November 13, 2014—Last year, 200 community members gathered in Waimea at the first Hawai‘i Island Conservation Forum to learn about the good things happening here to connect people to the land, the water, and to mālama our island home.
We want to continue the conversations we started last year, and bring the discussion into the realm of politics and government to answer some questions that we’ve heard so many times: What are the roles of county, state, and federal governments in protecting and regulating our natural resources? Who writes the bills that become laws? How can unfavorable laws and policies be changed? What are the issues we care about most? And how can we involve government in these issues effectively?
We are bringing together environmental and community leaders to inspire us with their stories of political successes in protecting our coastline from development and enacting fishing laws that work for local communities. We’ll also hear from people representing different levels of government who will help us understand how we can get involved in the policymaking process.
Much of the day, however, will be spent on discussions focused on topics of concern, identifying key laws and policies that need work, and forging alliances to advance the changes we seek. We will be sending out a survey to gather pre-Pilina ideas to help us organize discussion groups.
What do you need to do now?
1. Save Thursday, November 13th on your calendar, and spread the word to your colleagues and ʻohana. If you want to stay connected to this island-wide movement, you will need to add your name via this link for new subscribers to sign up for the Pilina email list: http://eepurl.com/Fe8zT
2. Think deeply about the environmental issues in our community that you care most about, and if you choose to add your name to the Pilina email list, then answer the survey when you get the link in the next couple weeks.
3. Look for the registration email coming to those on the Pilina list soon, and reserve your spot!
Ideas? Questions? Concerns? Want to get involved?
Email Melora at coordinator@kohalawatershed.org
