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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Deciding Molokai’s Energy Future

Thursday, January 13th, 2022

Sust’aina ble Molokai News Release

Are you interested in learning about clean energy solutions designed by and for the Molokai community? If so, please join us with your ʻohana on Wednesday, Jan. 19 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for the third Molokai Community Energy Resilience Action Plan (Molokai CERAP) meeting via Zoom. Join us for a Molokai ‘ohana style meeting — community-led, pilina focused, culturally centered — to share your manaʻo on what Molokaiʻs energy future should look like.

Today, Molokai electricity remains dependent on burning thousands of gallons of expensive and environmentally damaging fossil fuels a day. While Molokai residents are the lowest electrical consumers in Hawaii, Molokai continues to have the highest electrical costs in the country.…

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Molokai Monk Seal Shot Dead

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021

A young female seal known as “L11” found dead on Molokai on Sept. 19 is confirmed to have died from a gunshot wound to the head. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the results of its postmortem analyses Tuesday.

“Specifically, we found a bullet fragment in association with evidence of severe, lethal trauma,” NOAA stated. “We are waiting on test results to see if L11 had any diseases, but we do not expect the results to change these conclusions.”

The seal’s death marks the third confirmed intentional killing of a monk seal on Molokai in 2021, with several other seal deaths investigated on the island this year. …

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Inspiring Eco-Champions

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021

Inspiring Eco-Champions

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Over the last year, students from Kualapu’u and Kaunakakai schools in grades four through six showcased coastal ecosystems, climate change, stewardship suggestions and a strong sense of place through digital storytelling. Participating in a program called Champions of Coastal Resilience (CCR), the students learned virtually about Molokai’s coastline areas, creating short video snapshots of a place that’s important to them and their ‘ohana. CCR was funded as part of the 21st Century afterschool program and since COVID, students worked independently to produce their educational videos. Last week, families, students and supporters of the program gathered for the first in-person CCR Film Festival held at Lanikeha to view the students’ work, which was also livestreamed on Zoom. …

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Storm Brings Heavy Rain, No Severe Damages for Molokai

Wednesday, December 15th, 2021

Storm Brings Heavy Rain, No Severe Damages for Molokai

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Torrential rains last Sunday night into Monday caused flash flooding, cancellation of Molokai public schools on Monday, flight cancellations and delays, and roadways to be dangerous due to flooding. The “Kona low” weather conditions across the state brought overnight power outages to Honolulu, downed trees, home damages and dangerous flooding, and Gov. Ige declared a state of emergency for Hawaii. However Molokai only experienced brief power outages and moderate flooding but no severe damages. 

A cargo container blew into two Mokulele planes while they were tied down for the night in Honolulu, causing delays in addition to those caused by poor weather conditions.…

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Monsanto Pleads Guilty to Illegal Pesticide Use

Wednesday, December 15th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Last week, Monsanto company agreed to plead guilty for previous charges including illegal pesticide storage on Molokai and using banned pesticides on Maui, along with new charges of knowingly using pesticides inconsistent with its labeling on Oahu, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice. Court documents filed last Thursday in United States District Court in Honolulu include a deferred prosecution agreement related to a felony count of unlawfully storing an acute hazardous waste at its Molokai facility in 2013-2014. Monsanto will pay more than $22 million in fines. 

Monsanto admitted to spraying a glufosinate product sold under the brand name Forfeit 28 in 2020 in Haleiwa “a manner inconsistent with its labeling,” according to court documents.…

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Molokai’s Kākāwahie: A Lost Species

Wednesday, December 8th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Blazing orange feathers flash among ‘ohia foliage of Molokai’s lower forests. The bird’s “chip chip chip” call is punctuated with its beak tapping on branches looking for insects, which it also finds deep within liko lehua, or buds. 

This is the kākāwahie, or Molokai creeper, an endemic bird found only on Molokai. But it isn’t a sight or sound we can ever experience. The kākāwahie hasn’t been seen since 1963, and it’s about to be declared extinct.

“It has been such a long time since the kākāwahie graced the lowland forests of Molokai that perhaps no one in living memory can say what the bird looked like, or recall its song,” said Sam Gon, a scientist and cultural practitioner at The Nature Conservancy Hawaii.…

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More Bovine TB Found on Molokai – UPDATED MEETING INFO

Monday, December 6th, 2021

Bovine tuberculosis has again been detected on Molokai after cases were confirmed earlier this year – this time in pigs in West Molokai, according to the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture (HDOA) on Sunday, Dec. 5.

In June, Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) was found in a herd of cattle in central Molokai in June. The infected cow was originally from a beef cattle herd in Ho`olehua and was temporarily pastured in Mapulehu on the east end because of the ongoing drought, the HDOA previously stated. The herd was depopulated with federal indemnity, which compensates farmers for this type of loss.

Subsequently, bTB was detected in two additional cattle herds in the Ho’olehua area that were adjacent and in close contact with the first infected herd, according to the HDOA.…

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County Bill Bans Non-Mineral Sunscreens

Wednesday, November 24th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

The sale, distribution and use of non-mineral sunscreens could soon be prohibited on Molokai, Maui and Lanai as part of Bill 135, which was recently passed unanimously by the Maui County Council. 

Introduced by County Councilmember Kelly Takaya King, chair of the Council’s Climate Action, Resilience, and Environment Committee, Bill 135 recognizes that many non-mineral sunscreens have been shown to pose a direct threat to the health of coastal waters, coral reefs and other marine species.

Non-mineral sunscreens include chemical sunscreens such as oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are known as “mineral sunscreens,” and of the 16 active ingredients currently used as UV filters in sunscreen products, only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are generally recognized as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration. …

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Hawaiian Electric Goal: 70% Carbon Reduction by 2030

Wednesday, November 17th, 2021

Hawaiian Electric News Release

Stressing the urgency of the global effort to slow climate change, Hawaiian Electric has set a goal to cut carbon emissions from power generation 70 percent by 2030. 

Cutting emissions from power generation by 70 percent, compared with 2005 levels, would provide a significant portion of the reduction the entire Hawaii economy needs to meet the U.S. target of cutting carbon emissions by at least 50 percent economy wide by 2030. The reduction includes generation owned by Hawaiian Electric and independent power producers who sell electricity to the utility. 

Hawaiian Electric has also committed to achieving net zero or net negative carbon emissions from power generation by 2045 or sooner, meaning that if there are any emissions, they will be captured or offset. …

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Emergency Proclamation to Help with Drought Funding

Wednesday, November 17th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

In the second year of a severe drought that has dealt a blow to local farmers and ranchers, many on Molokai can attest to the damage that hungry deer have wrecked on their gardens, homesteads, pastures and crops. The governor just signed a second emergency proclamation that will help with funding to cover damages, said Sen. Lynn DeCoite of Molokai, who pushed for a renewal of a drought proclamation issued in January of this year, which expired after 60 days. 

“This proclamation helps open pathways for a swift response by all levels of government — County, State and Federal — along with private land owners to address the dire deer situation that has continued to be a public health and safety concern across Maui County,” wrote Sen.…

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