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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Mokulele Adds Direct Flight to Kona

Thursday, August 6th, 2015

Molokai residents traveling to Hawaii Island will have a much easier option starting in September. Mokulele Airlines is adding a direct flight between Molokai and Kona, eliminating the need to stop on Oahu or Maui en route to Hawaii Island.

The airline will be offering two round trip flights daily, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, according to Mokulele representatives.

“Primarily this service is being offered because of the feedback we were given from the community,” said Mokulele President and CEO Ron Hansen.  “We realized that the residents of Molokai were looking for a fair price for travel to the Big Island.…

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Iconic Grove Restored

Wednesday, August 5th, 2015

Iconic Grove Restored

Just weeks ago, Molokai’s historic Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove was thick with shrubs, piles of dead fronds and manmade trash. Now, after a thorough weeklong overhaul, the ground is bare and smooth, the fallen tree trunks are stacked neatly and Molokai residents see what many of them said they remember growing up: an unobscured view of the ocean between the towering palms.

“We’re happy it’s clean. It’s like we got back the old Coconut Grove,” said Kalamaula Homestead Association President Gayla Haliniak-Lloyd, who said the last clean-up was about four years ago.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), which owns land the property, organized the cleaning in response to community meetings in May and June during which many Kalamaula residents pointed out the grove’s deteriorating conditions.…

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Making School Meals Healthier, Cheaper

Wednesday, August 5th, 2015

Making School Meals Healthier, Cheaper

With the start of a federal free breakfast and lunch program offered in public schools island-wide and recent trends toward local, healthy eating, Molokai students are set to benefit in both the cafeteria and the classroom.

Last month, five Molokai schools were selected to receive free meals for all students regardless of household income through a U.S. Department of Agriculture pilot program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).

While principals of most schools said making sure all students had lunch wasn’t a major issue in the past, they said it would still be a significant financial relief for many families. For example, at Molokai High School, a full-priced breakfast costs $1.20 for students, while lunch costs $2.75.…

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Picking Up Plastics

Wednesday, August 5th, 2015

Picking Up Plastics

Mo`omomi Beach has long been considered one of Molokai’s richest areas for natural resources. However, it’s also one of most Hawaii’s most debris-laden beaches, and last Saturday, more than 150 volunteers did what they could to remove thousands of pounds of bottles, rope and plastic rubbish of all shapes and sizes from the area.

The north-facing coastline is the first stopping point in the state for marine refuse floating from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, according to Kahi Pacarro, executive director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii (SCH).

The nonprofit’s mission is to inspire local communities to care for their coastlines through hands-on beach cleanups, and for the second year, they gathered manpower and momentum at Mo`omomi to fulfill that mission.…

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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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