KOLOA — The graffiti on the guardrail said it all: “Stacey — Do not cut the trees.” Holding signs that read “No trees — No sales” and “Don’t pave paradise,” more than 30 locals and tourists protested the widely suspected,
KOLOA — The graffiti on the guardrail said it all: “Stacey — Do not cut the trees.”
Holding signs that read “No trees — No sales” and “Don’t pave paradise,” more than 30 locals and tourists protested the widely suspected, but yet-to-be confirmed, removal of monkey pod trees from the site of The Shops at Koloa development.
The Knudsen Trust, which owns the land the trees are on, has not commented publicly on when or how many monkey pods will be removed. But the lack of details didn’t stop protesters from voicing their concerns yesterday.
Another rally for the trees was held earlier this week.
According to Jeri DiPietro of GMO-Free Kaua‘i, many visitors have joined the fight to save the monkey pod trees.
“Many have been sickened by the thought of the trees being cut,” DiPietro said. “They can’t understand how we got to this point for the trees.”
Fred Crostic of Venice, Calif., said this is his 20th trip to Kaua‘i and is fascinated with what is happening with the situation.
“I think they can build around the trees,” Crostic said. “I think it’s in the developer’s best interest for the community to build it plantation style.” Crostic added that it won’t seem like Old Koloa Town anymore if the developer doesn’t pay attention to the community.
Terry Jennings from Seattle came specifically to Kaua‘i because he wanted to show his son, who just finished serving two tours of duty in Iraq, a “happy time.”
“[The land is] privately owned and they can do what they want, but they’re not being good neighbors,” Jennings said.
Tema Milstein, a professor at the University of New Mexico, is visiting Kaua‘i for the first time because she was drawn to Kaua‘i’s rural appeal.
“It makes you think critically about development, which I think is really important when you’re a tourist in Hawai‘i,” she said.
Though it is within the developers’ rights to remove the trees, residents say time is ticking as they try to figure out how to keep them in their current location.
According to court documents dated Sept. 24, the settlement allows the developer to move ahead with its plans to build a 76,200-square-foot office and shopping complex in Koloa.
According to Stacey Wong, trustee of the Knudsen Estate, only diseased, damaged and strangled trees will be removed.
The plan stipulates that if a tree is to be replaced, the new tree must be of a similar species and size. The removed trees will be replaced with “field stock” trees, which are the largest trees available from the nursery.
“We hope and pray that the developer will reconsider and leave the trees to continue to be the wonderful asset and landmark that they are,” Gabrielle Young of the Kaua‘i Outdoor Circle said.
