• Failure notice from provider:
    Connection Error:http_request_failed

  • Submission Deadlines

    Advertising

    Thursday 4pm

    April 30, 2026

    Content

    Friday 4pm

    May 1, 2026

    To print on:

    Wednesday

    May 6, 2026

  • Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google Plus Subscribe via RSS

Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Puffer fish Dying Across State

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Puffer fish Dying Across State

Community Contributed

By Arleone Dibben-Young

 A mysterious disease is killing striped and porcupine puffer fish. Dr. Thierry Work with the U.S. Geological Survey has received at least 100 reports of dead puffer fish from across the state in the last six months. The sick and dying puffer fish have had lesions on the skin, but what’s been found on the inside has researchers alarmed.

"We're seeing things like enlarged livers and enlarged swim bladders, which is the organ that allows puffer fish to float," Work said. His staff has been able to analyze only 14 sick puffer fish so far and they're baffled as to what is killing them, but are leaning towards a virus or toxicosis.

"We really need to sort out what it is that's killing them. Once we sort out the cause, we can decide if it can affect other fish or not," said Work. "You'll see these fish either floating and can't submerge and they just don't look right, or if they're on the beach, their gills will be moving a little bit.”
"As long as there's a little bit of movement in those fish, they're super fresh and we can use them. If they've been on the beach a while, they're too decomposed and we can't do lab testing with them."

You can help by reporting all observations of dead or dying puffer fish, and if you spot a freshly dead puffer fish place it on ice. Call Arleone at 553-5992 to ship to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center.

Posted in , comments1 Comments

Humpback Sanctuary Expanding Past Whales

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

NOAA News Release
 
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is reviewing its Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary management plan and encouraging public input through a series of meetings from Aug. 10-26. During these meetings, comments on management considerations will be recorded as input to the management plan process.

A meeting will be held on Molokai at the Mitchell Pauole Center, Kaunakakai, on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.

Posted in , comments1 Comments

MECO Raises Rates to Customer Dismay

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved a interim rate increase for Maui Electric Company (MECO) last week that went into effect Sunday.

MECO applied for a permanent increase of 9.7 percent in September. While the PUC is still considering that application, they issued an interim decision allowing the company to raise rates for customers on Molokai, Maui and Lanai by 3.3 percent for a $10.3 million revenue increase.

The typical household on Molokai will pay $5.21 more per month, bringing the total monthly bill to $187.67, according to a release from MECO last week based on a monthly usage of 500 kilowatt hours. The typical household on Maui will now pay $186.02, while the typical household on Lanai will pay $196.87.

Posted in comments1 Comments

State Seeks Mana`o on Cable Project

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Over the past few weeks, many Molokai residents have received phone calls asking for their mana`o on about some hot-button issues around here – La`au Point, Molokai Ranch and windmills.

The State of Hawaii Energy Office requested the survey as part of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the upcoming undersea cable project.

“We [were] doing an informal telephone survey to obtain community feedback and to better understand Molokai’s community concern, especially the interisland wind issue,” said Alan Kam of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and who is managing the EIS contract.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Less Water, More Money

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Although some farmers have noted it has been a wet summer so far, the Molokai Irrigation System (MIS) Advisory Board and the Department of Agriculture (DOA) say the island is in a drought – and have taken action to protect the precious water supply.

Water usage increased this year – up 17 percent from last summer – but the Kualapu`u reservoir is holding steady at 16 feet. Duane Okamoto, deputy chair of the state DOA, said customers have used 894,329,000 gallons so far this year.

The MIS board held its quarterly meeting last week to discuss year-to-date revenue, water usage and maintenance updates.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Orchid Workshop Deux

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Orchid Workshop Deux

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

I’ll be presenting the second in a series of orchid workshops around the island, this time in the heart of Kaunakakai at the Kaunakakai School cafeteria on Wednesday, August 4 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. It will be a three-part workshop, including two power point presentations and an oral presentation and display.

The first presentation is entitled Big Island Orchid Production, from Hakalau to Mountain View. We’ll make stops at some of the major orchid operations on the east side of the Big Island growing oncidiums, odontoglossums, miltonias, cattleya, vanda, dendrobium, phalaenopsis, and some real exotic orchids such as Lycastes and Zygopetalums. The second presentation is entitled Dendrobium Families. Dendrobiums are the largest family of orchids and contain over 1,000 species, and I will focus on some familiar, such as Phalaenopsis and Ceratobium and not-so-familiar ones, such as Latouria, Formosae, and Eugananthe, and how to grow these. I will discuss cultural techniques, media, nutrition, pest control, and repotting, and will include a Dendrobium orchid display. There will be plenty of time to ask those burning questions. We will end the night with a lucky number drawing for orchid plants, books, and growing supplies.  The public is invited.

Classes are sponsored by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development and the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Cooperative Extension Service. If you have special needs, please contact us 48 hours prior to the workshop.  For more information, please contact the UH Extension Office at 567-6929. See you there!

Posted in , comments1 Comments

County Deems Molokai’s Water Safe

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Molokai’s water supply meets all federal and state safety standards, according to the annual Water Quality Report released this month by the county Department of Water Supply (DWS).

Tests conducted last year show safe levels of containments and do not raise any concerns, said Cari Sumabat, DWS laboratory supervisor. DWS tested Molokai’s three water systems – Kalae, Kaunakakai and Ualapue.

Contaminants that were found in the water were well below allowable limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For example, the Kalae system’s water contained 0.39 parts per million (ppm) of nitrate, while the EPA’s allowable limit is 10 ppm.

Posted in , comments1 Comments

The Road Home

Monday, July 26th, 2010

The Road Home

our beneficiaries and how we commit to them,” said Aiona, who flew in special for the blessing.
 
Kaulana Park, chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, said the project was continuously delayed due to funding and scheduling conflicts.

“When we said we were going to do it, they believed us. The question was ‘When?’” Park said.

Construction costs were first estimated at $1 million, but contractors were eventually able to bring those down to $590,000 and the savings helped put the project in motion – and then some. What would normally take two to three years for design, permitting and paving only took about a year and half, Park said.

Late last month, the road was complete -- two miles of rolling pavement from Puupeelua Road to the top of the ridge. It provides greater access for emergency vehicles and school buses, and it makes the drive to and from home less of a headache for residents like Kaahanui.

What’s more, Park said, the road serves as a symbol of DHHL’s enduring commitment to homesteaders on Molokai, where the first homestead, Kalamaula, was established in 1921.

“If you look at it, it’s just a road, but it’s more than that,” he said.

Infrastructure improvements like this – the “not so glamour projects,” as Park called them – are an important part of DHHL’s work, staff said.

The department has two such projects planned for the water system that serves homesteaders on Molokai – the installation of an electronic monitoring system for the Kualapu`u aquifer and an emergency generator for the well there. Both are scheduled for November, according to the DHHL land development division.

Posted in , comments4 Comments

Still Time for Free Bulbs

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Still Time for Free Bulbs

By Kimberly Svetin
   
The Go Green Carbon Clean initiative on Molokai ends on August 1st. There is still time to exchange incandescent light bulbs for energy efficient CFLs at Kamoi Snack-n-Go and other participating businesses around Molokai..

Approximately 29,000 CFLs have been distributed by students, schools, churches, community groups and businesses since the start of this program in the spring. There are still thousands of bulbs left for distribution on the island, donated by Blue Planet Foundation. A number of Molokai families have already saved $10-20 per month on their MECO bills after trading all the bulbs in their homes. Please call Kamoi Snack-n-Go at 553-3742 for more information.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments

Kalaupapa Finding its Future

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Kalaupapa’s breathtaking sea cliffs, Hansen’s disease patients living and passed, and historic Damien structures are just a few of the many facets of the peninsula’s rich and poignant culture deserving of preservation. Over the next two years, a new general management plan will take form to ensure the history is remembered and the future well-planned. A draft plan and several alternatives are now being compiled for public review.

Last year, the National Park Service (NPS), which serves as the main steward of Kalaupapa, conducted public scoping on five different islands. Nearly 1,500 people sounded off on the future of Kalaupapa.

Posted in , , comments1 Comments