• Respect the albatross • Let voters decide on county management • Highway-widening leads to residential growth • Present dog laws adequate Respect the albatross I am the Fish and Wildlife volunteer who collects data on the Princeville albatrosses and
• Respect the albatross • Let voters decide on county management • Highway-widening leads to residential growth • Present dog laws adequate
Respect the albatross
I am the Fish and Wildlife volunteer who collects data on the Princeville albatrosses and answers emergency calls when one of the birds is in a potentially dangerous situation. I was trained by the wildlife biologist at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
I was a bit distressed that the June 14 article about “Stacey” the albatross chick gives the impression that it is OK to get close to the albatrosses because they are so used to humans they will not be bothered.
Seabirds under stress may not exhibit any behavior that we humans identify as an indication of anxiety. They do, however, react involuntarily by producing hormones that can have a negative effect on their physical fitness.
When an albatross chick takes that first leap into the air he needs every bit of strength he can muster, so stressful encounters with humans and their pets may threaten his chances of survival.
If you really care about these birds, please stay a minimum of 15 feet away from them, and further away than that if you want to spend more time observing them or photographing them.
No, you do not have a special bond with them; they do not recognize your ability to understand their feelings. They are wild animals who spend most of their lives at sea and have no choice but to share their time on land with us.
The least we can do is give them as much space as possible and grant them the respect they deserve.
Cathy Granholm, Princeville
Let voters decide on county management
My late husband, Walter Briant, served as a member of the Kaua‘i Charter Review Commission until his death November, 21, 2008. Walter had been involved in county affairs for 48 years as first manager of the county Department of Water for 20 years followed by many years as owner of Briant Construction and partner in Aqua Engineers where he dealt with many country contracts. He was well-informed about Kaua‘i County operations. Walter felt that a county-manager system of government with a professional administrator would be beneficial to the operations of the county. He worked hard till his death to make this come about. Following Walter’s death in November, I sought an appointment to serve on the charter commission in major part, to carry on his efforts to form a county-manager type of government.
While I served on the commission last year I felt that I was blocked in my efforts to have the county-manager system of government added to the ballot for the public to vote on. I subsequently resigned my position on the charter commission having concluded that I would be unable to get the proposed county-manager amendment onto the ballot.
I think Kaua‘i voters should be allowed to consider a responsible proposal of a county-manager form of government which is supported by many Kaua‘i residents. I applaud the present charter commission members who are attempting find support to place a county-manager proposal on the ballot for the general public to vote on.
Carol Ann Davis-Briant, Koloa
Highway-widening leads to residential growth
I grew up in Southern California, Orange County to be exact. The 5 freeway consisted of two lanes each direction with orange groves and strawberry fields as far as the eye could see lining its way for thirty miles or more even around Disneyland. Cities popped up here and there and urban sprawl was the name of the game. Pre-planned cities like Aliso Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita with their cookie -cutter houses and condos galore each in their own gated communities and extra taxes called mello-roos were encouraged. Of course the freeway became crowded and was referred to as the 5 parking lot. So to accommodate the population growth the state widened it to four lanes each way and the 5 freeway once again flowed. Soon after widening the freeway the orange groves (that gave Orange County its namesake) and strawberry fields were replaced with more cookie-cutter houses, condos, shopping centers, car dealerships, etc. Again, the 5 freeway became congested and there was bumper-to-bumper traffic all day long. Of course to accommodate the bigger, denser population which by now measured into the millions, the freeway was widened once again to six lanes both ways.
Today the monolithic structure of concrete and steel consisting of twelve lanes sits congested with bumper-to-bumper traffic all day long. I am thirty years old now and am witnessing this happening to Kaua‘i. Be careful to not follow the same path Kaua‘i!
Makoto Lane, Po‘ipu
Present dog laws adequate
The last go-round with dog-bark law resulted in “sound and fury signifying nothing.” Lots of intense discussions and neighborhood feuds worthy of the Hatfields and Mc Coys.
The law proposed by the humane society, and a handful of hostile folks, was downright silly.
Present law is more than adequate for extreme situations. State law has an all-purpose noise ordinance with applies to all loud disruptive noise. Animal cruelty is also against the law though sadly not a felony. The extreme descriptions described can and should be addressed under present law.
Suzanne Woodruff, Kapa‘a
