Post #327487 by icebaer69 on Wed, Aug 22, 2007 4:58 PM

On 2007-08-22 12:09, Tikinaut wrote:
Speaking of sovereignty and maintaining Hawaiian culture, the island of Kaho`olawe was recently returned to the State of Hawaii by the Federal government. I understand the U.S. military once used this island as a practice bombing range during World War II. It's been unoccupied ever since due to unexploded ordinance. Apparently, the State of Hawaii is planning to bring the island back to life and make it a cultural park by removing the ordinance and reforesting. Sounds like an interesting project. Does anyone here know any more details about this?

http://www.kahoolawe.org/

http://www.sacredland.org/historical_sites_pages/kahoolawe.html

"...

Current Situation
...

Despite the government-funded clean-up and the legal return of the island, there are many environmental problems on the island.
Hawaiians must now work on revegetation and erosion control. The island has lost much of its topsoil in the last two centuries, from both ranching and military activities.
The destruction of forests on Haleakala (on Maui) has eliminated the cloud cover that used to stretch out to Kaho’olawe, making the island very dry.
The Navy’s activities also poisoned what little water exists underground with explosives and fuels and broke the capstone of the island’s water supply with a simulated A-bomb blast.
It is up to the Hawaiian people to revegetate the island and heal the soil, which in turn will bring rain to refill the aquifers.
...

And while the return of the island marks a major victory for government recognition of sacred land, the military has turned its attention to other islands.
The U.S. Army is now conducting bombing and live artillery exercises at Pohakuloa on Hawai’i island and in the Makua Valley on O’ahu and it continues to expand, leaving behind spent lands and occupying new sites.
A 1997 report said the army needs an additional 79,000 acres of training land.
There are plans to bring a Stryker Brigade onto the big island—a team of 300 urban assault vehicles which would occupy the same amount of land as the entire island of Kaho’olawe.
These occupations destroy fragile ecosystems, habitats for endangered species, and lands of spiritual and cultural significance.
As long as the Hawaiian islands remain a strategic location for the US military, these lands will not be safe and the dream of a sovereign Hawai’i remains remote.
Even if these lands were vacated, some argue that they are forever lost to Hawaiians because the buried explosives and toxics left behind make the land uninhabitable.
Hawaiian sacred sites are also impacted by the construction of telescopes on Mauna Kea and Haleakala mountains..."

[ Edited by: icebaer69 2007-08-22 17:14 ]