JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
A Honolulu Fire Department helicopter flew over a brush fire on Waahila Ridge above Manoa Valley on Sept. 24, 2020.
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In regard to mitigating wildfire threats on Oahu: I live in St. Louis Heights and every day I drive or walk to work at the University of Hawaii- Manoa campus.
I pass by Waahila Ridge, which is covered with dry, matted grass and haole koa, thinking, Will this be the day that the ridge bursts into flame? There is a constant downslope breeze toward campus and it is easy to imagine losing our priceless university in a matter of hours due to a power line falling or a spark setting fire to the hillside.
With UH’s wealth of environmental expertise and indigenous land management knowledge, couldn’t members of the university community develop a project on the ridge demonstrating best practices in wildfire prevention? This would serve two important goals: protecting an irreplaceable institution that serves the entire state and Pacific, and developing cutting-edge practices that can be replicated throughout our region.
We must take action now as our climate warms and rainfall dwindles, or it soon will be too late.
Wendi White
St. Louis Heights
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