Hawaiian Monk Seals
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By Danielle Mersberg
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Environment
Add your commentPlans for Monk Seal Recovery
NOAA Fisheries Service News Release
Two Brush Fires Blazed on Molokai
Two brush fires broke out on Molokai today, both about three miles west of Kaunakakai. One burned about 20 acres along Maunaloa Highway, while the smaller blaze burned about 5,000 square feet in the same area, according to Molokai Fire Captain and incident commander Travis Tancayo. Both were reported just after 1 p.m., and were contained by 3:30 p.m.
Braced for the Bull’s Eye
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It’s a Saturday morning in Kalae, and the woods are quiet – until, suddenly, they’re pierced by the sound of a whistle. Moments later, dozens of “pop pop pops” seem to come from across the two-and-a-half-acre course all at once, as colorful arrows catapult through the air and lodge themselves in cardboard bales. The Molokai Bowhunters Association (MBA) is kicking off its marked animal target competition, an annual event sanctioned by the National Field Archery Association (NFAA).
As the tournament progresses, other sounds filter through the tall trees: laughter among friends as they move along the
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Damien Pires, who has participated for about 10 years, said part of the fun is getting to hang out with old friends.
“I like getting back together with my friends from Maui, picking them up from the ferry,” he said. “We’re just having fun.”
First-place youth finishers included Kaheki Cuello (pee-wee, 560 points), Kainoa Aragosi (youth, 471), Gyson Aalone (young adult bowhunter freestyle, 497) and Kelson Uradomo (young adult freestyler, 576). In the adult divisions, first place was awarded to Tachibana (bowhunter freestyle, 571), Michael Kinores (freestyler, 576), Barry Agtarap (freestyle limited, 505), Marshall Rocine (traditional, 320), Sonny Aragosi (bowhunter freestyle limited, 475), and Frank Pupuhi (bowhunter freestyle guest class, 566). In addition to NFAA patches, all first-place finishers received trophies.
Lee thanked the tournament’s sponsors, which include MR Variety, Maka’s Corner, 808 Electric, Take’s Variety Store, Island Archery, and the Lee, Rapanot, Tancayo and Tachibana `ohanas, as well as Molokai’s bowhunters and everybody who participated.
New Bottomfish Rules
The Main Hawaiian Island (MHI) bottomfish season opens Sept. 1, and the state’s Department of Aquatic Resources (DAR) wants to more accurately count how many “Deep 7” and other bottomfish are being pulled from the ocean.
Starting this year, commercial fishermen must report to the DAR all bottomfish catches within five days of each trip – a substantial change from previous years, when for-profit fishermen were required to submit a monthly bottomfish catch report.
Officials said the changes will allow the DAR to collect more accurate data, which will help them better manage Hawaii’s fisheries.
However, some local fishermen feel their livelihood is being overregulated.
East Molokai Solar Limits Reached
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Molokai residents east of Kaunakakai who want to reap the benefits of installing small, renewable energy systems for their homes or businesses may be out of luck. Based on limits set by the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Maui Electric Company (MECO) has announced effective closure of the east half of Molokai to new renewable energy systems in order to ensure stability and reliability of electric service, according to MECO.
Each island has its own energy grid, and every grid is broken into circuits that serve different regions of the island. Molokai has five circuits, while Oahu has 465. As of last week, the circuit running from Kaunakakai to Halawa has reached the 15 percent threshold of renewable energy that the PUC has set on electric circuits statewide.
Because most renewable energy is a variable energy source – solar panels, for example, are only effective during the day – fluctuations in the electric grid caused by the use of renewable energy can result in instabilities and possible interruptions in service. In order to maintain the reliability of electric service to customers, residents and business owners wishing to install additional renewable energy systems to an already filled circuit may be required to pay for a study that would “determine that more distributed generation systems like PV [photovoltaic solar] can be safely added to the circuit, or determine what steps are needed to reliably accommodate more on the circuit,” according to MECO spokeswoman Kau`i Awai-Dickson, via email.
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In addition, Awai-Dickson said MECO is working on a team led by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute to “develop and install automated controls and energy storage technologies at the neighborhood level of the electric system to enable better use of distributed renewable generation.”
“The work is just beginning and we hope that by working together, we can help develop a process to support the management of more clean energy solutions on our grids,” said Awai-Dickson.
Bees Against Beetles
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A species called the small hive beetle has been found bunking with Molokai bees. The invasive beetle – destructive to bees – is prevalent on Hawaii Island and Oahu, and has now been discovered on Molokai and Maui.
The beetles, about four to five millimeters in length, tunnel into the hive, feeding on honey and wax as they go, and lay their eggs inside. In strong, healthy bee colonies, the bees will chase out the beetles before they can lay eggs. But if the bees can’t get rid of them, the beetles can wreak havoc on the hive, causing the honey to ferment, according to Hawaii Department of Agriculture (DOA) bee specialist Danielle Downey.
In a worst case scenario, “a beekeeper will come back to a big slimy mess and no bees,” said Downey. On Molokai, however, the beetles have been seen only in low levels, and “don’t appear to be doing damage,” she added.
East end Molokai resident Brenda Kaneshiro and her family are the island’s only resident commercial beekeepers. They first discovered the presence of the beetle in one of their hives in May, and immediately contacted Downey.
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She said a key to minimizing the appearance of the beetle is good hive management – keeping the colony strong through drought control, nutrition and other means.
Jennifer Hawkins, UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Molokai junior extension agent, said she will also be conducting a beekeeping workshop for homesteaders on Molokai.
The orientation for the homestead beekeeping class will be in September, and classes will run once a week beginning in October. The class will be the first in the state to pilot a beekeeping education program developed by UH, said Hawkins. A future class will be opened up to other Molokai residents if there is interest. For more information about the class, contact Hawkins at 567-6935.
Hawkins said honey bee populations are starting to decline because of diseases such as the varilla mite and the small hive bee. To keep Molokai as free as possible of such pests, she said no bees are being brought into Molokai and instead, specialists are working to “nurture bees we have here already.”
“We wanted to be proactive because we don’t have the same issues as other islands,” she said.
She added that Molokai has a large population of native bees that seem to be particularly disease resistant, a species specialists will begin study in depth later this year.
Ohana Learning
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It’s not unusual to see families camping on Molokai. But it is unusual to see eight ohana spending a week at a fishpond, learning ancient skills, proper diet and Olelo Hawaii from their kupuna. It’s Lawaia Ohana Camp, a week-long program held at Ali`i Fishpond by Ka Honua Momona (KHM) and called the first of its kind by its organizers.
The camp is unique, said program director Kilia Purdy-Avalino, because of its focus on ohana. Many other similar camps on Molokai are specific to a certain age group, but at Lawaia Ohana, babies to kupuna learn together.
“If ohana stays strong, the island stays strong,” said Kanoe Davis, participant and site coordinator. “This is so different from other projects I’ve been on.”
Lawaia Ohana was made possible through a Conservation International grant that supported five similar camps in communities around the state. One of the organization’s goals is to teach sustainable fishing, regulations and protocols, said Purdy-Avalino. To this end, each participating ohana received fishing gear such as dive bags and snorkel, as well as the resources to continue those skills after the camp. Participants made their own bamboo fishing poles, nets and much more.
“I learned how to make a dry box, throw net and how to work in groups,” said student participant Iokepa Kaupu. His favorite part, he said, was having fun with friends and diving.
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For Herbert Hoe, another KHM kupuna, proper diet is one of the most important aspects of the camp. The food they prepared, he said, reflects what the ancestors ate, with an emphasis locally-gathered, well-balanced diet, including lots of fruits and vegetables.
“We try to understand what our ancestors did and take the good from it,” said Hoe.
Not only did participants learn about the fishpond, they also visited other areas of the island to learn from local practitioners. They gathered pa`akai – Hawaiian salt – from Mo`omomi, caught he`e – octopus – from the island’s east end and learned how to pound it and dry it in the dry boxes they made, and took excursions to mauka side to learn about ancient building techniques – “to see what our forefathers were really thinking about,” according to Hoe.
Olelo Hawaii was interspersed with English throughout the week. Purdy-Avalino said her dream is to hold the camp for as long as three weeks – “the longer you go the more pa`a the language gets,” she said.
“I enjoy this thing so much – it’s something real amazing,” said Dudoit, explaining the satisfaction of sharing the knowledge his kupuna gave him with the younger generation.
“I feel tired at night but I wake up early, ready for another day,” he said.
Organizers would like to mahalo all participants, those who helped to make it happen, and those who donated time and food.
Land Conservation Program Seeks Applicants
DLNR News Release
If you have an agency or non-profit land conservation organization that could use from funding for its efforts, this program may be for you. The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ (DLNR) Legacy Land Conservation Program (LLCP) is seeking applicants for grants from the State Land Conservation Fund to fund the protection, through acquisition, of lands having value as a resource to the state.
The Legacy Land Conservation Program provides an annual source of funding for the acquisition and conservation of watersheds; coastal areas, beaches, and ocean access; habitat protection; cultural and historic sites; recreational and public hunting areas; parks; natural areas; agricultural production; and open spaces and scenic resources.
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