Letters for Friday, August 10, 2007

• Superferry and whales

• Where is Waipouli traffic plan?

• Tropical blunder

• Outstanding staff

Superferry and whales

I am not confident, as the Superferry people are, that their Whale Avoidance Program will be effective, based on my experiences conducting scientific surveys for whales and dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific.

Now, spouting whales are rather easy to avoid in daytime, because they can be seen even miles away, even by a casual observer drinking coffee and without binoculars. But night time whales and non-spouting whales are what worry me. Non spouters usually can be spotted efficiently only by dedicated observers scouring the sea surface with high powered binoculars. On my ship surveys, observers with 20-strength binoculars, on port and starboard sides, searched ahead and to the side, angle sector by angle sector, alternately searching and resting at one hour intervals, and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. No searching was possible at night. We tried night vision binoculars but the visually straining experience was too deadening to be useful.

I have had limited experience using sonar at night. But at our cruising speed (12 knots) sonar was useless because of the obscuration by “sea clutter” (like TV “snow”).

Some species of whales, like the deep-diving beaked whales, never give visible blows (spouts) at all. They routinely rest at the sea surface and are actually rather common as a species group, but because of their shy unobstrusive behavior, they are virtually unknown at sea to all except scientists.

I doubt that the Superferry’s whale lookouts will be dedicated enough to effectively detect non-spouting and nighttime whales. Worse, if nighttime collisions do occur, who would know? At cruising speed, even a large ship will often experience jarring bumps from hitting a certain wave at the right angle. Could any of those bumps be whales?

David Au

Kalaheo

Where is Waipouli traffic plan?

Regarding the Po‘ipu-Koloa traffic plan recently accepted by the County Council: Why was this plan so readily accepted by the government to relieve “unprecedented” traffic loads, while in Waipouli, where zoning has for many years predicted increased traffic volume, little progress has been made on the road system? Resort property taxes were paid for decades. Shouldn’t that money have at least provided the means for the county and state to plan ahead?

In Po‘ipu, aren’t the homes being built on agricultural land never zoned for residential use? I’m just unclear as to why former ag lands are so easily used for upscale residential use while already-zoned resort areas are being vehemently protested against.

Ann Leighton

Lihu‘e

Tropical blunder

Many people on Kaua‘i are aware of the Hollywood movie “Tropic Thunder” now being filmed on Kaua‘i. We have seen the “Star Wagons” driving around the traffic choked roads, even spotted movie stars. Over 70 movies and TV shows have been filmed on Kaua‘i since 1933. Yet there is a dark side to Hollywood’s glamorous flirtation with Kaua‘i. What is not known to the public is how this war movie “Tropic Blunder” is degrading the environment. The budget of this Hollywood monstrosity is over $160 million, and they are not sparing any expense in building a gigantic set next to the upper powerhouse near the base of Wai‘ale‘ale. And like any good war movie they are going to blow up the set for the grand finale. I am not sure how they are going to blow up and burn this massive set without polluting the streams that surround them. The set is literally surrounded by streams on three sides. These remote mountain streams feed into the Wailua River and Waita Reservoir in Koloa. Any contamination to these upper streams will effect a massive area of Kaua‘i. “Tropic Blunder” has already turned a few acres of the upper Wailua area into a scorched war zone detonating large pyrotechnics and burning an entire grove of coconut palms. I recently visited some of these remote sets and there appears to be no stopping the Hollywood juggernaut. Giant earth-moving machines were altering streams, groves of bamboo were leveled, new roads were cut into the island’s interior, massive structures were built, including large bridges and a multi-story house. These sets are located on Grove Farm land and hidden from the public. Even if the county knows about these blatant violations against the environment, they have been paid a large fee to allow Hollywood to have its way with Kaua‘i.

My question to the public is, “Who is monitoring Hollywood’s disrespect for the ‘aina?”

Are we so enamored with Hollywood that we are willing to sacrifice our land and dignity for a silly movie? This latest Hollywood epic is a comedy, but the joke’s really on us.

Koa Kahili

Kilauea

Outstanding staff

With heartfelt gratitude we extend our mahalo to you, the staff of Kauai Veteran’s Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Room, OR/RR and OB, for the outstanding service provided to our daughter Marie Legacy Foster on July 23 as she delivered her son three months prematurely. From the moment she and her husband Ariki arrived, you immediately took control of the situation, kept us informed, and applied your skills and training to assist Marie in bringing forth new life. You made quick, decisive decisions at a time when needed. The baby and mother teams that snapped into action performed at the highest professional level; and your performance did not go unnoticed. Two days later the air ambulance nurses who accompanied the baby to Kapiolani’s intensive care unit said that their job was made easier by the superb work done by KVMH. Today we take great pride in sharing our experience at KVMH so that others may know that they can rely on receiving exceptional help in a time of need. Again, to all who assisted us, dear long-time friends and new friends, we salute you and thank you for the wonderful service that you provide our community. Blessings to you as you are in our hearts and prayers.

Carmen and Tom Legacy

Kalaheo