Neighborhood support for the Kyūdōjō is up to 20%!
After a massive PR effort, proponents of the Kyudojo in Mau'umae Nature Park have managed to grow neighborhood approval of the project to almost 20%! They should be congratulated for getting anyone on board, since at first glance this is such an obviously bad project for this park.
Here are just a few of the arguments they've managed to sell:
HKF can provide Kyudo education to the Hawaii public! Indeed, they have the infrastructure to give lessons to tens of people every year! And while the planned public demonstrations won't actually prepare anyone outside of the clubs to shoot, they can certainly educate the public in how Club members enjoy their hobby!
The Kyūdōjō will provide recreation for our keiki! Well, not most keiki, since they've described kyudo as being unsuitable for children under 17, but for any keiki older than that who are free on the weeknights when the dojo will be open and who can afford the equipment and secure one of the rare spots in a class.
The Kyūdōjō will prevent fires! There have been as many as two fires in the park over the last 75 years, neither however anywhere near the area where the dojo will be built. Clearing the trees and replacing them with buildings made of dried ex-trees should have a major effect on this threat of fire!
The Kyūdōjō will make the park more secure! While parks in Hawaii are often targets of theft and vandalism, that 9 foot fence should keep out all but the most determined intruders, such as those that can afford a ladder, or a tall stepstool. And the locks on the toilets should keep those safe, as they do in all the other parks where such toilets have been installed. Plus, there is nothing in the dojo to attract theft, other than the cache of valuable Japanese weapons that will be stored onsite.
The Kyūdōjō will reduce invasive flora! During presentations about their plans, HKF members have denigrated the flora of the park as consisting mainly of invasive species. The proposal wil clear those out, at least at the Kyūdōjō site, and replace them with a Japanese garden, just like the kind Kakuhihewa must have enjoyed when he lived in this area in 500 years ago.
The Kyūdōjō will reduce invasive fauna! During presentations about their plans, proponents have described the park as being overrun with feral chickens. (Though we've rarely seen any chickens there, perhaps they were attracted by the HKF members when they visited the park?) All Honolulu residents should be excited to learn that Kyūdōjō proponents have apparently solved the problem of controlling feral chickens, a problem whose solution has eluded wildlife experts not only in Hawaii but on many other Pacific islands. We hope they are willing to share their solution! Here is a leaked image from their planning documents:
