An article in today’s (5/23/12) Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports that the Hawaii County Council will be considering an ordinance to outlaw any aerial shooting of game animals at the June 6 meeting. The bill was introduced by Council Chairman Dominic Yagong.

In the story William Aila, chairman of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, is quoted as saying:

State law has jurisdiction on this issue, … The state statute allows aerial shooting, and we will continue to do aerial shooting where it’s proper and where it’s effective.

Aerial shooting of game animals has been opposed by MKRUG and many in the local hunting community.

Hawaii Revised Statutes 263-10 has this to say on the subject:

§263-10 Hunting from aircraft; penalty. Any aeronaut or passenger who, while in flight in, across or above the State, intentionally kills or attempts to kill any birds or animals shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punished by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. [L 1923, c 109, §13; RL 1925, §3903; RL 1935, §6986; RL 1945, §4933; RL 1955, §16-10; HRS §263-10]

Chairman Aila’s statement seems to contradict the HRS. One hunter has told us that when he questioned a state attorney about how the State was able to do aerial shooting he was told that the short answer was that the State does not have to follow its own laws.

Our understanding is that ordinarily state law preempts county law. If is true that the State is simply choosing not to abide by their own law does that mean that the proposed county ordinance may actually have some teeth since it agrees with established state law? Can the State ignore county law?

Link to HTH article: http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections/news/local-news/aerial-hunting-ban-proposed-big-island.html

Link to findlaw.com page: http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/histatutes/1/15/263/263-10

Link to article on Infowars.com: http://www.infowars.com/bank-of-americas-war-on-the-second-amendment/

Bankster giant Bank of America has joined the effort to take down the Second Amendment and deny Americans the right to own and use firearms.

Kelly McMillan, the CEO of McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, McMillan Group International, and McMillan Firearms Manufacturing, recently wrote on his Facebook page that Bank of America has refused to do business with his companies because they sell firearms. Bank of America admitted its decision was political. McMillan’s response was to immediately stop doing business with Bank of America.

Here is Mr. McMillan’s post in April, 2012:

McMillan Fiberglass Stocks, McMillan Firearms Manufacturing, McMillan Group International have been collectively banking with Bank of America for 12 years. Today Mr. Ray Fox, Senior Vice President, Market Manager, Business Banking, Global Commercial Banking came to my office. He scheduled the meeting as an “account analysis” meeting in order to evaluate the two lines of credit we have with them. He spent 5 minutes talking about how McMillan has changed in the last 5 years and have become more of a firearms manufacturer than a supplier of accessories.
At this point I interrupted him and asked “Can I possible save you some time so that you don’t waste your breath? What you are going to tell me is that because we are in the firearms manufacturing business you no longer what my business.”
“That is correct” he says.
I replied “That is okay, we will move our accounts as soon as possible. We can find a 2nd Amendment friendly bank that will be glad to have our business. You won’t mind if I tell the NRA, SCI and everyone one I know that BofA is not firearms industry friendly?”
“You have to do what you must” he said.
“So you are telling me this is a politically motivated decision, is that right?”
Mr Fox confirmed that it was. At which point I told him that the meeting was over and there was nothing let for him to say.

I think it is import for all Americans who believe in and support our 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms should know when a business does not support these rights. What you do with that knowledge is up to you. When I don’t agree with a business’ political position I can not in good conscience support them. We will soon no longer be accepting Bank of America credit cards as payment for our products.

Kelly D McMillan
Director of Operations
McMillan Group International, LLC
623-582-9635
www.mcmillanusa.com

In case you have not seen the April edition of Hawaii Fishing News, check it out now while there may still be some issues available. This issue has a great story by Bob Duerr on MKRUG’s efforts to get the hunter’s issues before our legislative representatives.

Hawai’l island hunters held a series 01 protests at the DLNR headquarters in Hilo. They teamed wlth the Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group to conduct a standing-room-only legislative session called “The People’s Hearing; Hunting.”

The hunters came together to unify against Senate Bill 2782, which wants to puts in play the state’s 1.2 million acres of watershed. Gov, Nell Abercrombie and the DLNR called this watershed vision quest, “A New Day In Hawai’i: For hunters, it’s the same old nightmare: fence; snare; and eradicate.

Joe Griffiths, the organizer 01 the DLNR hunting protests, told HFN, “This is a land grab. Eradication and fencing; this is not a hunter fight. This is a people fight.”

DLNR’s new glossy publication “Wai: From the Mountains to Your Drinking Glass,” by Lisa Ferentinos, the overseer of the Watershed Partnership Program, issues the death warrant: “Protecting watersheds from hoofed animals is the first priority. Fencing is the most feasible way to prevent feral pigs, sheep, goats, deer and wild cattle from trampling and devouring native vegetation. Animals also spread destructive weeds and plant diseases.”

Though the unmerciful death of the pua’a, the wild pig, by a tightening wire noose is inhumane, the cruel reality is that while discarded animal bones litter the forest floor, the fences keep out Hawai’s most dangerous invasive species: people.

The watershed system in Hawai’i comprises nearly 1.2 million acres, with 600,000 on Hawai’i, 110,000 on Maui, 385,000 on O’ahu and 86,000 on Kaua’i. The state’s Natural Area Reserve System (NARS) has been anointed as the “new day” reserve’s warden. NARS is one of the first agencies to fence public land.

NARS, a DLNR offspring, was established in 1971 to preserve native ecosystems and cultural resources. Its first Watershed Partnership, a voluntary alliance, was established on Maui in 1991. In late 2011. Gov. Abercrombie and the state announced a 10-year plan “to strengthen links between protecting native forest and the watershed.” For hunters this was the setup for the Hawal’i “Hunger Games. ” In “Hunger Games,” a popular young adult book and now a major motion picture, citizens hungry and wanting to provide are tormented by arrogant and powerful over-rulers who create a fenced “atmosphere of helplessness and food scarcity that the main characters try to overcome in their fight for survival.”

Hunters see their island as so fenced that it reminds them 0f the Cold War’s Communist “iron curtain,” The Three Mountain Alliance, formerly known as Ola’a Kilauea Partnership, has nine partners including the State, Volcanoes National Park, The Nature Conservancy and Bishop Estate. The Partnership controls 1.1 million acres, brands the pua’a as invasive, and uses the snare as casually as an after-dinner toothpick.

The state is the largest public landowner, and Bishop Estate is the largest private landowner. They each own a roughly equal amount 012.2 million acres.

The state tries to pacify the hunters by saying that only 6 percent. or about 60,000 acres, of state lands are fenced.

Matt Hoeflinger, the hunting chair of the Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group (MKRUG), said, “The state keeps saying this. The 6 percent doesn’t tell the true story. Between The Nature Conservancy, Bishop Eslate, the national park, the military, you’re talking millions of acres. And these fenced areas just happen to be some of the best and most accessible hunting.”

This is certainly true of the nearly 19,000 acres of the rain forest reserve called Pu’u Maka’ala, the former Kulani Prison site located just outside of Hilo on the northeast flank of Mauna Loa. There NARS just grabbed 5,000 fence-and-eradicate acres.

As writer Jason Smith reported in the Big Island Weeklv, ‘”How many thousands of people have been sustaining themselves on the resources in the Pu’u Maka’ala, and for how long? Our island hunters feel such questions have been almost totally ignored.”

With 90 percent of island food shipped, Joe Griffiths asked, “If you want Hawai’i to be sell-sustainable, what is more self-sustainable than our natural game resources? Once you diminish that, where do we go?” Joe and his hunters teamed with MKRUG to put on “The People’s Hearing: Hunting.”

According to Prestdent Wayne Blyth, an off-road motorcycle enthusiast, The Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group began in 2009 as a “means of uniting users of public lands, as a clearing house of conflicts and to identify interests that all have in common. MKRUG promotes the right of access to and responsible use of public lands.”

One common theme with NARS efforts, DLNR’s “Wai: From the Mountains to Your Drinking Glass,” and Gov. Abercrombie’s”A New Day in Hawai’i” is that only environmentalists need apply. Hunters are not stakeholders and were not informed, consulted or asked by the governor, the DLNR or any legislator how they felt about the watershed bill. Hunters know they are not stakeholders at the public access public policy table.

Wayne feels that “There is a growing distrust of government agencies and elected representatlves in the management of public lands. Elected representatives have forgotten that the State is the steward of the lands, not their owner. These lands are owned by the public. The public needs to participate in decisions affecting the management of their lands. The people need a hearing.”

On three day’s notice, 200 people signed in and joined a standing-room-only crowd. All Big Island legislators were invited. Attending were Rep. Clift Tsuji, Rep. Jerry Chang and Councilmen Fresh Onishi and Brittany Smart.

Joe Griffiths, Matt Hoeflinger, Pat Pacheco, Tom Lodge, Steve Araujo, Waltham Johansen, Syd Singer and Tony Sylvester gave testimony. John Griffiths asked the DLNR a question, “Why does DLNR need to lake more, when they cannot manage what [they] have already taken? Do they ever go back and see if what they are doing works? Are they accountable?”

Tony Sylvester, an archery hunter with Mauna Kea expertise, took a look at exactly that question. He showed slides of the fire weed taking over Mauna Kea since the sheep have been eradicated to save the endangered palila bird. The palila bird population has declined since the sheep have been removed.

Tony then cited a U.S. Army-funded study written up In the Journal Invasive Species Compendium, published by the Ecological Society of America. The study wanted to see if pig removal changed the success rate of native plants. The study was titled, “Remote analysis of biological invasion and the impact of enemy release.” The study was done by scientlsts at Stanford’s Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution for Science. They fenced two plots of land at the Army’s Pohakuloa Training Area. One area was a control, and one was an impacted assessment site. One had pigs, and the other was eradicated.

They described the study. “We conducted a large·scale experiment in Hawa’i to quantify impacts of ungulate removal on plant growth and performance, and to test whether elimination of an exotic generalist herbivore facilitated exotic success.”

The impacted and control sites areas were measured before and after ungulate exclusion using airborne imaging spectroscopy, LIDAR (light detection and ranging), time-series satellite observations. and ground-based field studies over nine years. The study “indicated that removal of generalist herbivores facilitated exotic success, but the abundance of native species was unchanged.” Bottom line: eradicating the pua’a does not increase native species.

Tony stated point-blank, “If they want to conserve water, close down a golf course.”

It’s hard to know how many acres have actually been fenced, but OHA has recently approved fencing 50,000 acres on Mauna Kea. Reasonable estimates indicate at least $10 million has been spent on Hawai’i island fencing. Snares have been bought by the thousands. If passed, Senate Bill 2782 will immediately appropriate $5 million to watershed protection.

Concurrent is Senate Bill 2511, a plastic bag tax bill that proposes a 10 cent tax on plastic bags. This will generate as much as $11 million per year. Senate Bill 2511 will mandate that 80 percent of the tax collected “shall be deposited into the natural area reserve fund established under Section 195-9, to be expended by the Department of Land and Natural Resources for watershed protection, restoration and acquisition.”

The DLNR proudly displays testimony against pigs and for the watershed bill. One of the eradication supporters is Hawai’i Department of Agriculture insect specialist Pat Conant who said, “Wild pua’a are indeed good to eat, but should they be at carrying capacity numbers in our watersheds and defecating in the mud, where our water comes from? Hunters are estimated to be 1 percent of Hawai’i's population. Should we allow uncontrolled numbers of destructive alien animals to destroy our forests and watersheds so that the other 99 percent of us ultimately end up with less water, more erosion and silt on our reefs?”

Syd Singer said that once the ungulates are gone, the chemical spraying to control weeds and invasive plants will begin. While watershed proponents cringe at pua’a feces, they say little about the hushed secret of the environmentalists: chemical companies and their chemical controls will be replacing animals and their biological controls.

“In recent years, people have seen an erosion of access and use of public lands,” said Wayne Blyth, “Specifically, hunters have seen the eradication of game animals from Mauna Kea and recently an apparent all-out war against the wild pua’a (pig). There seems to be a constant stream of ‘environmental preservation’ initiatives being proposed by all levels of government. These initiatives are presented by volumes of documentation that most people have a hard time understanding. These initiatives seem to have one thing in common: loss of public access rights through land closure, fencing, and wild game eradication.”

Submit your watershed testimony now.

Online links

Proposed Legislation:
Funds DLNR for priority watershed forests: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2782,
State to collect a fee for plastic checkout bags: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2511.
Establishes the emergency environmental workforce. Makes appropriations: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2250,
No-Access Hakalau Refuge’s Expansion Plans: http://www.fws.gov/hakalauforest/planning.html.
Planning Comments E-mail Address: FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov.

Two bill of particular interest to the hunting community are House Bill 2483 and Senate Bill 2782. These bills are currently in conference committees to work out differences between the House and Senate versions. Conference committee members have been appointed. This is the last step before submitting the bills for a full House and Senate vote and possibly to the Governor for his signature.

House Bill 2483 is the single-use bag fee (we call it the bag tax) bill. Its purpose is to provide an estimated eleven million dollars a year to pay for Senate Bill 2782, the Watershed bill.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources “The Rain Follows the Forest” initiative’s number one priority is to eradicate the game animals from the watersheds. On Hawaii island that means the pigs are to be eradicated. We think it is no coincidence that this plan is expected to cost eleven million dollars a year over the 10 year plan period.

Information on these two bills:

HB2483 HD1 SD1 – RELATING TO ENVIRONMENT.

Requires businesses in the State to collect a fee for single-use checkout bags provided to a customer. Allows businesses to keep twenty per cent of the fees for the first year of the program and ten per cent of the fees thereafter, subject to income and general excises taxes. Requires fees to be collected on single-use checkout bags not prohibited by county ordinance. From 1/1/13 to 12/31/13, deposits all fees not retained by businesses into a special account in the environmental management special fund; requires first $800,000 of all fees collected to be expended by DOH for costs relating to administrative, education, audit, compliance, and enforcement activities associated with the fee; and requires any remaining fees collected to be deposited in the environmental response revolving fund and the natural area reserve fund. From 1/1/14, requires ten per cent of all fees collected to be deposited in enumerated county environmental funds and requires eighty per cent of all fees collected to be deposited in the same manner as all fees deposited by the State from 1/1/13 to 12/31/13. Requires reports to the legislature. Makes dietary supplements that contain caffeine or carbonated water subject to the requirements of the deposit beverage container program beginning 1/1/2013. Appropriates funds for administration of single-use checkout bag fee program. (SD1)

Senate Conferees appointed: Gabbard, Chair; Ige, Co-Chair(s); English, Ihara, Kouchi.

SB2782 SD2 HD2 – RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.

Appropriates funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources for the immediate protection of priority watershed forests. Statutorily establishes the Division of Aquatic Resources within the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Establishes the Emergency Environmental Workforce. Appropriates funds.

House conferees appointed: Chang, Coffman, Har Co-Chairs; Kawakami, Nakashima, Riviere.

Senate Conferees appointed: Dela Cruz, Chair; Solomon, Gabbard, Kidani, Co-Chair(s); Slom.

Link to original Big Island Video News article: http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2012/04/13/first-axis-deer-hunted-down-on-hawaii-dlnr-provides-photo-proof/

First axis deer hunted down on Hawaii, DLNR provides photo proof

by Big Island Video News

April 13, 2012

HILO, Hawaii: The Department of Land and Natural Resources says on April 11th, the first axis deer to be taken on Hawaii Island as a part of an official, coordinated control effort was recorded, and the state has provided proof of the kill in a photo showing a hunter with an obscured face.

This revised media release was issued on Friday afternoon:

To protect Hawai‘i Island from the impacts of axis deer that were illegally introduced and are now spreading, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), has been providing resources for a team to investigate the known locations of, and more recently to begin controlling deer. Axis deer are not native to Hawai‘i, and they are known pests of agriculture, as well as native and culturally significant plants, many of which are already endangered.

Recognizing the impact this invasive species can have on local cattleman and farmers, a partnership between conservation groups and the agricultural community was formed last year. It has since proved its readiness to address this new threat with the taking of the first axis deer on the Big Island on April 11, 2012, as part of an official program to remove these unwanted pests from the island.

This comes after nearly a year of extensive field surveys, training and coordination with land owners and managers. The team is actively working toward the goal of eradicating the population before Big Island ranchers and farmers face the same problems now occurring on Maui and other places where deer populations are exploding at the expense of local communities.

“We only need to look at Maui to see the devastating impacts axis deer can have on local people, especially ranchers and farmers,” said William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR Chairperson. “For the past year we have been chasing reports and leads about several deer populations on the Big Island, and we are very pleased to see the progress being made by the team. We are hopeful, with the community’s cooperation, that we can get all the deer off the Big Island before it’s too late,” he said.

Officials believe the axis deer were smuggled to the Big Island and released by private individuals. Although there has been no official investigation, Hawaii Senator Gil Kahele and government agencies have responded quickly by reviewing existing statutes and rules to strengthen them and increase penalties for unsanctioned movement of game mammals.

“I want to commend the DLNR, HISC and BIISC for their efforts to control, and for working closely with the local ranchers and other land owners – which has led us to this success,” said Sen. Kahele. “This is an issue that needs immediate resolution by getting rid of the deer before they become a problem. I think this issue really emphasized the need to focus more attention on inter-island transportation issues to prevent this from happening again,” he said.

“We appreciate the efforts by the BIISC and DLNR to eradicate any population of axis deer on Hawai`i Island,” said Russell S. Kokubun, Chairperson of the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture. “The deer are considered injurious wildlife and pose a serious threat to the environment and agriculture.”

Unlike Maui, which has struggled with the damage done by axis deer on farms, ranches, and in the forest and watersheds, the Big Island has been spared of these impacts without an established axis deer population in the past.

In response to the recent effort of the partnership, Tim Richards, president of the Cattlemen’s Association and owner of Kahua Ranch said, “We are concerned about the impact that deer have had on our neighboring islands – and the losses that farmers and ranchers have incurred, especially during drought. The axis deer has proven itself to be a menace to the cattle industry specifically. If we want to promote local food production and sustainable ranching, then we need to get rid of the deer before they become established.”

Big Island conservation groups are also concerned about the impact another ungulate (hoofed animal) will have on native ecosystems already under threat – particularly one that can leap over fences ten feet high.

Although the Big Island Invasive Species Committee is staffing the control effort, it is being guided by DLNR and other conservation organizations and agriculture associations.

Jan Schipper, BIISC manager, said, “We are fortunate to have two highly skilled marksmen working on this project, who were trained by hunters on Moloka‘i, to ensure that animals are treated as humanely as possible. We are not able to disclose the exact locations of deer we have sighted, or the animal that was shot, out of respect for cooperating landowners’ privacy. We are mindful that trespassing and poaching are a major concern for some landowners.”

“We have a very strict protocol in place to ensure that we not only remove the problem deer with the landowner’s blessing, but also verify that the deer do not have any diseases. Since we do not know who brought the deer, where they came from or how they got here – we cannot be sure of the risks these animals present, so we are taking every precaution,” Schipper said.

Reports of axis deer sightings across the Big Island have been increasing over the past year, since the Big Island Invasive Species Committee took a photograph of one in Ka’u District with a game camera on April 29th of 2011. The game camera was set up in response to a deer sighting made by local ranchers. Before this date the project has focused on mapping the distribution and confirming the numerous reports, and photographs were the only solid evidence of their existence.

The first attempt to bring axis deer to the Big Island for game hunting began in the 1950’s and 1960’s – a process which was halted by protests from the farming and ranching community who were already aware of the risks of this animal.

Now, over 50 years later, ranchers and farmers are again raising their concerns over the threat these deer pose – especially in light of recent flurry of reports of deer in areas dominated by local agriculture.

As Hawai‘i is working towards greater food sustainability, protecting local, diversified agriculture from the devastating impacts of axis deer will be critical.

Anyone who would like to report a suspected sighting of axis deer on the Big Island is encouraged to call (808) 936-2409.

There has been some skepticism among the community as to the presence of the deer on Hawaii Island. The photo provided by the DLNR in the initial version of the media release shows a hunter posing with the hunted axis deer, however his face has been obscurred.

Since the early 1990′s DLNR has been using snares to eradicate the wild pig in the forests of Hawaii.  Denying that the pig as a cultural tradition in the forest and intent on eliminating it,  DLNR and its partners like The Nature Conservancy, Volcanoes National Park and Hakalau Bird Refuge continue to kill pigs by snaring.  MKRUG would like to hear experiences from the people of the forest about what snaring is about.  Tell us your story with snares.

Caution! The following images are very graphic and may be extremely upsetting to many.

Link to the video: Big Island Video News: Hunters hold hearing over DLNR fencing, game eradication at BigIslandVideoNews.com

Only two legislators attend gathering at Nani Mau Gardens in Hilo

HILO, Hawaii: The room was packed at Nani Mau Gardens on Saturday evening for a “People’s Hearing”, and local hunters are not happy with the state.

The Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group was the host of the so-called “citizens’ legislative evening”, which was open to all interested in hunting or public access rights on public lands. President Wayne Blyth and fishing committee chair Robert Duerr served as the MCs.

Featured speakers included Joe Griffiths, Matt Hoeflinger, Tom Lodge, Patrick Pacheco, Tony Sylvester, Walthau Johansen, Syd Singer, and Steven Araujo. Many focused on the recent decision by the Department of Land and Natural Resources to fence Puu Maka’ala, a prime hunting ground that is now under the Natural Area Reserve designation.

Speakers also lambasted the ongoing efforts to eradicate ungulates all over the islands in the name of protecting watersheds.

Overall, hunters are up in arms over DLNR policy.

Invited guests included Big Island legislators, however State reps. Clift Tsuji and Jerry Chang were the only lawmakers who showed up. They were on the receiving end of the frustration.

The Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group works to promote the right of access to and responsible use of public lands and helps identify potential conflicts and common interests for users of public lands.

Some hunters have been warning that the state would be putting up fences and restricting access for decades… and only now are the warnings beginning to resonate with other concerned hunters. Others say data collected that does not support DLNR policy has been hidden from the public.

Representative Jerry Chang said he was impressed by the Saturday’s display, and urged that hunters be more active at official legislative hearings held on Oahu.

On Monday, The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife issued a memorandum on hunting and public access, which included a fact sheet defending the practise of installing protective fences and removing hooved animals.

It also said that hunters are a valuable partner in watershed conservation by helping to control game animals in forests and watershed areas throughout the state.

DOFAW included maps showing fenced areas in green and public game hunting areas in red.

The memorandum also included a fact sheet on Puu Makaala, saying that public hunting will be used for the first stage of animal removal in fenced areas.

The memorandum also contained a DOWFAW news release that was embargoed until Saturday at 5 p.m. … which was the exact time the hunters forum was scheduled to begin in Hilo… announcing a new program to increase public access for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and other wildlife enjoyment opportunities statewide.

From the media release:

The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) recently hired an Access and Acquisitions Coordinator to work with private landowners, community groups and others to improve access to lands managed by DOFAW. These lands include Forest Reserves, Natural Area Reserves, Plant and Wildlife Sanctuaries, Game Management Areas and, potentially, other key parcels of land.

“This initiative is part of the DLNR’s goal to increase protection of Hawai‘i’s coastlines, forests and watersheds, as well as to fulfill our mandate to provide access and wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities to the people of Hawai‘i,” said William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR Chairperson.

“As part of Governor Abercrombie’s New Day Plan to transform state government by increasing public access to these areas, this new program will help Hawai‘i’s residents and visitors to better enjoy the outdoors and learn about the importance of conserving these unique environmental, cultural and historic areas in Hawai‘i,” Aila said.

In some cases DOFAW may provide incentives to private landowners for increased access to public lands. These incentives include road improvements, fencing, erosion control, removal of invasive species, education and outreach, and maintenance of access infrastructure. In other cases landowners have willingly volunteered to work with DOFAW to facilitate access across their lands, provided they are protected from any liability issues that may arise as a result of the increased access.

The Access Coordinator is in the process of identifying and prioritizing important access issues on each island and will be working to secure both public and private funding and support for the program. Recently, this program has secured two nationally competitive grants. These grants, from the National Shooting Sportsmen Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Voluntary Public Access Hunter Incentive Program will fund increased access for hunters and other forest users to public lands statewide and on Hawaii Island.

Questions regarding this access program may be directed to the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Access and Acquisitions Coordinator, at (808) 587-0166.

The memorandum may be too little too late for this angry group of local hunters, who on saturday said their trust in the government has been shaken. Joe Griffiths, citing a conversation he had with the Pele Defense Fund, said that a class action lawsuit may be the only remedy the hunters have, now.

Aloha everyone. Welcome to the People’s Hearing on Hunting. I am Wayne Blyth, chairman of Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group, the hosts this evening.

I would like to welcome our special guests: Representatives Jerry Chang and Clift Tsuji.

I would also extend a special thanks to Ken Fujiyama and the Naniloa Volcanoes Resorts for donating the use this facility.

For those of you not familiar with the Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group (or MKRUG), I will give a little background. MKRUG was informally organized in 2009 as a means of uniting various users of public lands, to serve as a clearing house of actual and potential conflicts between recreational user activities, and to identify interests that all have in common. MKRUG works to promote the right of access to and responsible use of public lands.  MKRUG has the following committees: Fishing committee-Bob Duerr, Hunting committee-Matt Hoeflinger, Hiking committee-Nani Pogline, Bicycling committee-Chris Seymour, OHV (off highway vehicle) committee-Dennis Vierra, and Equestrian committee-Pat Reppun. Member organizations include: Big Island Gun dogs, Hawaii Hunting Association, Pig Hunters of Hawaii, Rock Island Riders and Big Island Mountain Bike Association.

We are hosting the “People’s Hearing” as a means of insuring that the people’s voice is heard by our Big Island legislators who will be considering very powerful bills affecting management of our public lands.
In recent years people have seen an erosion of access and use of public lands. Specifically hunters have seen the eradication of game animals from Mauna Kea and recently an apparent all out war against the wild pua’a (pig). There seems to be a constant stream of ‘environmental preservation’ initiatives being proposed by all levels of government. These initiatives seem to have one thing in common; loss of public access rights through land closure, fencing, and wild game eradication.
The Hawaii State Legislature is presently considering many bills relating to ‘environmental protection’ that are of concern to the people. The legislative process as it is practiced today denies access to participation by most of Hawaii’s people due to time, technology, financial or geographic barriers. There is a growing distrust of government agencies and elected representatives in the management of public lands.  It seems that our government agencies and elected representatives have forgotten that the State is the steward of the lands, not their owner. These lands are owned by the public. The public needs to participate in decisions affecting the management of their lands. The people need a hearing.

MKRUG invited all ten of our Big Island legislative delegation to hear your concerns this evening. You may understand that listening to a bunch of hunters gripe is probably not at the topthe list of things they would like to do with their time off. But, only three out of ten bothered to respond to our invitation. I must commend Representatives Clift Tsuji and Jerry Chang for attending this evening and Representative Denny Coffman for agreeing to meet with us at a later date.
I have to wonder why the other seven did not even bother to say they couldn’t make it. Elected officials are of course elected by the voters. Is it possible that they might consider that hunters and their friends and families are not a significant voting block? If that is true, only you can change that perception. For your convenience, Pat Pacheco has voter registration materials available for your use.

Thank you all for being here and showing your concern as a citizen of Hawaii.

“The People’s Hearing:Hunting”

The Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group is hosting a legislative hunting hearing: “The People’s Hearing: Hunting.”  The meeting is open to all interested in hunting or public access rights on public lands. The hearing will be held on Saturday February 25  from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Nani Mau Gardens, 421 Makalika Street.
The Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group (MKRUG) was formed in 2009.   It is a grass roots clearinghouse for the Hawaii Island recreational user community accessing public lands. It’s members are organizations that represent hunters, fishermen, off road vehicles, mountain bikers, hikers, paddlers, surfers and others.
MKRUG works to promote the right of access to and responsible use of public lands. MKRUG helps identify potential conflicts and common interests for users of public lands.
According to MKRUG president Wayne Blyth: “We are hosting the “People’s Hearing” as a means of insuring that the people’s voice is heard by our Big Island legislators who will be considering very powerful bills affecting management of our public lands.”
The hearing’s schedule of events is sign-in at 5:00 p.m.  At 5:30 there will be a presentation from MKRUG with a welcome and introduction of guests and other dignitaries. A statement of ground rules for the evening will precede a 40 minute MKRUG presentation. Joe Griffiths will discuss  his recent organization of DLNR hunter protest. Matt Hoeflinger of Pig Hunters of Hawaii will talk about the current closure of Puu Makaala, Pat Pacheco will discuss hunting culture, tradition, and family values. Tony Sylvester of Hunter of Hawaii will discuss the eradication of game on Mauna Kea. Waltham Johansen will give a Hamakua perspective.
A MKRUG spokesperson says: “There seems to be a constant stream of ‘environmental preservation’ initiatives being proposed by all levels of government. These initiatives are presented by volumes of documentation that most people have a hard time understanding. These initiatives seem to have one thing in common; loss of public access rights through land closure, fencing, and wild game eradication.”
Invited guests, include Big Island legislators: State Senators Malama Solomon, Gilbert Kahele and Josh Green, State Representatives Mark Nakashima, Jerry Chang, Clift Tsuji, Faye Hanohano, Robert Herkes, Denny Coffman and Cindy Evans.  Courtesy invitations were extended to Hawaii County officials: Mayor Billy Kenoi, Councilors Dominic Yagong, Donald Ikeda, J Yoshimoto, Dennis Onishi, Fred Blas, Brittany Smart, Brenda Ford, Angel Pilago and Pete Hoffman.
Wayne Blyth comments: “The legislative process as it
is practiced today denies access to participation by most of Hawaii’s people due to time, technology, financial or geographic barriers. There is a growing distrust of government agencies and elected representatives in the management of public lands. It seems that our
government agencies and elected representatives have forgotten that the State is the steward of the lands, not their owner. These lands are owned by the public.”
The Mauna Kea Recreational Users Group is hosting a legislative hunting hearing: “The People’s Hearing: Hunting.” The hearing will be held on Saturday February 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Nani Mau Gardens, 421 Makalika Street. For information contact Wayne Blyth at wayne@maunakearug.com 936-7521.

Click image above for the full story from Big Island Weekly

Click Here to hear the story in the hunters own words! (podcast by Jason Smith)

Pics from the protest in front of the DLNR offices in Hilo: