Give credit to Friends of Mahaulepu
Give credit to Friends of Mahaulepu
The island of Kauai owes a debt of gratitude to the Friends of Mahaulepu (FOM), primarily Jay Kechloian, Eileen Kechioian, and Bridget Hammerquist for their successful five-year battle which prevented the environmental disaster of Hawaii Dairy Farms (Grove Farm and the Ulupono Initiative) locating an industrial dairy in Mahaulepu.
The Kechloians made a very generous financial contribution and raised other funds which enabled FOM to hire one of the very best environmental lawyers in the country. Eileen and Bridget worked tirelessly doing research and lobbying against the project. Bridget did a brilliant job as spokesperson for FOM.
There were other people who contributed funds, ideas, and hard work on behalf of FOM and we should all be grateful to them. And, there were some who just offered to hold their coats while they fought the dairy and a few who actually carried water for Grove Farm.
This is just the beginning for FOM. They will be a force on this island for many years to come. Perhaps, this might be a good time for the mayor to congratulate FOM on their hard-fought victory.
Linda Estes, Koloa
Ku’e! We the people! mAhalo to all the warrior who know what is truth and have huge amounts of integrity against the Lie, told too long and too often.
Yes, thanks for killing Hawaii’s dairy industry.
Yes! Thank you nimby newbies! Especially the Real Estate Sellers and Developers (Kechloians). Now Grove Farm is closer to their goal of developing gentrified lots for sale to billionaires and a Grand Beachfront Hotel. Just say no to agriculture and locally produced agricultural products!
I thank FOM
We do not need a Dairy Farm so close to a pristine beach.
Mahalepu will stay intact for now..a place to take rest and relaxation.
First, it wasn’t “industrial,” that was a propaganda term and a lie. The plan was the opposite of industrial. That was the whole point of doing it. Second, it wasn’t a disaster. A disaster was merely suggested. Nothing happened. So they should get credit for nothing.
As much as I hate development before infrastructure improvements I would rather see homes and hotel than 600 cows. A dairy industry that other hiring a few people does nothing for the island. Now if someone wanted a scaled down version, with the milk processed and sold on Kaua’i that would be different story.
will be interesting what their next scheme is for that land…
600 cows? The eventual goal of the Ulupono proposal was for 2,000 cows – in Phase 2.
Cows poop about 15 times per day (producing approx. 65 pounds of manure) + excrete about 4 gallons of urine daily. And, they drink approx. 35 gallons of water per day. That’s just ONE cow/ONE day.
As for smell? From their webpage: “a windbreak/shelterbelt, which utilizes rows of trees, will be planted along the prevailing wind pattern of the effluent ponds to help mitigate any odor from traveling off the farm.” With the winds here I doubt some trees would block the stench from traveling, not to mention the flies. Remember the odor coming from the Moloa’a Dairy? It reeked for miles.
This was going to be an Effluent Pond system. They have many in NZ, some of which are creating serious ground, stream, and ocean pollution. From NZ EPA: “Problems with dairy effluent ponds are common. When EPA ran an inspection program on 31 dairy farms in 2017, just over half were served with Pollution Abatement Notices.”
All in all it just seems like a bad idea. Not sure why anyone (other than investors) would be upset with this outcome?
Well said, Linda.