Ka‘ū News Briefs, Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Hannah's Makana ʻOhana Hālau performed at Kauahaʻao Congregational Church's annual fundraiser bazaar on Saturday. See more photos of the festivities below. Photo by Debbie Wong Yuen

A PERMANENT FEDERAL LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND is the goal of Bill S. 1081 backed by Sen. Mazie Hirono. The new Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which, over the last 50 years, provided nearly $250 million to protect and conserve lands in Hawaiʻi. It funded $12 million to expand Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park through the Island Forests at Risk program in fiscal years 2016 through 2018.

Elizabeth Fien, CEO of Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

     Hirono said the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped protect "some of our most cherished public spaces – including Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, and the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail." She said the legislation takes a "meaningful step toward ensuring that public lands in Hawaiʻi are protected and maintained for future generations."
     Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park CEO Elizabeth Fien said, "Our national parks and public lands generate billions of dollars for local economies in tourism dollars, jobs, and tax revenue. However, without funding, our national treasures, like anything else, will eventually fall apart. The infrastructure of our National Parks is in great need of repair, and philanthropic dollars are necessary to fund programs and park projects, not maintaining sewers, gas lines, bridges, etc."     

Ulalia Woodside, Executive  Director of The Nature  Conservancy, Hawaiʻi.

       Fien also pointed to the proposal for the Restore Our Parks Act, Senate Bill 500, to address the estimated $165 million deferred maintenance backlog in Hawaiʻi's National Parks. Both bills cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and can now be considered by the full Senate. Fein said it is "a smart investment, as it will not only fund the maintenance needs of our parks but also create additional infrastructure-related jobs, as well as preserve visitor access and resources."