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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Climate Change Workshops

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

Sust’ainable Molokai News Release

Please join us as Sustʻainable Molokai hosts Molokai Climate Change Workshops round two across the island – starting in Mana’e on April 7. The workshops are part of Molokai Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency Plan (CCSLAR) and will include three in-person meetings and one virtual meeting.

Where will our shoreline be in 2100? The Molokai CCSLAR Plan focuses on climate change issues; particularly, how sea level rise will affect Molokai, our lifestyle and our community. The main goal is for the community to identify five to 10 most important areas, whether it be infrastructure, buildings, and/or roadways that either need to be relocated, rebuilt, or adjusted to adapt to sea-level rise.…

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Kilohana Native Garden

Thursday, March 31st, 2022

Kilohana Native Garden

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

With fingers caked in dirt, members of Kilohana’s fifth grade class patted native plants into the ground, learning their names, their growing habits and cultural uses. The school now has a native plant garden thanks to their efforts and the support of several local organizations. 

It’s a dream at least 10 years in the making, said fifth grade teacher Tammy Castor. She said the school previously planted a native garden area behind the campus but it fell prey to deer and wild pigs, along with not being cared for over summer vacations. A new garden took shape earlier this month in a courtyard plot at the heart of the school, where it will be sheltered from predators, watered by timed irrigation over the summer, and can be easily accessible and frequently admired by the entire school. …

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Drought Sets in Before Summer

Thursday, March 31st, 2022

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor

As the rainy season comes to a close with a dry finish, weather forecasters are predicting drought conditions to continue on Molokai. 

“The October through April Hawaiian Islands wet season is the time of year where most of the leeward areas get the bulk of their rainfall,” said Kevin Kodama, senior service hydrologist at NOAA’s Honolulu Forecast Office. “After having a rather wet December, Molokai has been quite dry since early January. As a result, severe drought has quickly returned to the island. To make matters worse, we are quickly running out of days with a reasonable expectation for relief in these areas.”…

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Ho’ahu Energy Coop Gets Federal Support

Thursday, March 31st, 2022

Sen. Schatz News Release

Ho‘ahu Energy Cooperative Molokai, a local group developing Molokai’s first community-owned renewable energy resource project, will receive federal support, including technical assistance, from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

“This kind of hands-on federal support will help us expand clean energy production on Molokai as the community moves to take its energy future into its own hands. That means more jobs, more reliable energy, and cheaper electric bills for Molokai residents,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz.

Ho‘ahu Energy Cooperative Molokai will receive tailored expert support from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a DOE National Lab, to address the island’s unique energy challenges. During this first phase of the initiative, Ho‘ahu Energy Cooperative Molokai will receive one-on-one assistance from PNNL, including training, energy and economic analysis, workforce and equity assessments, and grant application assistance.…

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Partner in the Spotlight: Diane Pike

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022

Partner in the Spotlight: Diane Pike

NOAA News Release

Molokai’s Diane Pike stumbled into the Hawaiian monk seal world in 2008 when she volunteered to help locate a mom and pup pair that were spotted on Molokai during a NOAA aerial survey. Little did she know where that road would lead her! At that time, finding reproductive females giving birth across the main Hawaiian Islands was still a relative novelty.

Diane’s involvement in monk seal conservation expanded alongside these promising signs of recovery in the species itself. Later that year, she facilitated NOAA’s efforts to tag that pup, and in observing the process and learning about the important work happening in her backyard, she was hooked.…

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Molokai Hit Hard with Rising Cost of Fuel

Friday, March 18th, 2022

Molokai Hit Hard with Rising Cost of Fuel

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

As drivers gasp at the gas prices skyrocketing recently, rising fuel costs around the globe will soon drive the cost of living for Molokai residents even higher, and officials are urging consumers to find ways to save. Hawaiian Electric just warned of a 25 percent increase for Molokai customers in upcoming electric bills from a jump in fuel prices, and changes to the global oil market will affect everything from food costs to airfares to monthly utility charges. 

Last week at the gas pumps, residents saw an overnight jump from $5.63 to $5.78, coming after recent weeks of frequent increases.…

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Molokai Endangered Species Get Federal Funds

Friday, March 18th, 2022

Sen. Schatz News Release

The Molokai Land Trust will be receiving $350,000 in congressionally directed spending, also known as earmarks, in this year’s appropriations bill, secured by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz. The new earmark funding will be used to support construction of predator-proof fencing to protect threatened and endangered species within the Mokio Preserve.

“This new earmark will protect dozens of threatened and endangered species on Molokai,” said Sen. Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “By supporting the Molokai Land Trust, we’re helping to care for native wildlife, strengthen local ecosystems, and preserve the island’s environment for years to come.”…

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Budget for New County Ag Dept.

Wednesday, March 9th, 2022

Maui County News Release

Molokai residents are invited to join a virtual community meeting that will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15 to gather public input on the new Department of Agriculture’s fiscal year 2023 budget.

The County will consider funding requests and priorities suggested by the community for the Department of Agriculture that will open in July.

“We invite our farmers, ranchers and interested residents to get involved in making plans for this new department,” Mayor Michael Victorino said. “The County Department of Agriculture will meet our community’s needs by supporting local farmers and ranchers to help improve food security, build our agricultural workforce and promote new opportunities for economic diversification.…

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No More Plastic Foodware

Wednesday, March 9th, 2022

Maui County News Release 

Maui County’s Plastic Disposable Foodware Ordinance No. 5084 went into effect March 1, and the County’s Environmental Protection and Sustainability Division continues working with affected businesses and suppliers to help them transition toward non-plastic products. With the exception of some temporary exemptions, plastic foodware will no longer be used at take-out restaurants or for purchase at stores on Molokai. 

“We are focused on education and working with businesses to comply with this new law,” Mayor Michael Victorino said. “There is a temporary exemption process in place to assist businesses with supply-chain challenges and those that need to exhaust non-compliant supplies.…

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Understanding Molokai’s Electric Grid

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022

Community Contributed

By Kahenawai Hirata, Sust’ainable Molokai Intern 

According to Hawaiian Electric this month, 86 percent of Molokai homes and businesses are powered by the diesel powered generators at Palaʻau, and the other 14 percent of our energy needs are met by the 500 rooftop solar systems on the island.

This and other information was discussed on Feb. 16 at the first energy briefing held via Zoom by the Molokai Clean Energy Hui (MCEH), in partnership with the Molokai community, Sust’ainable Molokai and Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI). This briefing is part of the community education and input phase of the Molokai Community Energy Resilience Action Plan (Molokai CERAP).…

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