Soon the Hawaii Superferry will be arriving on the Hawaiian islands, it has been a major controversy here. A portion of the public has requested an Environmental Impact Study to be done, the request has been denied and it has been fast tracked forward.
This "Superferry" will allow travelers and their vehicles to travel island to island freely. A lot of people think that this is a great idea, "why not, how fun this will be!" That was my train of thought at first, until I saw the seriousness of the situation. The fact that we haven't had a way to transport our cars from island to island easily like this has allowed us to keep invasive species from being spread around very rapidly. There is a terrible Qoqui tree frog problem in some areas on the Big Island, their high pitched mating call starts at sunset and doesn't stop till sunrise. It has hurt the property values in those areas along with the residents peace of mind. I think that when the cars and trucks move from island to island the eggs from this tree frog will be carried on the tires and wheel wells and will will cause rapid spreading of serious invasive species. There are numerous other plant and animal species that could easily be spread with the superferry.
Another issue is the risk of injuring the Humpback whales that we so vigilantly have protected through the years. They come to this island chain from Alaska to give birth. This large catamaran will be traveling at high speeds and will likely collide with these spectacular mammals.
It looks like it's a done deal, this Superferry is in route to the islands now. You can bet you won't find me supporting it!
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