From: David French <dfrench0611@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Subject: Please Add $285,000 to FY25 Budget for Lanai Feral Cat Control
To: Alice.Lee@mauicounty.us, Yukilei.Sugimura@mauicounty.us, Tasha.Kama@mauicounty.us, Thomas.Cook@mauicounty.us, Gabe Johnson <Gabe.Johnson@mauicounty.us>, Tamara.Paltin@mauicounty.us, Keani.Rawlins@mauicounty.us, Shane.Sinenci@mauicounty.us, Nohe.Uu-Hodgins@mauicounty.us, Nikki Perry <Nikki@lanaicatsanctuary.org>
Dear Councilmembers,
My name is Samantha French. I am writing to request that you add $285,000 to the Lāna'i Feral Animal Control line item in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and award it to the Lanai Cat Sanctuary so they can continue to provide feral cat services on the island.
The Lanai Cat Sanctuary has not only reduced the feral cat population on Lāna'i, but they are a leader in the industry for their progressive approach to saving endangered birds by providing humane solutions for cats predating in protected areas.
Unsterilized female cats in Hawaii that are 6 months or older can have up to 3 litters a year, with 3-5 kittens per litter. Without the Lanai Cat Sanctuary, feral cats would overrun the island of Lāna'i.
If the Lanai Cat Sanctuary does not receive the funding needed to continue accepting all feral and unwanted cats, it will severely impact the progress the island of Lāna'i has made in controlling the feral cat population and protecting the native and endangered birds on the island.
From: Bobbie Best <bestb002@hawaii.rr.com>
Sent: Monday, April 8, 2024 4:39:17 PM (UTC-10:00) Hawaii
To: BFED Committee
Subject: Save the Water Authority
Omitting new departments from the budget would be ignoring the wishes of the citizens. It’ s only 1% of the Mayor’s budget and will eventually save the county money. We voted for the county to be in charge of our water and a private for profit corporation is exactly what we didn’t want.
Mahalo for your consideration.
Aloha,
Bill and Bobbie Best
280 Hauoli
Wailuku
808-242-9119
My name is Jarrett Chapin and I am a teacher at Lahainaluna High School. I am writing in support of the Maui Economic Development Boardʻs Economic Development Grant under the Maui County Office of Economic Development.
Because of this generous funding, I recently attended a conference called STEMWorks with some of our students. I would like to testify to the importance of that opportunity for the students in Maui. My experience at this event showed me that programs like STEMWorks are incredibly important as they provide models of intellectual excellence for our keiki and create connections for the kumu guiding them.
As an English teacher with a PhD in in my subject area, my perspective is not often connected to STEM fields. And yet, attending STEMWorks with our students gave me a great deal of insight on how much interdisciplinary work is possible (and necessary) at the high school level.
Seeing a range of student projects showed me how students of science could benefit—and some had clearly benefitted—from rhetorical training. Moreover, wandering the convention offered several opportunities to discuss the importance of science writing with other educators, not to mention other humanities-adjacent topics such as the rise and dangers of AI and story writing. At one of the talks, in fact, I made a valuable connection with whom I am now discussing a collaboration having to do with ethics and the use of AI in the classroom.
The conference’s “playground” area showcased a number of hands-on science curiosities for and by students. In this showroom, our students saw not only what is possible but what is necessary for success. As they watched other students from around Hawai’i present their projects on agriculture and entrepreneurship, our students inevitably imagined higher standards of achievement for themselves. This kind of reflection is crucial in West Maui where the highest aspiration for many of our students is not space, particle colliders, or marine biology, but hospitality.
At a handful of STEMWorks talks, our students learned about rocketry from representatives of the US Space Force. They discovered the history and underlying science behind AI technology. After the keynote on Friday, they watched intently, almost incredulously, as high-achieving intermediate and high school students from around the state received awards for their multimedia creations, science experiments, and video games with dialog in olelo Hawai’i.
All said, I urge you to continue funding for this program. It is one of the few programs that really do help our students imagine a way forward. In the future, I hope to bring a wider range of students with interests in both STEM and the humanities; I hope to see more students in Maui encouraged to imagine themselves as innovative scientists and excellent communicators.
From: David French <dfrench0611@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Subject: Please Add $285,000 to FY25 Budget for Lanai Feral Cat Control
To: Alice.Lee@mauicounty.us, Yukilei.Sugimura@mauicounty.us, Tasha.Kama@mauicounty.us, Thomas.Cook@mauicounty.us, Gabe Johnson <Gabe.Johnson@mauicounty.us>, Tamara.Paltin@mauicounty.us, Keani.Rawlins@mauicounty.us, Shane.Sinenci@mauicounty.us, Nohe.Uu-Hodgins@mauicounty.us, Nikki Perry <Nikki@lanaicatsanctuary.org>
Dear Councilmembers,
My name is Samantha French. I am writing to request that you add $285,000 to the Lāna'i Feral Animal Control line item in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and award it to the Lanai Cat Sanctuary so they can continue to provide feral cat services on the island.
The Lanai Cat Sanctuary has not only reduced the feral cat population on Lāna'i, but they are a leader in the industry for their progressive approach to saving endangered birds by providing humane solutions for cats predating in protected areas.
Unsterilized female cats in Hawaii that are 6 months or older can have up to 3 litters a year, with 3-5 kittens per litter. Without the Lanai Cat Sanctuary, feral cats would overrun the island of Lāna'i.
If the Lanai Cat Sanctuary does not receive the funding needed to continue accepting all feral and unwanted cats, it will severely impact the progress the island of Lāna'i has made in controlling the feral cat population and protecting the native and endangered birds on the island.
Thank you,
Samantha French
From: Bobbie Best <bestb002@hawaii.rr.com>
Sent: Monday, April 8, 2024 4:39:17 PM (UTC-10:00) Hawaii
To: BFED Committee
Subject: Save the Water Authority
Omitting new departments from the budget would be ignoring the wishes of the citizens. It’ s only 1% of the Mayor’s budget and will eventually save the county money. We voted for the county to be in charge of our water and a private for profit corporation is exactly what we didn’t want.
Mahalo for your consideration.
Aloha,
Bill and Bobbie Best
280 Hauoli
Wailuku
808-242-9119
My name is Jarrett Chapin and I am a teacher at Lahainaluna High School. I am writing in support of the Maui Economic Development Boardʻs Economic Development Grant under the Maui County Office of Economic Development.
Because of this generous funding, I recently attended a conference called STEMWorks with some of our students. I would like to testify to the importance of that opportunity for the students in Maui. My experience at this event showed me that programs like STEMWorks are incredibly important as they provide models of intellectual excellence for our keiki and create connections for the kumu guiding them.
As an English teacher with a PhD in in my subject area, my perspective is not often connected to STEM fields. And yet, attending STEMWorks with our students gave me a great deal of insight on how much interdisciplinary work is possible (and necessary) at the high school level.
Seeing a range of student projects showed me how students of science could benefit—and some had clearly benefitted—from rhetorical training. Moreover, wandering the convention offered several opportunities to discuss the importance of science writing with other educators, not to mention other humanities-adjacent topics such as the rise and dangers of AI and story writing. At one of the talks, in fact, I made a valuable connection with whom I am now discussing a collaboration having to do with ethics and the use of AI in the classroom.
The conference’s “playground” area showcased a number of hands-on science curiosities for and by students. In this showroom, our students saw not only what is possible but what is necessary for success. As they watched other students from around Hawai’i present their projects on agriculture and entrepreneurship, our students inevitably imagined higher standards of achievement for themselves. This kind of reflection is crucial in West Maui where the highest aspiration for many of our students is not space, particle colliders, or marine biology, but hospitality.
At a handful of STEMWorks talks, our students learned about rocketry from representatives of the US Space Force. They discovered the history and underlying science behind AI technology. After the keynote on Friday, they watched intently, almost incredulously, as high-achieving intermediate and high school students from around the state received awards for their multimedia creations, science experiments, and video games with dialog in olelo Hawai’i.
All said, I urge you to continue funding for this program. It is one of the few programs that really do help our students imagine a way forward. In the future, I hope to bring a wider range of students with interests in both STEM and the humanities; I hope to see more students in Maui encouraged to imagine themselves as innovative scientists and excellent communicators.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.