Mayor MIA
I have contacted the mayor’s office numerous times over the past two weeks to see what he was planning to do about the latest coronavirus surge being spread by the unvaccinated.
I received no response and have seen no public statements on the subject from him, so this letter to the editor seems to be the only way to communicate with him.
Many government and business leaders are instituting vaccine mandates, and I urge Mayor Roth to do the same.
1. Require that all county workers be vaccinated.
2. Require that all people coming into our airports be vaccinated — visitors and residents.
3. Require anyone entering a county building be vaccinated.
4. Develop incentive programs to get more people vaccinated.
Mayor Roth has done none of these things and seems to be operating on the principle that whatever is good for business is OK with him. He has forgotten one of the most important lessons of the pandemic — that business cannot go on as usual when a deadly virus is spreading out of control.
Matt Binder
Waimea
Dolphin tours
On Friday, July 23, we were shopping at Costco in Kailua-Kona. While in the check-out line we were stunned and disheartened to witness the display of Ocean Encounters — Dolphin Encounter Kealakekua Bay Snorkel Trip, $97.99.
This pallet held a few hundred placards for purchase offering a 36% discount to exploit our cultural and natural marine resources. The details describe four-hour snorkeling tours with our dolphins at the bay, beginning at 8:30 am daily.
This commercial tour operation has no business being promoted or sold at Costco, and I would like to see it withdrawn from their store.
It is well-known these dolphins feed at night in the near offshore pelagic zone and come into the bay to rest during the day. Kealakekua Bay provides a safe zone, allowing rest and safety from predatory sharks.
Research has found that spinners off the Kona Coast are exposed to human tourism activities 82% of the time during daylight hours, precisely when they’re supposed to be resting. The sale of these commercial tours only serve to harass and destroy our marine mammal environment and our home of Hawaii.
The dolphin tours generate more than $100 million annually, but who are the profiteers from this commercial endeavor? Not the dolphins. What is the give-back/reciprocity to our cultural and natural resources? How are we to sustain our resources and maintain its balance?
The law enforcement and policies are currently insufficient to address this exploitation.
I understand and accept that Hawaii is a tourist destination and the industry provides an economy for our state. What I find intolerable is the wholesale marketing of this commercial operation at Costco. Costco has rendered more than their share of revenue from Hawaii residents and the gross influx of tourists that pour into Kailua-Kona.
I write this heartfelt letter to implore your assistance in having this display removed from Costco in Kailua-Kona. In addition, please support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in publishing their findings on the impacts and affects on spinner dolphins from tours.
Kalena K. Blakemore
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
