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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Give Input on Renewable Energy Projects

Wednesday, May 10th, 2023

Ho’ahu News Release 

Come learn about and give input on the first community-owned solar projects on Molokai at a virtual meeting to be held May 20 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Residents can check hoahuenergy.coop/community-meetings/ for login information.

The purpose of the meeting is to share information about two community-based renewable energy projects proposed to be developed on Molokai in Kualapuʻu and Palaʻau and to solicit public comments to be filed with the Public Utilities Commission.

Hoʻahu Energy Cooperative Molokai (Hoʻahu) was first formed in 2020 by Molokai community advocates to enable our island residents to design and own renewable energy projects built on Molokai.…

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Ho’olehua Brushfire

Thursday, May 4th, 2023

Ho’olehua Brushfire

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

Fire personnel continued to battle a fire in wooded areas of Ho’olehua last week after it was first reported on Sunday, April 16. The small fire was located about two to three miles north of the Ho’olehua Cemetery, according to Fire Services Chief Rylan Yatsushiro of the Maui Fire Department. 

The fire was in an area inaccessible by vehicle, so the department utilized air support to make water drops by helicopter. Initial efforts contained the fire but there were many spots that continued smoldering, said Yatsushiro.  

“Because much of the smoldering spots were located under the ironwood canopy, we airlifted crews to the scene where they were able to conduct much needed mop-up operations,” he said. …

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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. …

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Fresh Veggies a Hit with Molokai Students

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023

Fresh Veggies a Hit with Molokai Students

By Paul Hanley, Community Reporter

A small group of fifth and sixth grade students assemble outside the gate of the school garden in Maunaloa. They chant an oli written specifically for the ahupua’a of Kaluako’i. Their kumu, Wendy Espaniola, responds, inviting them to enter.

The students, each holding a clip board, scatter around the garden and sit down to begin their kilo. Taking their time, sitting in silence, they look up, down, and around and record their observations. They then assemble to share often subtle reflections, about cloud patterns, the color of the sea, the movement of insects, and the need to weed the garden.…

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Tropical Pumpkins

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH CTAHR Extension Agent

Tropical pumpkins, known by its Latin name, Curcurbita moschata, are among of the strongest and most resilient members of the cucurbit family that includes watermelon, cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumber and squash. It is known for its high yield, great nutritional value, good storage life and its ability to ship long distances. Native to Mexico and Central America, it’s been grown for over 8,000 years and is believed to be one of the oldest crops grown before corn and beans and carried with native people throughout the Americas. 

Many North American varieties were developed by ancient tribes such as the Seminole of Florida, Iroquois of New York, Cherokee of the Appalachians, and Lakota of the Sioux nation.…

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Earth Day Celebration Returns

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023

Earth Day Celebration Returns

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

For the first time in three years, Molokai residents gathered at Mitchell Pauole Center to celebrate Earth Day as a community. 

To the backdrop of the Kalaupapa Backyard Band and smells of laulau, residents visited booths hosted by dozens of organizations. These exhibits ranged from clean energy projects to health and wellness to sustainable hunting. Taxidermy birds, erosion run-off demonstrations and more adorned the tables and engaged residents. 

“Look at all the groups here…to me, this is the glue that really defines us as a community,” said Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative Advisor Todd Yamashita. 

Throughout the night, Molokai residents were able to share with each other both a love of Earth Day and their own specific knowledge. …

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Molokai Monk Seal Transported for Treatment

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Molokai Monk Seal Transported for Treatment

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

An ailing, 4-year-old female Hawaiian monk seal from Molokai got a lift to the animal hospital and is receiving treatment after suffering significant weight loss this month. 

A Molokai community member reported the seal, known as RL68, to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on April 10. The observer noted alarming weight loss and the seal becoming less and less energetic over several weeks. NOAA officials gathered more information in partnership with Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR) personnel on Molokai.

“NOAA Fisheries decided that medical assessment and treatment were in RL68’s best interest, given her unusually thin body condition and notable behavior change,” said Diana Kramer, regional stranding coordinator at NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office. …

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Molokai Youth Wins 2nd in Recycled Fashion Show

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Molokai Youth Wins 2nd in Recycled Fashion Show

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Eleven-year-old Molokai resident Rose Elder earned second place in a county-wide fashion show highlighting recycled materials. Her “Warrior Against Pollution” costume, made with marine debris she and her dad collected on Molokai beaches, won her high praise alongside adult first and third place winners from Maui in the annual Trashion Show presented by nonprofit Malama Maui Nui last weekend. 

Rose said she sketched her design based on the materials she found. 

“I wanted it to be a warrior who’s wearing pollution like a shield,” she explained. “We like to go to the beach a lot, me and my dad, and gather trash at Mo’omomi.…

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Spring Vegetables

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UHCTAHR Extension Agent

Spring officially started on March 21, and it will only get hotter as we head into the first day of summer on June 21. So far, the weather has been cooler than normal but when the sun is up with Kona weather, it’s super hot and humid. In a normal year, this is your last chance to get some cool season vegetables sown or direct seeded before it gets too hot for most leafy and spring vegetables, but the weather is far from normal. Some of the cool crops to grow now include lettuce, mustards, radish, beets, carrots, beans, cilantro, snap and snow peas and basil, among many others.…

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April Is Native Hawaiian Plant Month

Wednesday, April 12th, 2023

DLNR News Release 

Governor Josh Green, M.D. has proclaimed April as Native Hawaiian Plant Month, recognizing the diversity and biocultural value of roughly 1,400 native plant species, including many found on Molokai.

Native Hawaiian Plant Month also provides an opportunity to celebrate the successes made by rare plant botanists, who manage more than 420 endangered plant species statewide. The Plant Extinction Prevention Program (PEPP), a collaboration of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), University of Hawaii, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released an annual report detailing a series of rediscoveries and rebounds in rare plant populations across the archipelago.

Several plant species previously thought extinct were rediscovered through field surveys last year.…

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