Manaʻo from a fellow lawaiʻa

I was looking at the Kaena Practitioners blog, and saw at the off-road video links. It's annoying to see how some people mindlessly wreck a place, thinking it's nothing but a wasteland. Admittedly, way back when I used to think so, too. But seeing how the area means something to someone, I feel it's important to pass on the idea that Kaena is a valuable resource that needs to be cared for.

The mud bogging gets my goat as that's the kind of slop that turns into runoff. That silt kills marine life and makes it tough for divers to see anything past 15 feet. That sort of stupidity needs to stop.

When I saw the tracks through the naupaka during my visit with your family, I couldn't comprehend why anyone would do something like that when there was a perfectly good road just a few feet away. Reflecting on the problem, I think there's a possible deterrent that can be installed: pound in rebar at random spots. Install it at a 45-degree angle so it impales radiators, or punches through tires, but low enough so that it's not easily seen. Military types call those things "tank traps."

No reasonable person would drive right through a bush. It takes a special kind of dolt to do that. But if they're going to do something that's absolutely stupid, then they'll have to deal with the consequences.

Take the nails that are harvested from the sand and toss them into the mud holes. If the mud holes dry up, eventually the nails will become part of the iron in the soil. But until then, they'll serve as "caltrops" to the inconsiderate folks who want to wreck rental cars with reckless abandon.

During the 80's Kaena was our icebox. We could count on getting fish there. We never "pounded" but never got whitewashed. We always went by boat, but many can't. And those shoreline fishers deserve to be afforded the same opportunity we had of getting their share.

Lawaiʻa Meeting: Sunday, June 27 2 pm

Kahana - October 2008

Signholding: Sunday, October 26 2008
Awesome signs and people. One very strange element was the movie crew who kept coming in with a portable set to shoot fictional footage in the background while all of this was going on...


Community Roadblock: Monday, October 27 2008