Tree massacre result of deception
I have always disliked the technique of trickery used by many — too many — people who want things “their way.” What I am referring to is: when someone wants to do something that may meet opposition, they do it without asking, or through deception before anyone knows the true intent. Then when they have what they want, they more or less say, “Oops, sorry.” Some of our Kauai residents knowingly use this technique and are willing to admit, “It’s a lot easier to just do it and say ‘sorry.’”
Unfortunately, many deceitful acts cannot be corrected. It seems that, recently, a property owner shamefully got what he wanted, which was by intentionally increasing a multi-million dollar estate’s value by improving the view. A large section on the makai side of the bike path was thoroughly massacred.
I doubt if the person that ordered the devastation would have done anything differently had he already known that those ironwood trees house an endemic bat habitat. Isn’t it true that the bats, threatened by extinction, were the only land mammals in Hawaii when voyagers arrived?
The early-morning walkers on the path often hear a concert of birds in the canopy. The shade from those trees is essential for the users of the bike path. The trees were immensely damaged because they were not trimmed as a professional arbor would have done.
I suspect that many trees will die and the ones that don’t will be trees that will no longer have a dominant central leader but will instead have multiple weakly attached branches which will in time create a hazard.
The tree massacre that was done last weekend to improve a view will in the future cause big problems. “Oops. Sorry.”
A huge mahalo to the mayor, County Council, and parks department for responding in a positive way, sharing our community’s grief, and making changes so that this never occurs again. We were all tricked.
Noreen Dougherty, Kapaa
Source: The Garden Island
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