Action Alert! Support Aunty Hannah Springer’s confirmation to the Water Commission!
Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of Hannah Springer’s nomination to the Water Commission loea seat! The Governor has appointed Aunty Hannah to serve as the loea on the Commission on Water Resource Management pending Senate confirmation.
On Friday, April 11th at 1:00 pm, Governor’s Message 770 will be heard by the Senate Water and Land Committee to consider and hopefully approve Aunty Hannah’s appointment. Testimony is due by Thursday April 10th at 1pm.
Why is this Important?
The loea seat on the Water Commission is designated for a Native Hawaiian water management expert to satisfy the legal requirement that one member of the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) have substantial experience or expertise in Native Hawaiian water resource management techniques and traditional Hawaiian riparian usage.
Recognizing the urgency behind many of the very important decisions the Water Commission is considering it is vital that a true loea be appointed - someone grounded in ʻike kupuna, community accountability and leadership.
Hannah Kihalani Springer is kamaʻāina of Kaʻūpūlehu, North Kona. She brings decades of experience as a community leader, former OHA trustee, advocate for native ecosystems, and co-creator of legal frameworks that protect cultural practices. Her grounding in the ‘ike kūpuna of her ‘ohana and her kulāiwi - where water was exceptionally precious - and her ability to unite diverse perspectives for the benefit of ‘āina and communities alike, make her the ideal candidate to serve in the loea seat.
Take Action! Submit Testimony in Support by April 10th at 1pm:
Feel free to personalize this sample testimony as you see fit.
Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Inouye, Vice Chair Elefante, and Members of the Committee,
My name is [your name] and I am testifying in STRONG SUPPORT of the nomination of Hannah Kihalani Springer to serve as the Water Commission’s loea, or Native Hawaiian water management expert, as reflected in GM770.
Aunty Hannah has committed her life to protecting water resources to perpetuate Kānaka Maoli traditional and customary practices. She is a celebrated, highly accomplished, and dedicated community leader, whose wisdom and experience will be an invaluable addition to the Water Commission. She has over 40 years of experience doing this kind of work, including her service as an OHA Trustee, her role in creating the Ka Paʻakai analysis, her community service on various nonprofit boards including the Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi and Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, and her continued work as a founding and leading member of the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee - a celebrated model of collaboration between developers, private landowners, lineal descendants, cultural practitioners, and community members all dedicated to the stewardship of the ʻāina, wai, and kai of Kaʻūpūlehu and Kūkiʻo. These experiences as well as her demonstrated ability to find creative, collaborative, and culturally-grounded solutions integrating Western and Native Hawaiian perspectives will be vital to the careful, balanced, and nuanced discussions and decisionmaking that the Water Commission will be engaged in over the next several years. Aunty Hannah has the cultural knowledge necessary to handle critical water management issues, in a time of unprecedented demand for and increasing scarcity of our wai.
I respectfully, but strongly urge that the Committee recommend that the Senate ADVISE AND CONSENT to Aunty Hannah’s nomination, as reflected in GM770.
Mahalo for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your name],
[Town]
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Mahalo for taking action!
