OUR LAST RALLY WAS A TOTAL SUCCESS AND A GREAT COMMUNITY GATHERING: Below you can read our PRESS RELEASE.
Rally on Saturday, January 7, 2023, 3:00-6:00 pm to protect the free recreational parking and access to the beach at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor.
Instagram: @save_alawai_parking
Website: www.surfparking.org
Rally Coordinator: Katie Thompson, info@surfparking.org
Media Spokespersons: Sienna Streamfellow Speaker at Rally, Kelly Lucero MC at Rally info@surfparking.org
Speakers:
• Natalie Wohner, Surfrider Foundation, O’ahu Chapter outreach@oahu.surfrider.org
• Keone Downing, Member Save Our Surf Hawaii, Surfing Education Association https://www.surfingeducationassociation.org
WHEN: Saturday, January 7, 2023, 3-6:00 pm
WHERE: Parking Area of Kahanamoku Lagoon (old heli-port) and Anuenue Canoe Club in the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. There are 941 parking stalls in the harbor. We will be in the area of the 300 free recreational public parking stalls.
WHO: We are a broad coalition of local people who use this recreational area for surfing, boating, and various ocean-based activities such as canoe paddling, swimming, free diving, beachgoing, and cultural connections with nature and each other.
WHY: 1) A large safety consequence of removing surfers’ free parking is they will likely park at Ala Moana Beach Park and paddle across the active Boat Harbor entrance, thus endangering themselves and the ocean craft. 2) If there is a fee for parking, many locals and their families will not be able to enjoy the beach. There is also the burden of transporting beach equipment from the proposed parking structure. 3) The Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) will be publishing a Request For Proposals (RFP) for the privatization of our harbor. This would increase the cost of local residents' access to their beach for surfing and other healthy lifestyle activities and cultural practices.
CALL TO ACTION at Rally:
• Go to Surfparking.org to sign up and learn how to create and submit a Hawaii Legislative Testimony and Land Board (BLNR) Testimony to protect the Ala Wai Boat Harbor.
• How to make a difference and save these Historic Public Lands.
• To pressure DOBOR to do their job with the earned income from the harbor. SPEND ALA WAI HARBOR INCOME IN THE ALA WAI HARBOR.
CALL TO ACTION:
In this 2023 session, we are asking Governor Josh Green and the officials below, to take real action this year to secure these public recreational lands for public use.
2023 Legislative session, (starting Jan 18)
• House Water & Land (WAL) committee, Linda Ichiyama, Chair
• Senate Water & Land (WTL) committee, Lorraine Inouye, Chair
• Senator Sharon Moriwaki, Ala Wai Harbor is in her district
• Representative Adrian Tam, Ala Wai Harbor is in his district
Board of Land and Natural Resources, aka Land Board
• Chair Dawn Chang, and also the Director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources
• O‘ahu representative Aimee Keli‘i Barnes,
• At Large representative. Kaiwi Yoon and
• At Large representative, Vernon Char