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Surfin’ for the Vote

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

She may be a political rookie, but Elle Cochran’s fiery ambition and enthusiastic personality prove she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to campaigning for a seat on the Maui County Council. Last week, the Dispatch caught up with Cochran, who made a short trip to Molokai while on her campaign trail.

A lifelong Lahaina resident and self-described surfer girl, Cochran is looking to snag the Council’s West Maui residency seat, currently occupied by Jo Anne Johnson.

Cochran said what sets her apart from other candidates is she has lived in the place she wants to serve her whole life.

“My family is deeply rooted in West Maui,” she said. “I know the people, I know what the community needs.”

Although not a familiar face on Molokai, Cochran gained public recognition in 2007 while launching the Save Honolua Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to saving West Maui’s last open space rich with Hawaiian history, spirituality and culture. She is also a founding member of Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) Maui, and helps her husband, Wayne, run his surf shop.

Cochran said she and her husband live “completely off the grid” in Honolua, even collecting water with rain harvesting systems. Sustainable practices, Cochran said, is a major focus of her campaign, along with increased local farming and water and land preservation. Her other top issues include affordable housing, food security, creating long-term jobs and protecting Maui County’s natural and cultural resources.

“Molokai epitomizes the untouched beauty of Hawaii,” she said. “It needs to be preserved.”

Cochran hopes to enhance renewable energy on Molokai, but says there has to be something in it for the people as well.

“I’m all for renewable energy,” she said. “But without exploiting the land and using the people – they need to benefit from it, too.”

Posted in Political

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Caring for Kupuna

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

“A community is only as good as it takes care of its oldest members,” William Akutagawa said to a large crowd last Friday at Home Pumehana. Community members gathered to celebrate the blessing of the new adult day care center, which finally came to fruition after 10 years of planning.

Akutagawa, executive director at Na Pu`uwai, said the facility – known as the Senior Enrichment Center – is a step in the right direction and will provide Molokai families with the help they need in caring for their kupuna.

The center will provide day services, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., where kupuna can be dropped off and engage in stimulating activities designed to maintain their cognitive and sensory skills. Judy Mikami, Na Pu`uwai’s long-term care director, said there will be zumba, singing, puzzles, crafts, hula and ukulele classes, reclining chairs, field trips and even a Wii game console.

“Our goal is to transition into long-term care,” Mikami explained. “We’re getting closer.”

Friday’s ceremony opened with a pule from Rev. Maggie Duvauchelle. Emcee Roy Horner introduced several guest speakers, followed by hula and a kupuna ukulele performance. Kahu Reynolds Ayau closed with a blessing, calling Senior Enrichment Center staff to the back room, where he offered a prayer and kind words for the center’s success.

The celebration brought out visitors from Oahu, including Colette Machado, Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee, and Emmett White, of Arcadia Elder Care Services, who partnered with Na Pu`uwai in bringing the Senior Enrichment Center to the island.

“The heartbreak is having to move kupuna to another island to get care,” Machado said. “… It’s time to honor our kupuna and take care of them.”

Claire Ivesom, a guest at the blessing, was involved with the center’s original planning phase.

“It’s been a dream for years,” she said. “It will definitely grow and expand, and eventually have assisted living at Home Pumehana – that’s what we’d like to see.”

The Senior Enrichment Center is currently accepting applications for interested kupuna. For more information on the program, rates or requirements call 553-5099.

Posted in Community, Health

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Summer Scholars

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

abreast so when they come back to school in the fall it’s not a big shock,” said Joshua Adachi, the program’s activities coordinator.

Funded by a 21st Century grant from the Department of Education, which also funds after school and summer programs around the island, the program enrolled about 100 students from first to sixth grade for classes Monday through Thursday.

Posted in Education, Island Youth

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Hail Our Red and Gold

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Kilohana Elementary School looks different now to Philip Akiona. He remembers how it was in the 1940s when he was a student, back when the basketball courts were gravel, when kids would sneak into the school’s water tank to swim and when there were pigs behind the school, raised on scraps from the cafeteria.

,” he said.

All the money raised from the event – from lu`ua tickets to commemorative t-shirt and DVD sales – will go to Kilohana School Community Organization, which helps fund field trips and bring guest performers to the school.

“All of that goes back to the keiki here today,” Stevens said.

Posted in Education, History

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Ranch Attempts to Legalize Water System

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

For almost 40 years, Molokai Properties Limited, also known as Molokai Ranch, has been using an irrigation system, intended for agriculture and Hawaiian homesteaders, to transfer water to west Molokai. In September 2007, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that Molokai Properties Limited (MPL) be required to complete an environmental study before continuing its use of the Molokai Irrigation System (MIS). Since that time, MPL has been using the system under an expired agreement with the State Department of Agriculture (DOA).

MPL is now preparing a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for their continued use of a state-run irrigation system. The original agreement between the state and MPL issued in the 1970s preceded the requirement for an environmental study. To comply with current laws, MPL has contracted environmental consulting firm Environet to examine potential environmental effects of using the system. The study comes as a recommendation of the DOA, which will be the approving agency for the EA.

“As far as we’re concerned, they’re breaking the law every day,” said attorney Alan Murakami. Murakami has represented Hawaiian homesteaders in several cases against MPL’s use of the system.

By law, Hawaiian homesteaders have a right to two thirds of MIS water. Although they are currently using much less than that, Murakami said legalizing MPL’s use of the MIS could infringe on homesteaders’ right to the irrigation system, and pose potential competition for limited water resources. He added that continued access could allow MPL the opportunity to further develop its west Molokai properties and thus increase water demand.

“The potential secondary impacts of allowing MIS use for non-MIS subscribers is huge,” said Murakami.

The EA process began when Environet was first contact by MPL CEO Peter Nicholas three months ago, according to Colette Sakoda, Environet environmental planning program manager. She added there is a “sense of urgency,” as the state has mandated action be taken by MPL in order for them to renew their lease and continue using the MIS.

Following the Flow
MPL’s transmission of 350,000 gallons per day begins at the company’s Well 17 located above Kualapu`u. From there it is pumped less than a mile into the MIS reservoir where it is mixed with non-potable ag water. From the MIS reservoir, the water is pumped west, 9 miles to Pu`u Nana in Maunaloa. There, a treatment system prepares the water for potable consumption. The water is then piped to a reservoir in Maunaloa and gravity fed to Kaluakoi.

The EA is now in its scoping phase. Initial input will be provided by a select group of fifty consulted parties, according to Sakoda. Community feedback will also be gathered through an upcoming cultural assessment, to be completed by Davianna McGregor. McGregor has also provided cultural assessments for MPL’s La`au Point proposal, Mo`omomi Preserve, and The Nature Conservancy’s Kamakou Preserve, among others.

Posted in Environment

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No Place for Metal

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Junk cars, old appliances and other scrap metal have been piling up in Molokai yards more than usual lately. After nearly seven months without a metal recycler to dispose of such material, Maui County officials have finally closed a second bid that seeks a new contractor to run the operation.

“Molokai needs this service,” said Gregg Kresge, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Management. “We’re working diligently to get this going – we ask that residents hold on a little longer.”

In its struggle to find a new contractor, the county had to open a bid twice – the first one in March, resulting in no interested applicants, and this last one in May. During this time, residents have had no alternative method to discard of metals.

Posted in Environment, Environment & Ecology, Sustainability

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A Day of Firsts

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Just an ordinary tattoo, you say? Not so fast. This is the first tattoo to be done in Molokai’s first tattoo shop, Righteous Ink, which opened its doors last Saturday to the public.

Sherron Dudoit, Molokai’s first licensed tattoo artist and shop owner, has nestled into his permanent spot at Art of the Heart Gallery where he will be giving eager patrons the chance to get inked.

“There’s going to be a lot of exciting things coming up,” he said. These include a clothing line and several guest artists expected to come to Molokai over the summer. Tattooing alongside Dudoit will be his companion Lyndon Dela Cruz, Molokai’s second tattoo artist to be recently licensed.

So how did Dudoit break in his shop? By giving his wife, Mary (pictured above), her first tattoo.

Posted in Announcements, Art, Culture & Art

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Hope For Health

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Robert Takeuchi was in denial of his diabetes for 20 years. It wasn’t until two of his friends, who were also diabetic, had their limbs amputated within the same week that he decided to do something about it.

“That was my wake-up call,” he recounts.

Those sobering images prompted the Molokai resident to seek the information he needed to help prolong his life and better manage his disease. He found help in the form of several diabetic programs – the latest proved to be most effective.

Takeuchi, along with about 15 others, recently graduated from Molokai’s first-ever Diabetes Self Management program hosted by Alu Like, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps Native Hawaiians achieve social and economic self-sufficiency.

“There is a great need on Molokai for a program like this,” said Leslie Tanoue, Alu Like interim director. “Especially with diabetes predominance in native Hawaiians.”

Like Takeuchi, many lack basic knowledge about the potentially life-threatening disease. In the U.S., diabetes is responsible for more deaths each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Hawaii’s numbers alone have jumped to 79,000 diabetics in 2008 from the 29,000 estimated in 1994, according to the National Diabetes Surveillance System. Among these numbers, native Hawaiians, Filipinos and Japanese have the highest rate of diabetes than any other ethnicity.

Luckily, this six-week program, based on Stanford University research, focuses on caring for your body, lowering blood sugar levels and improving overall health to help reverse the statistics. Every week, participants and facilitators would meet for two and a half hours to cover various topics. The graduates created action plans that would further help them accomplish both short-term and long-term goals.

Takeuchi’s action plan incorporated walking and exercising into his daily routine, something he had never done before.

“I learned when you walk down the street, you get to meet your neighbors,” Takeuchi joked.

While some saw improvements with their diet and exercise routines, others witnessed critical changes in their blood sugar levels.

“My blood sugar was really high, but it’s dropped since the program,” said Dorothy Quintua, another program graduate.

Quintua has had diabetes for 24 years and at one point, went into a diabetic coma.

“It was very scary,” she said. “I’m getting older and need to be aware of how to take care of myself.”

During the program, Quintua set goals to exercise, eat better, quit drinking soda and avoid eating dinners late. So far, she has accomplished all of them, and shows no sign of slowing down.

“I just have to stay on course,” she added.

The Diabetes Self Management Program, a subdivision of Stanford’s Chronic Disease Self Management Program, will hold continuous class sessions throughout the year. The workshop costs $10 for seniors and caregivers, and $35 for participants under 60 years old. Scholarships are also available.

For more information about upcoming classes or to register, call Kaui Manera or Debbie Benjamin from the Office of Aging at 553-5393.

Posted in Health

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Buried Treasure

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

“How many people have pet worms?” Susie Grabski asked, standing over a row of four or five bins housing Jon and Aubrie Gross’ precious bunch.

Pets? Not quite. The Grosses put their Eisenia Fetida, affectionately known as red wigglers, to work breaking down food scraps into castings – worm poop that is all natural, nutrient-rich fertilizer.

For the Grosses, what began as a hobby three years ago has grown into a business. They started Molokai Worms in May and plan to hold regular workshops, sell supplies, and teach residents about the benefits of worm farming.

On Saturday, they hosted their first Wormshop on their Ho`olehua farm. About 15 people attended the workshop, which covered the basics – how to house your worms, what to feed them and what to do with their valuable waste.

Happy Worms, Happy Plants
Successful worm farming starts with the right bin. Commercial bins sell for over $100, but Aubrie Gross showed how she fashioned her own from a large storage container, and then layered newspaper, shredded office paper and coconut husk to make bedding before adding worms.

For food, the Grosses throw in fruit and vegetable scraps, grains and leftovers. They recommended avoiding citrus, acidic or oily foods, which are harder for worms to break down, and meat or bones that will attract unwanted animals. Add washed, crushed egg shells to balance a bin’s pH level.

The key to farming, according to the Grosses, is observation. They’ve learned, for instance, that papaya seeds limit the worms’ reproduction, while feeding them coffee grinds makes for light, fluffy castings.

“And they’ll get jacked up on caffeine and they’ll work faster for you,” Aubrie Gross said excitedly.

After a few months, the bins are emptied, worms removed, and the castings spread like typical fertilizer. Not only do castings reduce chemical use in the garden, they can repel bugs and build plants’ disease-resistance.

“It’s amazing what results you can see from it,” Jon Gross said. “We’ve had some plants that were really hurting and this has turned them around.”

The Gross’ farm is a testament to the healing power of castings. Vegetable and herb gardens surrounding their home bloom with an intensity impressive for arid Molokai.

From the Ground Up
The couple began worm farming after attending a similar workshop on Maui. The idea of starting the business followed soon after.

“It was always in the back of my mind – maybe we could be the ones selling worms on Molokai,” Jon Gross said.

At the end of Saturday’s workshop, they had sold three bins and a few pounds of worms – proof, he said, that there is business to be had in worm farming here.

Indeed, many at the workshop said they were encouraged to start their own worm farms.

“I like the idea of an effective way to use compost and a natural way to improve soil,” Grabski said.

Molokai Worms is planning to host another Wormshop in August and every other month after that. For more information, call Molokai Worms at (808) 757-3947.

Posted in Environment & Ecology, Sustainability

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