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Thank you for your story, "Ranch, roping club part ways on Makawao Rodeo" (The Maui News, Feb. 22). Unfortunately, the story did not fully explain the reasons behind the decision by the ranch to end its relationship with the Maui Roping Club.
Ken Miranda, the general manager of the historic Kaonoulu Ranch, is an excellent steward of resources for the 105-year old ranch and a gentleman who said, "I have no intention of dragging anyone through the mud." As a result, the article unfortunately provided a venue for misleading and untrue statements about events leading up to ending the ranch's relationship with the Maui Roping Club, including uses held on ranch property without its knowledge or consent.
The fact is that the ranch worked with the Maui Roping Club's leadership for five years to improve the situation with little or no success. Now, the Oskie Rice Arena will receive the improvements it has needed for some time to keep the venue from becoming unsightly and unsafe for its many visitors. Kudos to the Rice family for their dedication and caring stewardship of this important Maui resource.
Tom Blackburn-Rodriguez
Kihei