KRCA Homeowners
Board of Directors Meeting
November 20, 2013
7:00 PM Kilauea Neighborhood Center
Kalihiwai Ridge homeowners can find official minutes to KRCA Board of Directors meetings by setting up their own Account Log In at www.associaonline.com. They can assist you in getting your 7 digit homeowner number. After you have that you will then need to set up a User Name and Password. You can also set up having the Agenda to these meetings sent to you by e-mail the day before the meetings are held every other month.
My Impressions
There was a very heated KRCA meeting last night that left me still disturbed this morning. Well attended by the Hawaiian pig hunting community interested in the dog leash and gun use agenda items to be discussed as being threatening to their gathering rights to hunt in the bordering legal hunting areas of Kalihiwai Ridge and on property here where they have been hired to kill our over population of pigs, which are causing untold property damage.
County law Section 22 Article 2 is clear about keeping a dog on an 8 foot leash while off your property, so confusion set in and alarming personal threats were made as the KRCA board continues to pursue this discussion for the third straight meeting, tabling for further discussion at yet another fourth meeting in November.
Always the tragedy of a 2 year old boy killed in Moloa'a is brought up. This actually was a 17 month old boy who on a Saturday afternoon February 21, 2004 tragically wandered into his neighbor's yard unsupervised and was killed by a chained dog. Un-neutered male dogs kept on chains most of their life are understandably the #1 most dangerous, potentially aggressive biting dogs anywhere. Another boy referred to last night was riding his bike in Wailua Homesteads, was bit by a neighbor dog that jumped his fenced yard on May 5, 2013 while he rode by. I am truly sorry for all concerned in these tragic events.
But both these incidences were in fact where owners had contained their dogs in their yards, found in part to be defending their territory, resulting in both dogs being put down by the Kaua'i Humane Society. Dogs running loose is another matter entirely, so it seems using these past two tragic events to justify making more rules for our neighborhood about responsibility for loose dogs could be somewhat misleading. I suggest any further reference to these unfortunate victims be suspended for a time in order to lower the heat on this already hot issue. It only further inflames and perhaps even clouds discussion that hopefully the newly formed Pig Hunting Committee can bring clarity, understanding, and perhaps in time find a way to bring peace to our neighborhood concerning this issue.
I am also sorry there has been loss of livestock because of loose dogs and for anyone who gets threatened by a dog not contained or controlled by its owner, but I feel more rules will not necessarily protect us. Since 1988 a rural plantation has been turned into a 181 Kalihiwai Ridge subdivision of individual property owners who moved here precisely to responsibly live more privately, more peacefully, and yes, more freely. It may be time to assess whether we are bringing too much of our mainland legalistic, litigiously fearful mentality to an ancient land and culture we could learn from, while remaining open, sensitive to and inclusive of the views of the larger community we live in.
Until we meet again.
Aloha,
Maggie Lea
Suggested Readings: Water Resources and Climate Change Adaptation in Hawai`i: 2012 Reference: Commission on Water Resource Management Click here to download PDF file Koamalu Volumes 1&2 by Ethel M Damon, 1931 A story of pioneers on Kauai and of what they built in that island garden Sugar Water by Carol Wilcox 1996 Hawaiian & English definitions from the book: wai - water, blood, passion, life wai wai - wealth pani wai - dam water - transparent, odorless, tasteless, liquid, H2O Wetland habitat non-invasive plant suggestions: bacopa, makaloa, carex, aka 'akai, neke kupukupu, laua'e Links: Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge www.fws.gov/hanalei Kauai Forest Birds Recovery Project www.kauaiforestbirds.org Sounds Hawaiian www.soundshawaiian.com/birds National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org Kalihiwai Reservoir is a Certified Wildlife Habitat Ducks Unlimited www.ducksunlimited.com Fishing Notes www.fishingnotes.com Hawaii Audubon Society www.hawaiiaudubon.com Sierra Club Hawaii www.sierraclubhawaii.com Sufi at the helm of Moe Moku |