Environmental Protection Authority.

Upon completion of his contract, Ron was offered a position as a research associate at the University of Hawaii in 1990. He studied Urban and Regional Planning at UH, but before he completed his studies, he was offered a position as the Information and Technical Services Forester at the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DLNR/DOFAW), where he works today.

In his position at DLNR, Ron has had the good fortune to work on several statewide planning and mapping projects. As a result, he regularly interacts with many diverse groups of people from cultural practitioners to world-class scientists, from students to kupuna.

He is a firm believer in open government, that data must be converted to useful information, and that the marketplace of ideas based on accurate information is the best way for mankind to face the daunting challenges we will be facing in the coming decades and centuries.

At the Caucus’s August 22ndGeneral Meeting, Ron’s objective is to spark debate on some of the important environmental and social issues of interest to the audience, with emphasis on topics that are currently “in play” in Hawaii. He will discuss issues such as sustainably managing our natural resources and retaining our human capital, the future of our water supplies, energy sources, and coastal areas. What is being done to manage invasive species, how Hawaii is responding to potential climate change and sea level rise? He will try to shed some light on how the state approaches those issues with which he is most familiar. His opinions are his own, and do not reflect the Democratic Party, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, or the administration.

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Neighbor Island Members’ Internet Option Details:

To join any of our officially scheduled meetings via Gotomeeting.com simply click on the link below:

http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/

Once there, click on the join meeting link in the upper right hand corner of your navigation bar and enter the appropriate information when prompted.

Meeting ID: 857-988-025

Meeting Password: GreenHawaii

This is a recurring meeting. The Password and meeting ID do not change, so you may join us using the same ID and Password at any officially scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee or General Caucus.

Special note: Because of limited bandwidth, we ask that you do not turn on your personal cameras. We have found that any time we have more than once camera operating at once, the sound starts to breaks up. In other words, only the person speaking should have his or her camera on and then only when speaking.

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Mahalo to you all, and I hope to see you there,

Lynn Marie Sager
Chair
Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii

Did you hear, TV channels are running out of space for TV campaign commercials.  Being a smart business person, Gov Lingle made sure we can watch her infomercials.  She bought cable channel 110 on Oceanic Cable to make sure we can hear everything she has to say.  Check it out, click here

City Council Hearing: re-commit Resolution 12-57 for Hawaii GMO Labeling. Wed 5/9, 10am, at the Pali Golf Course. This is the HPU/Golf Course cross walk on Kamehameha Hwy just before the Castle Junction traffic light. Tell your councilpersons to support GMO Labeling.

You can submit email testimony at http://www1.honolulu.gov/council/emailph.htm. There is a glitch in the email forum. In the cc  email addresses are separated by a “;” Change the semi-colon to a comma.
If you want to submit oral testimony, you need to register separately. Go here http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare/dsweb/View/Collection-1672 and select the first line “online speaker registration.” Fill out the forum and press submit.  You will be told you successfully registered, but you will get an email pop up.  You will have to send the email to actually register.  Again you will have to change ; to ,s. If your registration was successful, you will get a confirming email.

If you feel strongly about GMO, please testify.  This is my testimony:

By this testimony, I ask you to recommit resolution 1257 which would require GMO foods to be labeled.

I’m a supporter growth GMO research. However, I realize that the effects of GMO manipulations are not well researched. Frankly, we do not know the impacts of introducing a gene from another species to a plant.

For instance, when we place a gene from wheat into Kalo do we then make Kalo dangerous to people who must remain gluten-free?

For this reason, I asked you require GMO foods be labeled.

I recognize that you may believe that this is a state or even national issue. Yet, you are the representatives of the people of the City and County of Honolulu. The citizens of our County have a right to know if a food has been GMO modified. They have a right to choose what foods they eat.

ALOHA KAKOU,

JOIN US TONIGHT FOR AN INTERESTING COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROGRAM “LIVE” AT THE MAPUNAPUNA OLELO STUDIO INFORMING PEOPLE OF “THE BUSINESS OF FOOD IN hAWAII”

OUR PANELLIST TONIGHT ARE DON HEACOCK – KAUAI TARO FARMER, JANIS TANGA – PRESIDENT OF THE HAWAII FOOD MANUFACTURER ASSOCIATION, MARK FERGUSSON, CEO FROM DOWN TO EARTH, DR. SABRY SHEHATA – UH HILO PROFESSOR OF AGRIBUSINESS ECONOMICS IN HAWAII.

HOST FOR THE EVENING WILL BE GARY HOOSER – ECDPH CHAIRMAN EMERITUS AND FORMER SENATOR

ALL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE LIVE STUDIO SHOWING FROM 6PM TO 8PM TONIGHT. BRING YOUR QUESTIONS AND GET READY FOR INTERESTING ANSWERS AND CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH HAWAII’S FOOD SECURITY AND FOOD SELF SUFFICIENCY ISSUES.

WATCH CHANNEL 49 ON OLELO TV. FROM 6PM TO 8PM. WE WILL BE TAKING CALL IN QUESTIONS FROM OUR VIEWERS AND IN