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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Join Mo`omomi Beach Cleanup

Thursday, July 30th, 2015

Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii News Release

For the second year in a row, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii (SCH) is hosting the Mo`omomi Beach Cleanup and Community Service Project on Molokai on Saturday, Aug. 1. Sponsored by Matson, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Parley for the Oceans, this cleanup removes harmful marine debris from one of the most remote beaches on Molokai. Mo`omomi Beach, a mix of rocky and sandy coastline on the island’s north shore, is the first stopping point in the main Hawaiian Islands for marine debris coming from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

“Each Hawaiian Island has issues with marine debris but Molokai gets hit extra hard due to its open geography towards the north,” says Kahi Pacarro, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii’s co-founder and executive director.…

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Mapping a Marine Menace

Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

Mapping a Marine Menace

 

Armed with GPS units, yardsticks and clipboards, Molokai volunteers and Oahu scientists spent three days last week peering into the island’s shallow south shore waters, looking for an invasive alien algae known as gorilla ogo.

The migrating algae, subject to wind and tides, has settled into Molokai waters and is threatening reef life.

“It can just take over an entire area and become the dominant species,” said Brian Neilson, aquatic invasive species biologist for the state’s Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR).  “It overcrowds native limu, and it can grow over coral colonies and smother and kill coral.”

Before any removal efforts can begin, however, residents needed to identify the areas of the shoreline most under siege.…

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Ho`ola Hou Scholarship Recipients

Thursday, July 16th, 2015

The MOM Hui News Release

Congratulations to this year’s 2015-2016 Ho`ola Hou Scholarship recipients: Kelsie Tanabe, Kamakalehiwa Purdy-Avelino, Lahela Tamanaha, Waipuna Paleka, Kiloaulani Ka`awa-Gonzales and Michaiah Soares.  Each individual will receive a total scholarship award of $1103 for the school year.

The Ho`ola Hou Community-Supported Scholarship Fund has been made possible through the MOM hui’s Annual Grassroots Benefit Concert, where 100 percent of the silent auction proceeds benefitted the fund. It is also funded by the Molokai Environmental Protection Fund, managed by the Tides Foundation, which “supports organizations that protect the Hawaiian island’s environment and enhance its community’s access to legal services, education, and environmental advocacy.”…

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“Fishing Pono” Film Now Viewable Online

Wednesday, July 15th, 2015

“Fishing Pono” Film Now Viewable Online

 

A half-hour documentary film featuring Molokai resource manager Mac Poepoe is now available for free streaming online through the end of July. “Fishing Pono: Living In Harmony With The Sea” tells the story of declining fisheries and how some Native Hawaiian communities are using traditional conservation practices to restore their fishing grounds. The film, which premiered on PBS last summer, explores the exploitation of commercial fishing, in contrast with the sustainable resource management taught by Poepoe.

“I was drawn to Mr. Poepoe’s story because of the success of his program,” said filmmaker and producer Teresa Tico of Kauai. “In the beginning, no one wanted to work with him. …

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Two-Day FEMA Certified Natural Disaster Awareness Training

Friday, July 10th, 2015

Kuha`o Business Center News Release

An upcoming three-day training session for community and business leaders will offer FEMA certification and cover important information about coastal community resilience, natural disaster awareness, social media for response and recovery and leveraging tools for conducting damage assessments.

On Tuesday, July 21 from 8 a.m. to noon, a one-day training course will provide state and local government agency staff and other stakeholder groups with background on natural hazards.

Coastal communities around the world are experiencing unprecedented change resulting from population growth in coastal regions and increased vulnerability to natural hazards.  Resilient coastal communities are better able to plan for and take action to mitigate the risks from coastal hazards, increase the pace of recovery from destructive events, and adapt to changing environments.…

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Flood Risk Meeting for South Shore Residents

Friday, July 10th, 2015

Maui County News Release

Residents of Kaunakakai and Molokai’s south shore areas are urged to attend a community meeting for those who may be affected by the new digital flood insurance rate maps (DFIRMs). The County of Maui, State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be holding the meetings on Molokai and Maui.

These new maps may impact residential flood risk ratings by changing flood insurance requirements when the DFIRM becomes effective on Nov. 4 of this year. The areas in Maui County that will be affected by these changes are Kihei, Waikapu, Kaunakakai and residents living on the south shore of Molokai.…

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Oriental Fruit Fly

Friday, July 10th, 2015

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH CTAHR County Extension Agent

The most damaging pest of fruits in Hawaii is the Oriental Fruit Fly, a small fly about 3/16 inch in length. It arrived in Hawaii around the mid-1940s, and is a major pest of over 230 kinds of fruits and vegetables. Native to Southern Asia, it’s also found on the islands of Sri Lanka and Taiwan. In the U.S., it’s only found in Hawaii but has been intercepted in California several times. Summer is their heyday when mango, papaya, and banana are in full production, and can be distinguished from another fruit fly, the Melon Fly, by its clear wings and a black T on its abdomen.…

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Fencing Proposed for Waikolu

Wednesday, July 8th, 2015

Fencing Proposed for Waikolu

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has proposed a six-mile fence along the edge of Waikolu Valley to keep out ungulates that DLNR says is damaging native plants and creating erosion problems.

“By placing the fence along the steep ridge of Waikolu Valley we are hoping to reduce the movement of game mammals into the valley and beyond, where they impact natural resources and are less accessible to hunters,” said Scott Fretz, Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Maui District Manager in a press release.

James Espaniola, a DOFAW field technician on Molokai who is leading the project, explained at a community meeting last week that the fence would protect native plants and consumable plants, including wild taro, kukui and guava, since that’s what fence do and is why so many people install fence at their homes with the help of a local fence and deck company you can find online.…

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Judge Rules County GMO Ban Invalid

Wednesday, July 8th, 2015

A federal judge has ruled that a Maui County ban on the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) crops is invalid. The order determined that the ordinance, initiated and passed by voters in November’s election, was preempted by federal and state law that allows cultivation of GE crops, and therefore the ban exceeds the county’s authority.

In the decision issued last Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Mollway made it clear that the decision was not a comment on the validity of concerns for or against the ban, but simply a legal response to the question of whether the ban was enforceable based on existing state and federal law.…

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Community Meeting For Proposed Waikolu-Pu`u Ali`i Fence Project

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

DLNR News Release

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW)  invites the  Molokai community and interested parties to an informational meeting concerning a proposed fencing and management project in the Waikolu Valley and Pu`u Ali`i Natural Area Reserve areas.  The purpose of the proposed project is to protect the natural resources of the Pu`u Ali`i Natural Area Reserve (NAR) while improving hunting opportunities within the Molokai Forest Reserve hunting units.  The fence will help to prevent entry of pigs, goats and deer into the NAR and help to prevent erosion into nearshore waters, protect fisheries and water supplies, and conserve native Hawaiian plants and wildlife.…

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