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Agenda Item

ADEPT-16 Bill 131 (2024) BILL 131 (2024), RELATING TO PESTICIDE AND FERTILIZER USE ON COUNTY PROPERTY (ADEPT-16)

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    I am against giving parks and golf courses on Maui more time to use pesticides and fertilizers. The 2021 ordinance was a big win for our community and the environment, by putting public health of the land and the community first. There’s enough scientific evidence showing how dangerous these chemicals can be for our health and our ecosystems to continue using them.

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    I am against using pesticides and fertilizer on county properties, especially in coastal areas. The health and wellbeing of our Maui community and fragile reef ecosystems should not pay the price because Parks and Recreation did not use the last three years to find alternative solutions.

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    Waiehu Golf Course has had three years to explore alternative ways to treat the course. Needing more time in this case is a shameful excuse to ask for a delay on such an important issue for our coastal environment. This bill was wisely voted in and the time frame was appropriate. A little bit of research will quickly show that there are more and more alternative pesticide options available. Time is up now. It is not fair to the surrounding community and to the island as a whole to allow these harmful practices to continue on grassy fields island wide. In the case of Waiehu, the course is situated along the ocean and the use of pesticides here has a direct impact on the shoreline biosphere - reefs, fish etc. Our oceans and coastlines are already under stress and allowing direct toxic run off here must stop. The benefits to a small group who haven’t used their time wisely will result in a high price paid by the rest of the community who have already felt the effects of runoff with erosion and loss of fish caused by this poisoning of our nearshore waters. We have waited long enough. Thank you.

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    Aloha Chair Johnson, Vice Chair Sinenci and Committee Members.
    Once again I am testifying against Bill 131 to resume using pesticides and carcinogenic herbicides on Public turf, golf courses, parks , walkways and country roads.
    Protecting these County public lands and the people, wildlife, pollinators, fresh water, ocean and the air we breathe from unnecessary toxic pesticides is our responsibility.
    If the Parks Department needed to use a restricted pesticide for emergency use the last few years, why didn’t they ask for a waver? Why now?
    Was it because of a bizarre petition from the County Golf Course?
    My friend, Bill Greenleaf who has been a professional golfer and is regenerative farmer in Kula has visited the golf course and talked to golfers and inspected the course. He’s testified that the golfers he spoke to were impressed with how beautiful the course was and how important it was to fully implement the organic turf management especially considering how close it is to the ocean.
    What is the real cost to our the health of our parks department staff, keiki who play on the turf, pets who run on the grass and then lick their paws? What about our visitors? How is that being measured?
    If you’ve ever sat through little league baseball games like I have at Maui Lani or at War Memorial and see the wind kicking up the dust, blowing in everyone’s face you’d understand when i say that been nice not to have to worry about this dust being laced with chemicals the past few years. Please don’t compromise the health of anyone by exposing them to
    the various petrochemicals, heavy metals
    and toxic fumes that comes with chemical turf management.
    I support the full implementation of organic park management, mechanical methods for weed control including hand weeding. As the soil is being rejuvenated, healthy non invasive grasses will take over.
    This is a process and will become easier as time goes on.
    Please step back from Bill 131 and support the Parks Department to do their job.
    We need our pollinators, we need the beauty of non scorched sides of the road. Killing weeds with Round-Up or stronger herbicides because the weeds are now herbicide resistant.
    Just spraying roadside weeds without weed wacking them is a serious fire hazard, and they just grow back. It’s not sustainable, healthy or necessary.
    Please find the help the Parks Department
    needs to do this so the last 3 years is not in vain.
    Aloha ‘Āina, It’s our kuliana 🙏🏼
    Mahalo for the chance to testify on this serious issue.
    Ms. Barbara Barry
    Organic Farmer,
    Ha’ikū

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    I support the band of pesticides on any and all public courses, even the private ones. I don’t wanna be breathing in toxic chemicals and having it get onto my skin when I’m golfing they’ve had plenty of time to switch over to organic pesticides and they have obviously been irresponsible in doing so. It’s no excuse to get any exemptions

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    Parks and Rec had 3 years for testing and waited until June? This isn't a valid cause for exemption.

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    The parks and recreation had plenty of time to do their testing and did one trial close to the 3 year deadline. It seems them purposely failed to comply with the ordinance.

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    Maui Parks and Recreation had additional time to get larger facilities in compliance, including a three-year timeframe for Waiehu Municipal Golf Course.

    The time was not used wisely to explore organic fertilizer options; this is not a valid reason for exemption to Bill 72.
    The health and wellbeing of our Maui community and fragile reef ecosystems should not pay the price because Parks and Recreation did not use the last three years to find alternative solutions.

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    As a resident of Waiehu that has children, I vehemently oppose the use of pesticides in areas where children are. It’s a known fact that pesticides have been known to cause various forms of cancer, asthma as well as a litany of other health issues. There is absolutely no circumstance where this should be acceptable.

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    Dear County of Maui,

    My name is Cody Roberts. I’m a resident of Maui and I strongly oppose bill 131.

    Maui Parks and Recreation has had additional time to get larger facilities in compliance, including a three-year timeframe for Waiehu Municipal Golf Course. The time was not used wisely to explore organic fertilizer options; this is not a valid reason for exemption to Bill 72. The health and wellbeing of our Maui community and fragile reef ecosystems should not pay the price because Parks and Recreation did not use the last three years to find alternative solutions. Our islands have suffered enough environmental damage already, and we’re not going to let your inactions to make positive changes allow you to continue poisoning our precious ecosystems.

    Mahalo nui,

    Cody Roberts

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    Aloha,

    Please vote no on Bill 131. If passed, it will permit the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers in parks and fields near the ocean. This could seriously harm the surrounding ecosystem. Parks and Rec had time to explore alternative options and failed to do so. As a community, we should not be willing to sacrifice public health or the health of our wetlands and reefs in favor of golf courses.

    Mahalo for your consideration of this testimony.

    -Pukalani Resident

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    Guest User about 1 month ago

    Aloha,

    I strongly encourage you to VOTE NO on Bill 131 for the following reasons:
    • Maui Parks and Recreation had additional time to get larger facilities in compliance, including a three-year timeframe for Waiehu Municipal Golf Course.
    • The time was not used wisely to explore organic fertilizer options; this is not a valid reason for exemption to Bill 72.
    • The health and wellbeing of our Maui community and fragile reef ecosystems should not pay the price because Parks and Recreation did not use the last three years to find alternative solutions.

    Best regards,
    Maureen Brock, PhD
    Lahaina