Environment & Ecology

Fishpond Restoration with Ka Honua Momona

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

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.…

Proposal Would Change Ocean Monument to Sanctuary

Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing a change for the already existing Papahanaumokuakea National Monument to a national marine sanctuary.

The two are created under different federal laws, and have differences in management. National marine sanctuaries are designated under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, while marine national monuments are established under the Antiquities Act, according to NOAA.

National marine sanctuaries are managed by NOAA through its Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and in some cases, in partnership with state governments and local communities.
Monuments are managed by multiple government agencies, which may include NOAA, the Department of the Interior, and other federal and state partners.…

County Mapping Molokai’s Wetlands

Wednesday, July 12th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

Maui County is seeking to protect wetlands across the county, and to do that, it needs to know where they’re located. In response to a recently passed ordinance, the county is in the process of creating a new map of wetlands on Molokai. 

“The purpose [of the map] is to protect and restore wetlands. You cannot protect and restore something if you don’t know where it is,” explained Shahin Ansari, an ecologist contracted by the county for the project. 

Ansari explained that the new map will offer the public a “functional perspective on a wetland.” 

The project was started in March 2023 and is slated to finish in October of this year.…

Hawaiian Bobtail Squid

Wednesday, June 21st, 2023

Community Contributed

By Hannah Osland

If you are ever wandering around the reef flats along the south shore at night, you may come across a small animal in the water that looks like a baby squid or octopus. This animal might actually be a Hawaiian bobtail squid — a bobtail squid, not a he‘e — and is about the size of your thumb. They appear reddish or brownish in color, have large eyes, eight arms and two feeding tentacles. At first glance, these little bobtail squids may appear unassuming, but they have a special relationship with a glowing bacteria called, Vibrio fischeri, that live inside their bodies.…

Restoring Molokai Wetlands

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

An alliance of local, state and federal organizations have teamed up to form the Molokai Wetlands Partnership (MWP). Established in 2020, the MWP recently completed a pilot program to study 11 Molokai wetland sites. 

Pulama Lima, a Molokai resident and partner with MWP, explained that this study was meant to start a community conversation around wetlands and restoration. 

In conjunction with the MWP slogan of “re-imagining Molokai wetlands,” Lima explained that “we haven’t defined restoration. We feel that’s something for the community to decide how those spaces should be restored and to what degree.” 

The MWP pilot study examined 11 sites on Molokai’s southern shore, gathering information on vegetation, soil, hydrology, native plants and birds, sea level rise and more. …

Goodbye Gorilla Ogo

Wednesday, March 15th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

Armed with rakes, buckets and heavy-duty trash bags, volunteers took to Molokai’s south shore with a target in mind: the invasive gorilla ogo. 

Gorilla ogo is a type of algae likely introduced to Hawaii’s ecosystem in the early 1970s by Filipino shipping vessels. Prone to creating fast-growing clumps around reefs, gorilla ogo can strangle native coral and dominate reef ecosystems. 

To combat this algae threat, Molokai nonprofits Sust’ainable Molokai and ‘Aina Momona have partnered to lead community cleanups. The most recent cleanup occurred last Friday at Kaunakakai Wharf.  

Raked from the exposed shoreline, mounds of spiny red and brown ogo ran the length of the beach.…

Stories of the Storm

Wednesday, February 15th, 2023

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

The storm that drenched Molokai Jan. 28-29 brought record amounts of rain and heavy flooding not seen in decades to the central south shore region. Those in the Kawela and Kapa’akea areas were among those hit hardest, and recovery efforts are still ongoing.

Donna Paoa said her family has been living in the same Kawela location since 1955. The Kawela area sees periodic flooding during heavy rains, particularly near the Kawela Bridge, which acts as a dam when runoff pours down from the mountains, she said. 

Despite previous flooding, this time was different. 

“It’s happened off and on [in the past] but this was torrential,” Paoa explained.…