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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Affirming Foundations at the Ohalahala Fishpond

Wednesday, October 16th, 2024

Affirming Foundations at the Ohalahala Fishpond

“It’s like a combination of Tetris plus Jenga,” explained Hanohano Naehu, head kia’i loko, or fishpond guardian, for Hui O Kuapa.

Beset by storms, waves and currents, the walls of the ancient fishpond have come apart in the estimated 800 years since its construction. Now, the rocks are scattered across the shallow shores of Kumimi Beach and must be carefully stacked to rebuild the walls. On Saturday, Oct. 5, instructors from Hui O Kuapa led over 100 volunteers in restoration work and interactive workshops to help caretake the special space.

“We went all out,” explained Maile Naehu, director of Hui O Kuapa.…

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Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines Merge, Will Molokai Benefit?

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines Merge, Will Molokai Benefit?

Alaska Airlines completed the purchase of Hawaiian Airlines with a $1.9 billion deal on Sept. 18. The merger was proposed last December and approved by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation on Sept. 17 with certain stipulations including continued neighbor island flights and support for Essential Air Service (EAS). While the deal will affect many travel options in and out of Hawaii, it will not change the transportation reality for Molokai.

Incoming CEO of Hawaiian, Joe Sprague, explained in an interview with the Dispatch that he is “feeling the heavy responsibility associated with bringing these two companies together…and is hopeful about the future.”…

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Fishpond Restoration with Ka Honua Momona

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

Fishpond Restoration with Ka Honua Momona

Every third Saturday of the month is a community workday at Ka Honua Momona (KHM), a local nonprofit that caretakes the Ali’i fishpond on Molokai’s south shore. This past Saturday, volunteers slipped on their tabis and patrolled the perimeter of the fishpond wall, or kuapa, to repair spots where rocks have fallen.

Home to an entire ecosystem of fish, eels, rays, turtles and more in and around the ponds, the fishpond walls are built without cement, so the ocean tides and waves naturally displace them over time, explained Tiani Kawaauhau-Cook, now in her third year as executive director of KHM.

The community workdays attract all different kinds of volunteers, from local families to scientific researchers to visitors hoping to have an authentic experience.…

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Mokulele Temporarily Grounded, Wins Lanai EAS Bid

Thursday, August 29th, 2024

Mokulele Temporarily Grounded, Wins Lanai EAS Bid

Last weekend, Mokulele Airlines grounded most of its fleet of planes, canceling flights for up to four days and stranding passengers across Hawaii. On Aug. 17, a letter to customers from Louis Saint-Cyr, president of Hawaii operations for Mokulele’s new managing company Surf Air Mobility, explained the cause of the service disruption as due to “potential discrepancies in the documentation of a recent landing gear servicing on one of our aircraft.”

A precautionary decision was made on Aug. 17 to halt most of its flights across the state while Mokulele conducted “thorough inspections” of its fleet. As the flights slowed, Molokai social media buzzed with residents desperately looking for flights and seeking boat rides to or from Maui – an increasingly popular method of transportation for increasingly frustrated Molokai residents.…

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Molokai Kumu Shares Trip Aboard Exploration Vessel

Thursday, August 29th, 2024

Molokai Kumu Shares Trip Aboard Exploration Vessel

Molokai educator Gandharva Mahina Hou Ross was selected as the only science communication fellow from Hawaii this year for a voyage of deep sea discovery. The trip aboard the Nautilus exploration vessel earlier this month was planned to last a few weeks to explore the depths of the ocean between Hawaii and American Samoa. However, the trip was unexpectedly cut short.
“We had to make some changes to the plans,” said Ross. “We had some problems with the crane, and then there was a hole in the hydraulic tank that kind of controls the thrusters for the ship.”
They were scheduled to leave on July 20 but instead, the 220-foot vessel sat at the dock in Honolulu awaiting repairs for about two weeks.…

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Upcoming BOEM Meeting on Offshore Wind Farming

Thursday, August 22nd, 2024

Upcoming BOEM Meeting on Offshore Wind Farming

A recently publicized project from Aukahi Energy made waves on Molokai this summer as the company seeks to build an offshore wind farm in the Ka’iwi Channel off the windward coast of Oahu. The channel’s geographical proximity, along with its environmental and cultural significance to Molokai, have already raised a variety of concerns regarding this project.

Now, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will be holding an intergovernmental renewable energy task force meeting on Aug. 22 on Oahu, accessible to Molokai residents virtually, to discuss offshore wind farming, amongst other renewable energy topics.

John Romero, Pacific Public Affairs Officer for BOEM, explained that while the Aukahi Energy project has gotten attention statewide, BOEM doesn’t currently have any projects before them to even review on wind farming.…

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Invasive Species Fishing Tournament

Thursday, August 8th, 2024

Invasive Species Fishing Tournament

The American Fisheries Society (AFS), in partnership with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas, is hosting a Hawaii invasive species fishing tournament from Aug. 1 to Sept. 14. This is a free event with adult and youth categories and semi-monthly and grand prizes totaling $5,000. Anglers can fish anywhere in Hawaii using any method and are not required to disclose their locations, so your secret spots stay secret.

This tournament specifically targets four non-native species: Roi (Peacock Grouper), Ta’ape (Bluestripe Snapper), To’au (Blacktail Snapper), and Tilapia. Each species will have its own prizes in four categories: longest fish, shortest fish, hidden length, and keiki draws.…

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Ferry Talks Amid Flight Shortage

Thursday, August 8th, 2024

Ferry Talks Amid Flight Shortage

The lack of reliable transportation to and from Molokai over the last several years has driven residents and Maui County officials to restart talks of bringing back the Molokai ferry. County officials and consultants made the trip over to Molokai for a preliminary feasibility study on the prospect of bringing back the ferry, with Maui County running it.

The ferry would operate “similar to how we have a bus system,” explained County Councilmember Keani Rawlins Fernandez at the Aug. 1 meeting at the Kualapu’u Rec Center.

Molokai residents offered opinions on the viability of bringing the ferry back, along with ideas for which wharf to run the ferry to on Maui and infrastructure upgrades.…

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County Seeking Input on Potential Intracounty Ferry

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Maui County News Release

The County of Maui is seeking resident feedback in person and online about a potential ferry service to connect Lānaʻi and Molokai with Maui.
Community members are asked to provide input on demand, routes and other preferences for a possible intracounty ferry. Options are being assessed in the Maui County Ferry Feasibility Study, a Maui County Council-initiated report that is being conducted by the County Department of Transportation. The study is anticipated to be finalized and presented to Council for consideration in February.
Residents are encouraged to take the online Maui County Ferry Feasibility Study Passenger Survey at https://bit.ly/mauiferry…

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Molokai Heritage Trust Moving Forward

Friday, July 26th, 2024

Molokai Heritage Trust Moving Forward

The Molokai Heritage Trust (MHT) is more than halfway through its membership drive and community information sessions. About 20 people attended a meeting at Mitchell Pau‘ole Center July 15 — the third of 10 planned meetings. By the closing of this issue, three additional meetings were held on the island.
“We are hoping this is going to be the beginning of a monumental moment for Molokai,” said Zhantell Dudoit Lindo, a founding member of the trust.
Ultimately, MHT wants to purchase more than 55,000 acres of land — about a third of the island — owned by Molokai Ranch. The trust would then manage the lands through an elected Board of Directors.…

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