Sierra Club looking
for a few big names

The group especially would
like businesses to lend their clout

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By Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.com

The Sierra Club of Hawaii wants to recruit members with name recognition, particularly businesses, to lend clout to its new campaign to preserve undeveloped coastline.

However, the Malama Kahakai "Keep It Wild!" campaign is not leaving the ordinary citizen behind. Part of the club's latest grass-roots effort to preserve the state's undeveloped, scenic coastlines is to coordinate all the environmental groups under one program, something that's never been available, said Jay Griffin, the club's new coastal conservation organizer.

The club announced the campaign at a news conference yesterday at the state Capitol.

Lawmakers aren't very impressed by the club's 4,000 dues-paying members, he said, but they might feel more pressure to change public policy if they recognize group names, especially if they represent big business.

A University of Hawaii poll of tourists who visited the islands, released two weeks ago, revealed that the No. 1 priority to visitors was the "protection of the natural coastline," Griffin said. Their last preference was for more hotels and luxury resorts, he added.

Businesses should be interested in preserving natural coastline to give "lots of incentive to people wanting to come here," he said.

The Sierra Club is advocating the setting aside of special funds that would come primarily from the hotel tax to acquire coastal lands; placing more coastal lands in the conservation district to protect them from development; and preventing urban sprawl in coastal agricultural lands, Griffin said.

The club plans to increase efforts to educate community groups, conduct media events at coastal sites on each island, implement a door-to-door campaign, and circulate petitions.