SMALL-BOAT HARBOR

DLNR IS TO BLAME FOR DISREPAIR AT ALA WAI

It is amazing that the Department of Land and Natural Resources can complain about the lack of repairs over the years at the Ala Wai harbor, when it is responsible for not using repair money to maintain the facilities.

There is no, I repeat no, maintenance program in place for the harbor.

I propose the state comply with the edict legislators passed approximately 16 years ago for condominiums. A 20-year maintenance plan must be in place and a reserve fund must be established to provide for high-cost maintenance items.

Condo associations and residents complained about the initial outlays, but they saw the wisdom of the plan. It prevents deterioration of their investment.

If this was implemented for all governmental agencies, there would be no need to require these agencies to float bonds to do the necessary preventive maintenance work.

LEEWARD

FERRY COMMUTING IS RELAXING, COMFORTABLE

As a former longtime ferry commuter in the San Francisco Bay Area, I can tell you that there is no more comfortable and relaxing way to commute to and from work.

But, I do have two very important questions. Where will the cars park at Barbers Point? I do some consulting in that area, and am not aware of any public parking there. All the space is used by the few big marine businesses there.

Another question pertains to the proposed schedule. As I read it, there are only two ferries involved, but they are planning on three departures from Barbers Point within 90 minutes of each other. This is impossible because these kind of ferries usually travel in open water under 40 mph and each trip uses up about 15 minutes leaving and approaching docking facilities.

Then there is the requirement to stay at least three miles away from the Pearl Harbor entrance. So, what is their explanation?

All this said, I think the idea is a good one and I wish it great success.

BUSH

RED-STATE EMERGENCY GETS QUICK DECLARATION

President Bush made a "pre-landfall declaration of emergency" on behalf of Texas regarding then-approaching Hurricane Dean last Saturday. That would have provided a fast track to emergency funds for that (red) state if needed. This is excellent.

It would have been nice if Bush had done the same just last week for a blue state named Hawai'i. Seems it would have been a good thing to do for Louisiana as Katrina became a gathering threat (like a WMD) to that blue state.

Can you imagine why there is such a disparity in the president's priorities for taxpayer-supported relief funding?

TRANSIT

SECOND-GUESSING IS JUST A ROAD TO NOWHERE

I am amazed that some letter writers still want to revisit the City Council decision to build a much-needed fixed guideway transit project for Honolulu.

Some even want to scrap the entire effort and start over with express buses instead. This comes after a year of public hearings and countless studies and analyses.

We've debated the need for mass transit for more than 30 years, and talk has gotten us nowhere.

We studied buses in express lanes, called Bus Rapid Transit or BRT, and the public did not want it so it failed. Now that rail is planned, they want to try buses again?

These obstructionists don't want solutions. If they did, they'd join in efforts to get the city to build the best rail system possible, not second-guess decisions. That truly is the road to nowhere.

GILL NETS

FISHERMEN WORK TO PROTECT MONK SEALS

In a June 21 letter, John E. Randall implied that gill-net fishing is primarily responsible for low population numbers of monk seals by stating that gill nets, other nets and marine debris have killed an average of 11 seals a year from 1982 to 2004 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This would total 242.

Yet, according to the NOAA Marine Mammal Stock assessment report of Dec. 15, 2006, only two monk seals have died in Hawai'i-based lay gill nets since 1976. The two recent deaths (Waimanalo and Makua) bring the total to four.

Furthermore, the NOAA report cited only seven monk seal deaths attributed to debris.

Interestingly, the NOAA report said 34 monk seals died during "rehabilitation efforts" or other research and management means since 1982, and also noted that 21 monk seals were relocated from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to the main Hawaiian Islands in 1994.

More recently, on April 10, a monk seal died while researchers performed a "research capture" at Hanauma Bay.

Isn't it interesting that scientists like Dr. Randall will single out two gill-net monk seal fatalities and distort data to make their point. What happened to objective science?

Although fishermen and researchers are both very cautious and go to great lengths to protect monk seals and avoid any negative interaction with this endangered species, accidents, unfortunately, do happen.

Only an honest and sincere effort to unravel the mystery of the monk seal can lead to their ultimate survival. Fishermen, researchers and environmental advocates should collectively work toward this goal.

H-2 REMOVAL PROJECT

TREES BEAUTIFY WORLD AND MITIGATE POLLUTION

What a relief it was to read that many of the trees marked for removal by the state Department of Transportation have been saved.

We should all be grateful to The Outdoor Circle and those O'ahu citizens whose complaints led to reexamination of the state's H-2 tree removal project.

I noticed, however, that this statement, "More than 70 trees have been removed or pruned by the state since June because they posed a safety threat for drivers," was printed without qualification. Wouldn't it have been more correct to say "More than 70 trees have been removed or pruned by the state since June because DOT said they posed a safety threat for drivers?"

As Bob Loy of The Outdoor Circle stated, it was disappointing that so many trees had been removed. I wonder if many of them could have been saved as well.

As someone who lives near the Pali Highway, I'm happy to know that the DOT will be consulting with The Outdoor Circle on its plans to remove trees along the highway.

Trees not only beautify the world, but also mitigate the effects of pollution and global warming.