Bridge over Hanakapi‘ai Stream may be bad idea
Bridge over Hanakapi‘ai Stream may be bad idea
Regarding the bridge being built over Hanakapi‘ai Stream. Many of our resources and pristine areas are subject to overuse and abuse. I’ve found litter in remote areas deep in the forests where only hunters go, including beer bottles. DLNR (state Department of Land and Natural Resources) has continuously removed tons of trash, and our rescue resources have been placed in danger countless of times to extract people in danger or, even worse, to recover the bodies of those who fell victim to the dangers of nature.
I believe that building the bridge will only encourage people to travel deeper into the area. The impact of the immediate area of the bridge may be one problems of it being built, but I personally feel giving people easier access will also create more critical impact further inland, too.
In my worthless opinion, the problem DLNR and our rescue personnel are dealing with now will only be be further exacerbated.
Daily access to the area should be limited and by permit only so there is some control over the area. Visitors wanting access should pay a fee for access, which can go to maintaining or controlling the entry point.
The state needs to close access during impending inclement weather, and if resources don’t allow them to monitor the area then I think that they should work together with a volunteer hui to monitor and control access with KPD or state enforcement (DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement) making their rounds for support.
This is just my opinion, of course, but there needs to be more thought and public input put into processes that the government plans. They always seem to try to solve things without regards to negative impacts that may be attributed to their decisions.
Dom Acain, Kekaha
