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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Krazy for Kolea Kontest Winners

Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

Nene o Molokai press release

This year marked the 17th annual Krazy for Kolea Kontest, and a kolea reported by Joe Kitagawa proved to be Molokai’s early bird, marking the beginning of the fall migration of the Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva). At 11:21 a.m. on July 29, a kolea flushed from a pasture at the Kamakou Preserve. Joe wins a Kolea Research Hawaii T-shirt from the Hawaii Audubon Society and a gift certificate for one scoop of ice cream at Kamoi Snack-N-Go.

The kolea is a swift flying shorebird and has been clocked migrating at 118 miles per hour, although an average of 56 to 60 mph is more typical.…

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A New Invasive Species – Hala Scale

Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR

“Pala ka hala, momona ka wana” is a saying connecting activities on the land with those in the ocean. In this case, when the hala fruits are ripe, the sea urchin or wana is fat and ready to eat. Now, hala will need to overcome a new nemesis that may not allow its fruits to ripen.

In 1995, the Hala Scale was discovered in a shipment of hala plants from the South Pacific to Hana, Maui. From there, it quickly spread to other islands. It was recently confirmed on Molokai in Puko`o and is believed to have been on the island for more than five years.…

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Makani Kai Air Expands Molokai Service

Friday, September 26th, 2014

Makani Kai News Release

Makani Kai Air is now offering three more daily round trip flights between Honolulu and Molokai on Sundays and four more round trips on Fridays.

“We’re expanding the number of flights on those days in response to the number of passengers who were finding it difficult to get seats on those days,” said Richard Schuman, president of Makani Kai Air. “Since we began our service to topside Molokai last June we have been extremely happy with the number of Molokai residents who now call us their airline.”

Located at 130 Iolana Place along Lagoon Drive, Makani Kai Air is on the other side of the airport, away from the terminals and congestion.…

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Kalaupapa Munitions Clean-Up Plan Proposed

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Kalaupapa Munitions Clean-Up Plan Proposed

Though Kalaupapa is historically known as a place of exile for Hansen’s disease patients, the peninsula was also used as a bombing range during World War II. As with other Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDs) across the country, ongoing efforts to locate and remove unexploded ordnance — or bombs that never detonated — have begun. After completing a remedial investigation and feasibility study, the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has proposed a plan to clean up the area.

The former Makanalua Bombing Range, a 937-acre region on the northwest side of the Kalaupapa peninsula, was used by the U.S. Army for military bombing, rockets and gunnery practice from 1941 to 1946.…

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Perpetuating Taro

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Perpetuating Taro

Dripping with sweat and covered in a layer of red Molokai dirt, attendees of last Saturday’s Taro Field Day still had smiles on their faces as they emerged from chest-high, heart-shaped leaves with arms full of taro plants they had harvested.

The annual event at the Molokai Applied Research and Demonstration Farm at UH Maui Community College Farm in Ho`olehua offers community members a chance to learn about the history, culture and preservation of taro through presentations, as well as taste test poi and kulolo made from various types of taro. Attendees can then venture into the field after receiving a labelled map to select and harvest plants of their favorite varieties.…

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Molokai Homesteaders Gardening Program

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

UH Extension Office News Release

We will be starting a home gardening program this month for Molokai Hawaiian homesteaders. The purpose of this workshop series is to encourage homesteaders to grow their own vegetables and herbs, thereby increasing access to fresh, nutritious food. This program is open to both agricultural and residential homesteaders on Molokai, but you must have access to water on your homestead lot.

Alongside learning how to grow fresh food, caring for the land itself is just as important. Maintaining lawns, clearing space for garden beds, and preparing areas for planting become much easier with the right tools.…

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Banana Root Borer: Spreading the Aloha

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Banana Root Borer: Spreading the Aloha

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, County Extension Agent, UH CTAHR

The Banana Root Borer is one of the most destructive insects of banana, and was brought to Molokai in the mid-1980s with Dwarf Apple Banana planting material from a quarantined area in Waimanalo. First at the Molokai Agricultural Park, corms were shared with residents and before long, it spread through most of the island.

Large whitish grubs or larvae of the Banana Root Borer cause extensive damage by boring holes through the corm, affecting plant vigor, stunting, and early death of plants. The adult Banana Root Borer is a black beetle about ½ inch in length, with a large curved snout.…

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Join Discussions of the 2026 Strategic Plan for Kanaloa Kaho`olawe on Tuesday

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

I Ola Kanaloa News Release

I Ola Kanaloa! Life to Kanaloa! Community gatherings are being organized throughout the islands to premier a new film about the island of Kanaloa Kaho’olawe and launch discussions about the Draft 2026 Strategic Plan for Kanaloa called “I Ola Kanaloa!”

The 30-minute film about the island of Kanaloa Kaho’olawe is part of and eight part series called Standing On Sacred Ground by filmmaker Toby McLeod. The overall series tells eight distinct stories from the viewpoints of diverse indigenous communities — stories that evoke ancient and contemporary spiritual connections to earth, while exploring how the health of our global environment can be sustained through respectful understanding of the sacred lands and traditions of these native peoples.…

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Kawela Bridge Dedication Ceremony

Thursday, September 18th, 2014

Kawela Bridge Dedication Ceremony

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (DOT) celebrated the completion of the Kawela Stream Bridge Replacement Project last Wednesday with a dedication ceremony on Molokai’s Kamehameha V Highway.

State-contracted construction company Goodfellow Bros., Inc. Assistant Regional Manager Todd Svetin said he pursued a career in construction for the sense of pride he feels when a project, like the replacement of the Kawela Bridge, is completed.

“Everyone involved in this project should feel that same pride,” Svetin said. “…I’d like to thank the Molokai residents and neighboring property owners for their patience during the construction.”

According to the DOT, the $6 million project replaced the original bridge, constructed in 1940, with a new bridge that meets modern standards.…

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Keeping an Eye on the Algae

Thursday, September 18th, 2014

Keeping an Eye on the Algae

On a fishing trip along Molokai’s south shore in late July, fisherman Clay Ching noticed something strange. Huge masses of thick seaweed blanketed the shallow flats near Coconut Grove, protruding from the surface and covering hundreds of square yards in several large patches. As owner of local charter fishing company Hallelujah Hou Fishing and having spent decades trolling the area, Ching called it “epic proportions of growth” and said he’d never seen anything like it.

The algae invasion concerned him so much that he notified the Department of Land and Natural Resource (DLNR)’s Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR).

“[I don’t want] this situation to progress to the point of no return for our precious reef ecosystem which us Molokaiians depend on for food, etc.,”…

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