Here we go again with the environmental whackos....
Amateur radio permit application to Kure Atoll “denied”;
Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources
cites 1990 textbook, “Vertical structures such as the radio antenna… for
ham radio operations, pose a direct bird strike hazard.”
Trivoli, IL (October 13, 2018) – Over the course of the past four years, the Pacific Islands DXpedition Group (PIDXG) has sought permission to conduct a DXpedition from Kure Atoll,
currently ranked by ClubLog as the #7 Most Wanted DXCC entity. During
this time PIDXG has filed four separate permit applications.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the first
application filed in November 2014, was voluntarily withdrawn in April
2015 following authorization by The Nature Conservancy for the PIDXG’s
January 2016 K5P Palmyra Atoll DX- pedition.
A second permit application, filed in April
2016, was also subsequently withdrawn, nearly one-year later, due to the
ARRL DXCC action “deleting” Kure Island (and Midway Island) from the
DXCC program.
However, following its DXCC reinstatement, a third PIDXG permit application for Kure was filed in July 2017.
During the process of these three permit
attempts, several email exchanges occurred to address the reviewing
agencies’ follow-up questions and legitimate concerns about our activity
coinciding with Kure Atoll’s “albatross season.”
Ultimately, our third permit application
stalled out. Email status requests went unanswered. In December 2017, a
phone call was placed to our Permit Coordinator assigned from Hawaii’s
Division of Forestry and Wildlife and we were advised that an official
“denial package” would be returned to PIDXG following a January 2018
Trustee Review Board meeting in Honolulu.
After many email requests and phone calls on
the status of the “denial,” on June 25, 2018 PIDXG finally received the
formal denial package from the Chairperson of Hawaii’s Department of
Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). The official position was that
amateur radio “cannot be conducted with adequate safeguards for the
resources and ecological integrity” of Kure Atoll. They contend that our
use of antennas would pose a considerable risk to the island’s bird
population in spite of the fact that we indicated in our application we
would be following USF&W approved guidelines and protocols
successfully used by DXpeditions in other National Wildlife Refuges
(NWR) and as praised by USF&W officials. (see video excerpt produced
by James Brooks 9V1YC from the 2009 K4M Midway DXpedition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCh24EmmIOg
Follow-up phone calls and emails to Hawaii DLNR
officials requesting additional clarification have been ignored and a
formal Freedom of Infor- mation request to the State of Hawaii has
likewise resulted in no sub- stantive information relative to the
denial.
Throughout each attempt of the permitting
process, PIDXG has acted in good faith in its efforts. It has adhered to
all procedural and application guidelines necessary for requesting
access to this Public Land, land where amateur radio has already been
determined to have “existing use” by the same Federal agencies
overseeing this and other Pacific NWRs.
It is the understanding of PIDXG that there
have been NO documented instances of negative impact to the “ecological
integrity” at any NWR from any previous amateur radio activity.
Thankfully, through the guidance of the oversight agencies and the
protocols directing radio operations from these environmentally
sensitive areas, it can be said that amateur radio has maintained an
impeccable track record in this regard. To suggest that amateur radio
poses “unacceptable risks” or “has the potential to adversely impact
seabirds and other protected species” at Kure Atoll is disingenuous and
without basis in fact. Again, we refer to the praises sung by U.S. Fish
and Wildlife in the above-mentioned YouTube video excerpt.
The last amateur radio activity to Kure Atoll
was in 2005. PIDXG does not think it is unreasonable to request the use
of a U.S. Public Land for an amateur radio activity following a 13-15
year lapse.
For the record, there is no appeal process in
this matter. PIDXG has requested personal meetings with review agency
members to discuss this activity but no response has been given to our
requests. However, the cover letter accompanying the denial package
indicates PIDXG is not precluded “from submitting applications in the
future and will be evaluated pursuant to the findings criteria.” As
such, a fourth Kure Atoll permit application was filed by PIDXG on
August 6, 2018.
At this time, PIDXG requests interested DXers
to help in this matter. We simply ask that you send your QSL card and
brief note respectfully asking the Hawaii’s Department of Land and
Natural Resource to please reconsider their position in this matter to:
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources c/o Suzanne Case, Chairperson Kalanimoku Building
1151 Punchbowl Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Meanwhile, the PIDXG would like to thank the DX
Community for your interest and support and will certainly keep you
posted on any news relative to our efforts with Kure Atoll.
via OPDX
TNX Southgate
