SR26.DOC

WHEREAS, in ancient times the people of the island of Moloka‘i were known for producing abundant quantities of food, so much so that the island and its surrounding waters were known as "‘Aina Momona", meaning "abundant land"; and

WHEREAS, the people of Moloka‘i maintained a sustainable and self-sufficient food supply for over a thousand years; and

WHEREAS, the island of Moloka‘i's unique east-west configuration and its south shore's protection from prevailing ocean swells have led to the establishment and continued growth of Hawai‘i's largest fringing coral reef, known as the South Moloka‘i Reef; and

WHEREAS, the South Moloka‘i Reef has been a key resource for the maintenance of the island's wealth as a food producer, as evidenced by the fifty-plus traditional Hawaiian fishponds that still mark its shoreline as well as the enduring fishing traditions that continue to sustain the people of Moloka‘i; and

WHEREAS, modernization and abandonment of traditional resource management have led to a severe decline of Moloka‘i's fishery; and

WHEREAS, a century of cattle grazing, goat foraging, and other land-use practices have caused severe sedimentation that negatively impacts the South Moloka‘i Reef; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, the United States Geological Survey began an in-depth study of the sedimentation crisis on the South Moloka‘i Reef, including deployment of innovative quantitative measurement-and-analysis techniques, culminating in the 2008 publication of a report, "The Coral Reef of South Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i: Portrait of a Sediment-Threatened Fringing Reef"; and

WHEREAS, the President of the Global Coral Reef Alliance, Thomas Goreau, states that the United States Geological Survey report on the South Moloka‘i Reef provides "a level of documentation and insight that has never been available for any reef before"; and

WHEREAS, the United States Geological Survey report states that the South Moloka‘i Reef has "major significance in terms of its intrinsic beauty, biodiversity, cultural importance, and as a local food resource," that it is "longer, more continuous, and has denser coral cover than reefs at any of the other (main Hawaiian) islands," and that "this alone makes it a state and national treasure worthy of study and protection"; and

WHEREAS, the United States Geological Survey report states that sediment run-off from the mauka lands "inhibits or prevents coral growth (on the reef)" and is a "first order cause of reef degradation"; and

WHEREAS, the United States Geological Survey report concludes that "there is encouraging evidence that, with enough will and local support, the condition of the reef can improve"; and

WHEREAS, multiple community planning documents that have been produced by the people of Moloka‘i, including the most recent one, "Molokai: Future of a Hawaiian Island," have consistently declared that protection of the South Moloka‘i Reef and mitigation of land-based sedimentation impacts on the reef are first priorities of the island community; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Legislature expresses support of the United States Geological Survey report, "The Coral Reef of South Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i: Portrait of a Sediment-Threatened Fringing Reef", and its conclusion that the overall condition of the South Moloka‘i Reef can be improved; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that state agencies and federal agencies are encouraged to recognize and support the conclusions of the United States Geological Survey report, "The Coral Reef of South Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i: Portrait of a Sediment-Threatened Fringing Reef"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature expresses recognition of and support for the community-based efforts to steward the South Moloka‘i Reef fishery for continued subsistence use, beginning with a systematic restoration and reforestation of mauka lands; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature expresses support of the use of the scientific findings as presented in the United States Geological Survey report, "The Coral Reef of South Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i: Portrait of a Sediment-Threatened Fringing Reef", and traditional Hawaiian conservation practices to preserve the health of the South Moloka‘i Reef; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature expresses its appreciation for the efforts of the United States Geological Survey scientists, researchers, and others for their innovative study of the South Moloka‘i Reef over a decade; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Mayor of Maui County, and the Director of the United States Geological Survey.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

South Molokai Reef; United States Geological Survey Report

6THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	26
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII