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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

‘Ohana by Hawaiian Halts Flights

Wednesday, January 13th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

‘Ohana by Hawaiian air service will indefinitely suspend flights to Molokai and Lanai on Jan. 14, the airline told employees in a letter from a company official last week. The move leaves Mokulele Airlines as the sole air carrier serving Molokai.

“Our low levels of inter-island flying, caused by depressed demand across our network due to travel restrictions, triggered a provision in our labor contracts that prevents us from offering this third-party passenger and all-cargo service,” wrote Executive Vice President and COO Jon Snook in the letter that employees received last Wednesday, Jan. 6.

In October, the airline announced it would suspend flights on Nov.…

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Last Workshop of the Year for Energy Coop

Wednesday, December 16th, 2020

Shake Energy Collaborative News Release

On Saturday, Dec. 19, from 9 to 10:30 a,m., we will host a virtual public meeting to further our progress on designing renewable energy on Molokai to be locally owned and operated by a newly forming Molokai Renewable Energy Cooperative.

This will be our last meeting of the year as a group and it will be a fun one! We will review our progress to date including physical project design, partner company selection and coop formalization and naming.

We will also join in a couple of fun design activities! If you want to receive a design kit, please contact us as soon as possible.…

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NPS Seeking Kalaupapa Electrical System Improvements

Wednesday, December 16th, 2020

KNHP News Release

The National Park Service (NPS) is requesting input and manaʻo on options to rehabilitate the existing electrical system at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and the Kalaupapa Settlement. At this time, the park is initiating a 45-day public scoping period in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

The current electrical system at the park was installed in 1969 and is owned by State of Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) and the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. An overhead power line, owned by the Maui Electrical Company (MECO), follows the Kalaupapa trail and terminates at the 300kVA MECO-owned substation on the Kalaupapa peninsula; the existing overhead system is tied in and managed by the NPS.…

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Community Solar Proposals Take Shape

Wednesday, December 16th, 2020

By Dayanti Karunaratne, Community Reporter

It is an exciting time for renewable energy on Molokai as the community awaits details of what will be the island’s biggest ever solar energy project. Unlike past solar projects that involve in-stalling rooftop panels on private property, this project will involve the building of a large solar plant to generate energy — and reduce electricity bills.

Projects under the Community-Based Renewable Energy Program (CBRE) platform, set up by Hawaiian Electric (HE) and approved by the Public Utilities Commission, will be selected through a bidding process called a Request for Proposals (RFP). The CBRE model involves a “community solar” installation that allows customers who cannot put solar panels on their roof to still reap the financial and environmental benefits of solar energy.…

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Overpopulated Deer Dropping Dead

Wednesday, December 9th, 2020

I am writing as a concerned absentee condo owner on the west end of Molokai. My concern is the proliferating deer herds on the island which are experiencing heavy die-off due to lack of water and vegetation. Shared photos and videos reveal herds are decimating yards, gardens and grounds in daylight hours, unafraid of people, and still they are not able to sustain themselves, as evidenced by their bony, skeleton-like bodies.

Consequently, deer are dropping dead everywhere. Roadsides are punctuated with carcasses which only indicates the number that must be lying in the fields and forests of the island. It is said that hunters are shooting them nightly for sport, leaving the bodies to rot because their freezers are already full.…

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Shearwaters Return to Mokio

Wednesday, December 9th, 2020

Shearwaters Return to Mokio

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

For the first time in years — maybe decades, maybe centuries, no one’s quite sure — fuzzy Uʻau kani, or Wedgetailed Shearwater, chicks hatched in the Anapuka area within Mokio Preserve. The successful nesting of the indigenous seabirds indicates that the past 12 years of work of the Molokai Land Trust is paying off and the native ecosystem is recovering, as crews clear acres of dense kiawe and remove deer, cats and mongoose.

Adult Uʻau kani have gray-brown and white feathers, a long, hooked beak and a wingspan of more than three feet. Clumsy on land, the birds live most of their lives on the wing at sea, and come onshore only to breed.…

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Visitor Industry Gives Rice

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020

MHLA News Release

The Maui Hotel and Lodging Association (MHLA) distributed 25,000 pounds of rice throughout Maui County in November.

The annual “Rice for the Holidays” program began in 2009 when MHLA partnered with Jim Coon of Trilogy Excursions in their annual giveaway of turkeys to the residents of Lanai by adding a five-pound bag of rice with the turkey.

Since then the program has expanded to provide rice for food distributions on Maui and Molokai. In 2011, Hana was added to the distribution. The rice was distributed on Lanai and Molokai Saturday, Nov. 21; and will be distributed in Hana on Friday, Dec.…

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$1.8M for Molokai Conservation Efforts

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai is anticipated to have clearer oceans and reefs, less erosion and flooding, and protection from wildfires thanks to $1.8 million in federal funds that were just awarded to the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

The funding, through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), will pay for measures to protect Molokai’s forest ecosystems, like fencing for protection from hooved animals and creating firebreaks. The State of Hawaii is also matching the funds as part of a larger Watershed Initiative, directing an additional $2 million of state Capital Improvement Project (CIP) and operating funds to protect Molokai’s forests and provide jobs for Molokai residents, according to the DLNR.…

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Hawaiian Electric Proposes Shared Solar for Molokai

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020

Hawaiian Electric News Release

Hawaiian Electric’s proposal to launch shared solar or Community-Based Renewable Energy (CBRE) programs and projects on Molokai and Lanai featuring solar photovoltaic (PV) paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS) will be the topic at separate community meetings. In consideration of the pandemic safety precautions, both meetings will be held virtually, Dec. 2 and 3 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., on webex.com.

For the Molokai meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 2, callers can dial 1-844-992-4726 (Toll-Free) and enter WebEx meeting number: 146 449 2132, Password: 2qqQjCYmr52

The live format will include a presentation by company officials followed by audience questions.…

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Electric Outage Map Now on Mobile App

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020

Hawaiian Electric News Release

Maui County customers can now retrieve outage information, receive outage alerts and see outages mapped on Maui, Molokai and Lanai from the Hawaiian Electric mobile app.

Available in the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores, the Hawaiian Electric mobile app is free and can be downloaded on a phone or tablet.

From the app, customers can view a Google map of Maui County and zoom in for details on reported outages in specific areas. Users with the geolocation feature activated on their mobile device can also see information on outages near their location.

The app also enables users to view and pay their electric bill, receive notifications, look for electric vehicle charging stations and move or stop service.…

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