SSCR974

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 974

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NOS. 591, 592, 593

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 591, 592, and 593, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of:

Koke'e State Park Advisory Council

G.M. No. 591

CHARLES WICHMAN, JR.,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016;

G.M. No. 592

KATHRYN CASSEL,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016; and

G.M. No. 593

WAYNE SOUZA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Charles Wichman, Jr., Kathryn Cassel, and Wayne Souza to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Koke‘e State Park Advisory Council.

CHARLES WICHMAN, JR.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Charles Wichman, Jr., from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Kauai; Kauai Watershed Alliance; The Nature Conservancy; Princeville Resort; Grove Farm Company, Inc.; and six individuals.

Charles Wichman, Jr., is the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, headquartered in Kalaheo, Kauai. For his entire adult life, Mr. Wichman has worked to preserve the precious natural and cultural resources of Hawaii, where he was born and raised. In 1999, Mr. Wichman and his wife were honored by the State Legislature for the restoration of Pi‘ilanihale Heiau, the largest and one of the most sacred cultural sites in Hawaii. They subsequently developed an award winning site management plan for this sacred site.

KATHRYN CASSEL

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Kathryn Cassel from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, and two individuals.

Kathryn Cassel is the Founder of the Koke‘e Resource Conservation Program and served as the Program Coordinator from 1998-2009. Her duties were to coordinate all aspects of program management; solicit, orient, and supervise volunteers; generate media, grant requests, and reports; manage budget and cash flow, permit requests; handle helicopter surveys; perform remote field work and program development; develop community support and solicit donations; ensure maintenance of databases and archives; plan, supervise, and coordinate activities of staff and volunteers in the field; and act as catalyst to elicit cooperation from diverse individuals and groups and to effectively cooperate with different agencies/organizations.

WAYNE SOUZA

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Wayne Souza from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Koke‘e Museum, and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the nominee from one individual.

Wayne Souza is a retired Park Planner and Kauai Parks District Superintendent with the Division of State Parks, Department of Land and Natural Resources, where he served from 1974 to 2009. His interests are focused on conservation biology, natural history, history (including local history), and Hawaiian culture.

Your Committee contacted Mr. Souza by conference call to respond to the testimony in opposition to his nomination. Your Committee directed questions to him, which he answered in a straight-forward manner. Your Committee is satisfied with his explanations. Furthermore, the Department of Land and Natural Resources testified that Mr. Souza makes careful and well thought out decisions that are advisory by nature, as is the Commission's duty under the law.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

____________________________

MALAMA SOLOMON, Chair