Wow, it's beena long time since my last post. I feel kind of bad that I haven't been posting but that doesn't mean that nothing has been done. For the past couple of months I feel like a broken record trying to get the State and County to help with the cats and the homeless that are living in the salt patch. It boggles my mind that with the amount of education I have done people still don't understand how the surrounding areas affect the salt patch.
Anyway, I go to salt pond once a week just to check out the current status. Every time I go I get upset and get on the phone and call everyone I know. This morning when I pass by around 10:30 there is the cat lady. Feeding those cats in the boarder of our Salt Patch. This time she had someone from the beach stop by and help her. Wasn't that nice of them? Then I drive over to the salt patch and in the other corner is a bunch of homeless people that have chosen to live in the salt patch area. I have been complaining about the homeless living in the salt patch for about 4-5 months and nothing has been done. I understand the homeless situation - i just wish they would live on the other side - not right in the salt patch.
Okay so after I run into the cat lady and then the homeless - right next to that is about 5 cars parked on the sand. Every time someone parks on the sand and drives off they take a little bit of the beach and with that comes the waves that wash into the salt patch and flood the patch.
My last stop is the party corner - this is the new hang out I guess. At night on the weekends people go there to party and guess what they do. Break bottles, leave trash, use the bathroom and leave the evidence.
It breaks my heart.
So I drive off in tears. So much disrespect for our island, our culture, our aina. Our salt group can't stop fighting to stand up and help protect. The State and County don't seem to be helping. The local people who call Kauai Home turned a blind eye to the damage that is being caused daily. There is people that think breaking glass bottles on a beach doesn't affect us. I am at a loss for words. I wish I had more time to battle all these things that cause damage to the salt pans.
What do I need to do to make people understand? We all cherish Pa'akai and yet we can't help to protect it.