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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Continued Care for Lahaina

Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Continued Care for Lahaina

On March 8, nearly a dozen Molokai residents headed over to Olowalu to help their Maui neighbors with a solar energy project.

Trained by the Molokai based Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative, the Molokai energy techs constructed a solar energy system from the ground up, explained one of the project coordinators, Todd Yamashita. The solar energy system, complete with panels, batteries and inverters, will go to support four tiny homes intended for displaced kupuna from the devastating Lahaina fires last August.

“This is an outcome of what happens when you empower our local Molokai people,” explained Yamashita.

The “strike mission,” as Yamashita called it, was the result of months of planning with Eddy Garcia, an off-the-grid farmer located near Lahaina in Olowalu.…

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Tornado Warning Rattles Residents

Thursday, January 18th, 2024

Tornado Warning Rattles Residents

As high winds and rain battered Molokai the evening of Jan. 8, forecasters for the National Weather Service (NWS) saw a troubling image on the radar. A powerful thunderstorm over Kepuhi Bay in west Molokai was exhibiting rotation and deemed capable of producing a tornado.

A tornado warning was issued at 7:45 p.m., with residents advised to take immediate cover. Although no tornado materialized, many residents were left with concerns over a lack of preparedness for such an event.

“We’re not used to doing tornado warnings, and that’s one of the really short fuse events where you have to take action right away,” explained John Bravender, a warning coordination meteorologist for NWS.…

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Free Deer Meat Drive

Wednesday, January 10th, 2024

Free Deer Meat Drive

In honor of King Kamehameha V, Lota Kapuaiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiolani Kalanikupuapaʻikalaninui, who introduced the axis deer to Molokai and whose la hanau, or birthday, is Dec. 11, 1830, the Molokai Hunting Club (MHC) hosted another free venison drive for Molokai families.

MHC held the drive with the acknowledgment that axis deer continues to be a primary food source for the Molokai community. Over 200 households were reached during the free meat drive at Kiowea Park on Dec. 9.

“The most rewarding part of the free meat drive is our club members’ commitment to giving back to our ‘aina kupuna as well as helping to feed our island’s people.…

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Cruise Line Reps Explore Molokai

Wednesday, January 10th, 2024

The past 20-plus years have seen repeated protests, and even blockades, aimed at cruise lines wanting to visit Molokai. Now, a new cruise company contemplates testing the waters.

Representatives from American Cruise Lines journeyed to Molokai in early December at the behest of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and Sen. Lynn DeCoite, according to company President and CEO Charlie Robertson.

“We didn’t want to catch anyone off guard,” said Robertson. “This was very much an exploratory trip, and we were honored to be invited to come out to Molokai…It was really just a trip to ask questions and hear what Molokai and other communities in Hawaii would expect from a ship like ours.”…

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Molokai’s Renewable Energy Future Looks Bright

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

Molokai’s Renewable Energy Future Looks Bright

By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Reporter

Molokai has completed its roadmap to take the island to 100 percent renewable energy. It’s the result of a community-driven planning process that energy officials call the first of its kind. Led by the Molokai Clean Energy Hui, residents are now poised to take the next steps in bringing their plans to reality. 

“All of the renewable energy we have [currently], which is about 14 percent, comes from 500 or so rooftop systems on homes and businesses,” said Leilani Chow. She’s energy coordinator at Sust’ainable Molokai, which has spearheaded the Molokai Clean Energy Hui. “And [up until now] everything else has kind of been rejected by the community because these projects were designed and proposed by off island groups that were just severely misaligned with community values and lifestyle.”…

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Fire Sparks Concerns

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

Fire Sparks Concerns

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

Last Sunday, Nov. 5, a fire ignited along the side of Maunaloa Hwy., just before Kaluakoi Rd. By 4:25 p.m., firefighters from stations in Kaunakakai and Ho’olehua had responded to the scene, successfully containing the blaze within an hour. While the fire only burned about an acre of land, residents are concerned that it could have been much worse. 

“We dodged a bullet,” said Norm Rizk, president of the West Molokai Association (WMA), which represents over 800 homeowners. 

Nov. 5 was a red flag day across Maui County, with low humidity and high winds driving up the risk of fire.…

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Eat Local Challenge

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

Eat Local Challenge

Ho’omakua Farm News Release

Led and inspired by our friends over at @projectlocavore (projectlocavore.com/) and the Facebook Group @ eatlocalmaui we on the Facebook Group @eatlocalmolokai are joining in for the one-week-annual Eat Local Challenge and would love for you to join us from Nov. 12 to 18! This is a community-building initiative, designed to promote awareness of our local food system, the sharing of resources and recipes, getting to know your farmers and neighbors, and taking personal steps towards strengthening our local food future. Let’s begin to break our dependence on imported food by identifying and supporting our local farmers and home-grown value-added products, as we try to eat 100 percent Hawaii grown foods for seven days. …

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CCSLAR Plan Moves Forward

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

CCSLAR Plan Moves Forward

By Maria Angst | Community Reporter

Throughout October, Sustʻainable Molokai conducted multiple workshops to gather community feedback on their Molokai Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency plan (CCSLAR). 

The workshops focused on reviewing the latest priority site maps, which now include coastal inundation zones, and selecting the mitigation strategies that the community believed were most suitable for the island and its residents.

The CCSLAR plan’s ultimate goal is to identify measures that will preserve natural and cultural resources from sea level rise while remaining cost-effective. The plan will span across decades. 

The primary objective of this plan is to work closely with the community to pinpoint priority sites where sea level rise, erosion, and flooding are most critical, and to propose community-supported adaptation strategies to mitigate these impacts. …

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Below Average Rainfall Predicted for Wet Season

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

Below Average Rainfall Predicted for Wet Season

By Jack Kiyonaga | Editor 

Unfortunately, it sounds like the upcoming wet season will be unseasonably dry. According to Kevin Kodama, hydrologist for the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), below average rainfall is expected throughout the state. 

For Molokai specifically, Kodama is likewise predicting a drier than normal winter. 

“I’m fully expecting drought conditions on Molokai to worsen from what you’re seeing now,” explained Kodama. 

The reason for the expected worse-than-average rainfall is due to the El Nino weather pattern, which developed late last spring. 

El Nino is a warm weather anomaly caused by hotter ocean temperatures which results in less rainfall for certain areas.…

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Community Feedback Needed, Shape Molokai’s Future

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

Sustʻainable Molokai News Release

The Molokai Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise Adaptation and Resiliency plan (CCSLAR) is reaching its final phase, and we need your input before it is submitted to the County of Maui. 

To help us make these vital decisions, we invite you to visit our community workshops and explore the latest priority site maps, which now include coastal inundation zones. Choose the mitigation strategies you feel are fit for our island! Our upcoming community workshops include Thursday Oct. 26, 2023 at Maunaloa Rec Center from 6 – 9 p.m., and Saturday Oct. 28 at Duke Maliu Regional Park from 9 a.m.…

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