FALL 2010
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Foley President Rob Parsons Vice President
E-mail: director@maui-tomorrow.org Website: www.maui-tomorrow.org
55 N. Church Street, Ste. A5 Wailuku, HI 96793 Telephone: (808) 244.7570 Fax: (808) 244.7570
Trip Lynch Treasurer Judith Michaels Secretary Michael Duberstein
Federal Wildlife Agency Wants 130 Acres of Wailea 670 Preserved. Help us enforce our laws!
Lance Holter Maury King Richard Michaels Mark Sheehan STAFF Irene Bowie Executive Director Rob Lafferty Webmaster Geoffrey T. Moore Graphic Designer
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Maui County is so fortunate to have an organization like Maui Tomorrow. They have the expertise, dedication and courage necessary to watch over our public interest and hold government accountable. Please give them the support they need to be your voice.” — Michelle Anderson, former Maui County Council-member
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Support Maui Tomorrow Now: Donate at mauitomorrow.org
President’s Message Maui Tomorrow Online www.maui-tomorrow.org Our website features updates on our activities, an interactive discussion forum, with news articles archived regularly, links to other useful resources, and more. We also maintain an e-mail list to which we send periodic updates, relevant news articles, hearing notices, and other related information. If you would like to be on the list, please send a note to: aina@maui-tomorrow.org If you would like to receive the Maui Tomorrow newsletter via e-mail instead of U.S. Mail, please send an e-mail message to: aina@maui-tomorrow.org
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Aloha Maui Tomorrow Supporters, Maui Tomorrow’s Board, Advisory Committee and Executive Director have been very, very busy. There are many serious issues facing beautiful Maui. Our goal is to protect Maui’s future. We support a healthy, economically sustainable future through alternative energy projects, natural stream and aquifer replenishment and locally-grown food. We’re working to protect irreplaceable biological and cultural resources in Makena and guarding public health threatened by injection wells. We supported new bike paths in Kihei and Paia and protection of Maui’s coral reefs, limiting aquarium fish collecting. The future? We continue our work to create the Patsy Mink Northshore Heritage Park and the Pali to Puamana Parkway in West Maui, plus adoption of a sensible blueprint for future growth: a Maui Island Plan with reasonable Urban Growth Boundaries. On November 2th Maui will have a very important General Election, with Maui voters selecting a Governor, Lt. Governor, Mayor and nine County Council members. Maui Tomorrow does not endorse specific candidates, but we do urge you and everyone you know to VOTE! — Mahalo, Mike Foley, Maui Tomorrow President
“Protecting Maui’s Future” is on Akaku TV! Lights! Camera! Action! Maui Tomorrow is on the air! Last year, Maui Tomorrow’s Board of Directors decided to produce a TV program for Akaku to educate Maui’s residents about issues of importance to all of us and show people how they can get involved. Five members of the board went through the Producer certification class at Akaku and were soon filming segments for our first show. “Protecting Maui’s Future” debuted on Akaku in April with stories about Maui Tomorrow’s origins, the Maui Island Plan, the Rob Report on alternative agriculture, the planting of a school garden at Kihei Elementary and “Shave Ice” with Tom Stevens. Our second episode began showing in August and features segments about Maui’s injection wells and wastewater disposal, more about the Maui Island Plan, Maui Tomorrow’s new food website, our Person of the Month: Randy Awo, and our regular feature, “Shave Ice” with Tom Stevens. If you don’t catch our show in its regular programming, you can schedule it to run at your convenience on Akaku’s channel 54. Go to www.akaku.org, click on “Akaku Online - Program Channel 54,” then, in the keywords box, enter “Protecting.” Click on Protecting Maui’s Future, then follow instructions to play or schedule the show on channel 54.
INJECTION WELLS: Are There Any Alternatives? The ongoing debate over the use of injection wells in Maui County has many people asking: “Are there viable alternatives to disposing of wastewater via injection wells?” Considering that legally permitted injection wells are linked to coral reef degradation and suspected A healthy coral reef eco-sytem. of causing increasing incidences of staph infections in recreational water users, this is an important question. Considering also that the county’s economy is closely tied to whether or not Maui’s coral reefs can survive the unremitting onslaught of human impacts, the question begs to be answered. Photo by Linda Preskitt What is absolutely clear at this Algae blooms cover a one healthy reef. point is that the daily discharge of over 9 million gallons of semi-treated sewage into injection wells where it eventually reaches the ocean is not helping to preserve coral reefs or improve water quality in our coastal waters. If something isn’t done sooner rather than later, ever-widening algae blooms and coastal cesspools may be all that Maui has left to bequeath to future generations. Methods exist that can be used to clean up our treated sewage to levels that will not harm the marine environment, might even help to provide fresh drinking water and could enhance already existing wildlife habitat and the maintenance of productive green spaces. Here’s a taste of what other communities are doing: Orange County, California converts its wastewater into pristine drinking water to supply an expanding population in this water-hungry region. The small town of Weston, Massachusetts uses its wastewater to grow flowers and vegetables in a community-owned and operated greenhouse. The process employed there is called Solar Aquatics. Communities all over the world rely on artificially created wetlands to either fully or partially handle wastewater and keep harmful nutrients from entering nearby bodies of water. Dollar-wise, they are much cheaper than most other
types of technologies at reducing pollutants and they get the job done without massive expenditures for energy that treatment plants require. When properly designed and managed, constructed wetlands can remove up to 100% of nitrogen. They also can be used to recharge faltering drinking water aquifers. Many double as treasured recreational areas and wildlife havens complete with boardwalks, interpretive centers and nature hikes As for energy costs to reclaim wastewater, Renton, Washington sought and won an EPA grant to generate electricity out of what’s flushed down toilets. The electricity now powers a reclamation plant and the excess is sold to the power grid. The community refers to it as “poop power.” Alternatives to injection wells are many. What really matters is the level of nutrients and other “bad stuff” that goes down the wells. One way or another anything bad going down an injection well eventually gets out into the ocean or nearby water body, where it can cause serious problems with fragile ecosystems. Maui County currently reclaims roughly 23% of its wastewater for irrigation purposes. The remainder is disposed of through 18 injection wells. Total numbers for countywide private injection wells—at shallower depths and lower treatment levels—are not easily obtained but such wells should be included in efforts to address wastewater issues. Small system users, in particular, will need both outside funding assistance and professional help to mitigate pollution problems they are unable to address on their own. Clearly, a “vehicle” is needed to address pollution issues in a more comprehensive manner. A Coastal Clean Water Commission (CCWC) appointed by the mayor might be a good start, especially if empowered to research and recommend “clean water fees” dedicated to reducing harmful nutrients and other pollutants in Maui County’s coastal waters. The state of Maryland has “flush fees” currently set at $2.50 per month per household hooked up to a public system. Here on Maui, where millions of visitors each year significantly add to coastal water problems, it only makes sense that a clean water fee should be paid by both taxpayers and visitors to clean up Maui County’s waters and preserve our marine heritage for everyone to enjoy. At the very least, a portion of the high taxes already paid by visitors should be dedicated toward reducing marine impacts. A Coastal Clean Water Commission could examine acceptable ways to involve visitors, harbor users, and taxpayers alike, evaluate less costly approaches such as constructed wetlands, make recommendations on how fees should be allocated, look at legislative options and pursue additional funding possibilities. How far are we willing to go and how much are we willing to pay to allow our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to swim, play, surf, dive and eat fish taken from the ocean? The choice is ours. — Excerpted from an article by Maalaea resident, Pam Daoust; to read the full article go to www.maui-tomorrow.org
VICTORY: Federal Wildlife Agency Supports 130-acre Preserve at Wailea 670 Did you sign a Maui Tomorrow petition calling for a “better plan for Wailea 670?” This petition called for 130 of the project’s 670 acres to remain as a biological and cultural preserve instead of being bulldozed into a golf course and luxury home lots. If you did, you’ll be happy to know that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWF) scientists agree with you. Now Maui Tomorrow’s efforts are needed to keep up the pressure to ensure that the conditions of rezoning that were placed on Wailea 670 are enforced, and to make sure that this important natural and cultural area is protected and cared for. The Maui Tomorrow petition supported the work of citizen scientists like Lee Altenberg and Colin McCormick who documented hundreds of native dryland forest plants in the southern 130 acres of Wailea 670, including some very rare species. Other citizen scientists
Volunteers help identify native plants and archeological sites.
documented the endangered native Sphinx moth on the property. Hawaiian cultural groups, like Maui Cultural Lands, documented dozens of new archaeological sites beyond the 40 already known. The hard work of Maui Tomorrow volunteers and other citizens made it clear that the minimum 22 acre native plant and cultural site preserve proposed by the Wailea 670 landowners was not adequate. The USFWS comments made it clear that the 22 acre preserve did not comply with the project’s “conditions of rezoning” which are recorded with the deed of the land.
The Maui County Council adopted Condition 27 during its 2008 rezoning decision on Wailea 670. Condition 27 called for a 130 preserve, protected by a conservation easement, on the lava field lands south of a specific latitude 20-40’15”.N. These younger (less than 10,000 years old) lava flows have proven to be the best remaining native dryland forest habitat on Maui. Condition 27 stated that the preserve should contain 130 acres “excepting any lands that USFWS and State Wildlife experts determined were not deserving of preservation” and, at minimum, should be at least 18 acres. Wailea 670 landowners re-interpreted this condition to offer a 22 acre preserve and 120 acres of fragmented “habitat enhancement areas” which were, in reality, rough areas around existing gulches and proposed holes on the golf course and most of this “preserve” was not in the area south of lat 20-40-15 N. Maui Tomorrow is committed to seeing sound science and natural habitat management prevail at Wailea 670 and will work through all legal channels to enforce this important condition as the project seeks its next levels of approval at the Maui Planning Commission.
MAUI STREAMS FLOW AGAIN Some water diverted to plantations put back in native streams After years of essentially being drained dry and left for dead, two legendary streams on the Hawaiian island of Maui came back to life this week, thanks to the work of Earthjustice for plaintiffs, Maui Tomorrow Foundation and Hui O Na Wai Eha. The streams were diverted over a hundred years ago to irrigate sugar cane and pineapple plantations. Over time sugar and pineapple have faded in the islands, succumbing to cheaper foreign competition. This freed up the water to restore the streams. But the old plantation companies have other ideas. They want to develop the farmlands and bank and sell the diverted stream water. To them the water is the key to cashing in with McMansions, condos, resorts, and shopping centers, all fueled by “free” stream water. On the other side, Native Hawaiian and local communities Waihe‘e stream water is released. have waited to restore the streams and the interconnected wetland taro patches that produce a staple food as old as Hawaiian civilization. Earthjustice attorneys took the case to the state water commission and won a ruling that some of the stream water must be restored. The ruling didn’t begin to go far enough and has been appealed to the courts. But it marked the beginning of the end of the plantations’ water monopoly. The commission ordered the restoration of some flows to Waihe’e River and Waiehu Stream, two of the four major waters in Central Maui. When the fateful day came, the plantation diverters allowed some of the water to once again take its natural course. Every year brief downpours of heavy rains would temporarily make the streams flow again which helped retain the original streambed. Now, in the middle of summer, fresh clean water from West Maui’s mountains once again flowed to the sea breathing life into the plants and animals along the way. For the first time in more than a century, and after six years of legal battles, the community saw the streams come back to life. The restored water recalled a similar water battle fought by Earthjustice 15 years prior on the island of O’ahu. In that case, native streams were eventually restored by court order after plantations stopped using it on cane and pineapples. And on O’ahu, as on Maui, the powers that be fought stream restoration tooth and nail. They tried as hard as they could to bank the water for, surprise! - development on former farmlands. On Maui, the plantation companies are not going quietly. They have so far refused to provide all the water they were ordered to restore. One company is even resorting to scorched earth tactics, allowing some residents with priority water rights who had been receiving water though the plantation ditch system to be cut off, and refusing to cooperate to find a solution. The truth is the plantation companies easily have more than enough water to both restore the streams and supply these residents. Earthjustice will stay at it until these problems are addressed. In the courts and in the community, we will not rest until justice, and the waters of Maui rivers and streams, flow once again for present and future generations. — John McManus, Earthjustice
A Message from Executive Director Irene Bowie
Angie Hofmann, Makena Skimboard Contest Coordinator; Irene Bowie, Executive Director; and Suzy Kussner, Administrative Assistant enjoy Flatbread Pizza Benefit. Aloha, Maui Tomorrow Foundation has been working for environmental advocacy in our community for over twenty years. We do this in order to protect Maui’s precious natural areas and prime open space for recreational use and aesthetic value. We work to promote the concept of ecologically sound development, to preserve cultural resources, and to promote, sponsor, and participate in educational and community programs and seminars that keep Maui’s citizens informed and aware. With the November elections we’ll see a new state administration; one that we hope is sensitive to important environmental and cultural resources and ready to act wisely on the issues that greatly affect our future, issues such as sea level rise and the erosion of local beaches; the fight against invasive species; and moving quickly towards food and energy sustainability. On August 31st Maui Tomorrow kicked off its End of the Year fundraising efforts with a Flatbread Pizza benefit in Paia. We hope to have more events around the island in the coming months to celebrate our victories and talk story with our community on the issues that concern us all. We hope that you’ll continue to support our efforts through your generous donations… your contributions make our advocacy work possible. You can also support Maui Tomorrow by spreading the word about the work we do - you will be expanding the circle of friends that work to keep Maui No Ka Oi. Aloha pumehana, Irene
We Need Your Continued Support to Keep Maui No Kai Oi. Donate Today at mauitomorrow.org
Waiehu Stream meets the ocean.
Join the Food Revolution! What if there was a website that connects you with organic farmers, farmers’ markets, seed sources, composting ideas, sustainability activists and provides announcements of upcoming events? Welcome to the Maui Food Web at MauiFoodWeb.com. This one-stop source for all things relating to healthy growing and eating was the brainchild of long-time Maui Tomorrow boardmember Mark Sheehan who has been on a food fetish for some time. Mark secured funding from the Tides Foundation so that Maui Tomorrow could launch and support this project. Local farming advocate and web guy superb, Chris Taylor, is the site administrator. Begun last spring, the Maui Food Web now has well over a hundred members with more people joining daily. Once you join, you can post notices, pose questions, form you own groups (e.g. herb growers or bee keepers) and start discussions. In July there was Maui’s first Crop Mob in Makawao; this event brought together farmers and gardeners to ‘mob the job’ of putting in a garden. A great way to meet friends, share food and kick start a garden. But the Maui Food Web isn’t just for farmers. It’s for backyard gardeners, wannabe growers, foodies and those folks who make all ‘kine’ jams, jellies and other delicious products. The Maui Food Web at MauiFoodWeb.com.Check it out!
EAST MAUI STREAMS UPDATE: Stream Releases in Honopou Part of Long-term Goals This July an historic release of water into the upper reaches of Honopou stream took place under supervision of State Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), DLNR’s Division of Aquatic Resources, and U.S. Geological Survey staff. The release is part of an ongoing implementation of the Water Commission’s September 2008 agreement to restore some flow to eight east Maui streams. Honopou stream and valley are ancient Hawaiian settlement areas, located just west of the famous Hoolawa stream and valley. A growing number of area families farm kalo (taro) among intricate, walled terraces that date to the 15th century or before. Their right to use their land for traditional
agriculture is protected in the state water code and all they’ve lacked is a steady supply of cool mountain water. The additional flows in Honopou stream have helped to boost stream volumes and improve overall stream health. In the Honpou-Huelo region no public water supplies exist, and streams, springs and rainfall are the primary water sources for domestic and agricultural use. Maui Tomorrow was part of the legal effort that led to this precedent-setting decision and continues to work with local residents, Native Hawaiian Legal Corp and CWRM staff to restore additional flows Photo Courtesy of in Huelo’s Hanehoi stream and other east Maui streams later this year. USGS employees look onto Honopou stream’s restored flow.
CONTACT INFORMATION NAME
PHONE
FAX
Mayor Charmaine Tavares
270-7855
270-7870
COUNTY COUNCIL
Council Services Office County Clerk Chair/Danny Mateo V. Chair: Michael J. Molina Sol P. Koho’ohalahala Joseph Pontanilla Gladys C. Baisa Jo Anne Johnson Wayne K. Nishiki Bill Medeiros Michael P. Victorino Kuhea Paracuelles
270-7838 270-7748 270-7760 270-5507 270-7678 270-5501 270-7939 270-5504 270-7108 270-7246 270-7760 270-7690
270-7686 call for fax 270-7717 270-5508 270-7848 270-5502 270-7127 270-5505 270-7119 270-7247 70-7639 Environmental Coordinator
Regular Mail: Kalana O Maui Bldg., 200 S. High St., Wailuku, HI 96793 E-mail is often ignored, therefore addresses are not included.
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PAID Nonprofit Permit #9 Makawao, HI 96768
55 N. Church Street., Ste. A5 Wailuku, HI 96793 AD DRE S S C O R R E C T I O N R E QUEST ED