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Environment & Ecology

Status Review of Green Turtles to be Conducted

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

NOAA News Release

NOAA’s Fisheries Service announced last week that it will work with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS) to conduct a global status review of green turtles, which have been listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1978. The species is found in tropical and subtropical waters around the globe, and nest on the beaches of 80 countries.

As part of this review, NOAA and FWS will also assess whether Hawaii’s green turtles
should be listed as a distinct population segment, and if so, whether they should be
removed from the list of species protected under the ESA.…

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Kalaupapa National Historical Park Student Interns

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Kalaupapa National Historical Park Student Interns

Community Contributed

By T. Scott Williams

Aloha from Kalaupapa! On behalf of the National Park Service staff, I would like you to meet the student interns working with the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Division this summer.

The CRM Division of Kalaupapa National Historical Park is excited to be joined this summer by a wonderful group of interns. The variety of skills and knowledge that the interns bring to the park reflects the park’s efforts to enhance and preserve cultural resources. Through their work, each intern will gain a greater understanding of the significance of Kalaupapa and its unique cultural resources.

Megan Borthwick is helping with the promotion and development for new content of the park’s website, assisting with new exhibits in the settlement and working on compliance for planning/implementation of future park projects.…

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Ranch Seeks to Renew Water Permit

Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Ranch Seeks to Renew Water Permit

For the past five years, Molokai Properties Limited, better known as Molokai Ranch, has been illegally transporting drinking water to west end residents through water lines intended to serve agricultural users. Now, they are seeking to legalize their use of the Molokai Irrigation System (MIS) and obtain a permit to continue transporting water through the irrigation lines.

The Ranch is in the process of completing an Environmental Assessment (EA) of their use of the MIS. Receiving community feedback is a vital part that process according to Colette Sakoda, environmental planning program manager for Environet, the company contracted by the Ranch to assist in the EA.…

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Honu Population at Mo`omomi Thriving

Sunday, July 29th, 2012

Honu Population at Mo`omomi Thriving

On summer nights, female green sea turtles, or honu, make their way to the beach they were born on about 30 years before. Plodding determinedly to a spot above the high tide line, they dig a hole in the sand with their flippers — sometimes they dig several pits before finding a location they deem satisfactory. There, they lay about 100 white eggs, then use their flippers to cover them with sand. They lumber back to the ocean and slip into the cool dark water, never to see their tiny young that will hatch about two months later and instinctively head for the sea.…

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Monk Seal Crittercam Talk Story Session on Monday

Friday, July 13th, 2012

Monk Seal Crittercam Talk Story Session on Monday

Community Contributed

By Charles Littnan, Lead Scientist, Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program NOAA Fisheries Service

A team of biologists, NGOs, filmmakers, and community members are developing a new research project to use National Geographic Crittercams to build on existing knowledge of the feeding behavior, diet, and habitat use of monk seals in the main Hawaiian Islands.

To discuss the project with Molokai residents, there will be a talk story session at Mitchell Pauole Center this Monday, July 16, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The cameras, which are attached to seals for short periods, were a valuable scientific tool used to understand some of the factors contributing to the species decline in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.…

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Long Haul for Big Wind

Sunday, July 8th, 2012

Long Haul for Big Wind

The fate of a proposed industrial wind farm on Molokai is currently waiting on Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) to release a Request for Proposal (RFP), which will open up the 200 megawatt (MW) project to other islands and to other forms of renewable energy generation.

Residents concerned about the uncertain future of the state’s energy proposals on Molokai still have to wait some time for a conclusion. HECO spokesperson Peter Rosegg said the RFP will not be finalized until the end of this year — and the utility will not be choosing a contractor from the applications received until late 2014 at the earliest, he said.…

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Aging Exceptionally

Friday, July 6th, 2012

Aging Exceptionally

Recognition for Kaunakakai tree

You’re barking up the right tree if you always believed there was something special about the large banyan behind the Molokai Community Health Center (MCHC), former site of the Pau Hana Inn. This spreading beauty is listed in Maui County’s record of exceptional trees — one of 27 listings in the county and the only one on Molokai, according to county arborist David Sakoda.

The banyan has been a landmark in the community for over 100 years. Planted sometime in the late 1800s, according to the Community Health Center’s Cyrus Ciu, the tree’s broad trunk and smooth, upturned branches have offered shade and protection to generations of Molokai residents.…

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Dogs Kill Over 100 Native Birds at Mo`omomi

Thursday, July 5th, 2012

Dogs Kill Over 100 Native Birds at Mo`omomi

Community Contributed

By Ed Misaki, TNC Director of Molokai Programs

For the second summer in a row, dogs have invaded the Uau Kani, native wedge-tailed shearwater nesting site at The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Mo`omomi Preserve and have killed 109 nesting birds to date. Wedge-tails are most commonly known to help fisherman detect schools of fish at sea. Wedge-tails live their entire life in the sea, and only come to land to nest.

The event took place between June 7-9, 2012 and eye witnesses report that there are two dogs responsible for the kills. One dog is described as a pit bull type, while the other is described as a “hound” looking.…

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Calling Natural Honey Producers Statewide

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Community Contributed

Big Island Beekeepers Association News Release

The Big Island Beekeepers Association (BIBA) invites natural (raw) honey producers state-wide to participate in the Third Annual Hawaiian Natural Honey Challenge. The challenge was begun in 2010 to showcase the quality of the unprocessed, unfiltered honey produced by local beekeepers statewide.

The challenge consists of two parts — a formal judging and a public tasting. At the formal judging the entries are categorized by nectar source and type (liquid, solid, comb), and evaluated by judges recruited for their refined sense of taste and knowledge of honey. Top scorers by category receive awards in this contest.…

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Farming for the New Age

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

Farming for the New Age

Waialua PermaFarm’s unique approach to agriculture

Tucked away inland among the forests in Waialua Valley exists a farm that claims no fields, no pests, no weeds and yet still produces over 50 varieties of produce on only one acre of land. While many would call this place a myth, Waialua PermaFarm owners Dano and Robin Gorsich simply call it home.

Permaculture Theory

A permafarm is an embodiment of permaculture, a growing movement that pursues the development of sustainable ecological design. In recent years, permaculture as a movement has been gaining increased attention due to the need to produce more with less, according to Dano.…

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