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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Quakes Shake Up Molokai

Thursday, June 12th, 2014

Quakes Shake Up Molokai

Molokai residents experienced a shake-down last Friday, when a 4.1 magnitude earthquake originating about eight miles west-southwest of Kualapu`u was felt around the island at 4:42 p.m.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program rates the perceived shaking of earthquakes on a “ShakeMap” system, and on a scale of 1 to 10, this earthquake was listed as a six, or “strong.”

“The ceiling track lights broke and fell on me and the kids,” Molokai Dispatch Facebook fan Nichol Helm Kahale of Kualapu`u wrote on the page.

Around the island, residents shared their reactions, noting the quake’s intensity.

Renee Beihl of Kawela wrote, “[It] rattled my windows and my little computer desk wobbled for four to five seconds,” while Ilima Davis in Kalae reported that her house shook.…

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PALS Offers Free Meals

Thursday, June 12th, 2014

County of Maui News Release

The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation announces that free meals for children will be available at all County PALS sites on Maui and Molokai through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Children do not have to be enrolled in the PALS program to take advantage of the free and nutritious meals this summer.

Free meals for children will be available at all county PALS sites on Maui and Molokai. The program, offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service, is made available to eligible areas to ensure that children receive nutritious meals.…

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Summer Salads

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014

Community Contributed

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

Lettuce is one of the oldest garden plants and is always the essence of a summer salad, but finding high quality lettuce during our hot Molokai summers can be a challenge due to less than ideal growing conditions. There are between 50 and 75 lettuce species, and was first cultivated by the Egyptians for oil from its seeds.  There are several lettuce types, but the three most common include leaf, crisphead and romaine. These can be crossed with each other to create an array of leaf types, shapes, and textures.…

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Island’s First (Temporary) Stoplight

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014

Island’s First (Temporary) Stoplight

Molokai’s first stoplight installed at the Kawela Stream Bridge construction site was only directing traffic for two weeks. As of Friday before going to press, Goodfellow Bros. Project Engineer Clayton Morrell said the traffic light is scheduled to be removed on Monday.

“It was only there so we could pave the west-bound lane and shoulder,” said Morrell. “[During that time] we had to shift to one-lane traffic.”

Contractor Goodfellow Bros. is putting the final touches on the state Department of Transportation (DOT) bridge project before scheduled completion at the end of July.

The next big change drivers will notice is a shift in traffic from the curved, detour route to traveling over the new bridge, said Morrell.…

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Facing Climate Change, Part III

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Emillia Noordhoek

Editor’s Note: Emillia Noordhoek, executive director of Sust`ainable Molokai, traveled to Europe to attend the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year. This is the third in a three-part series about the Panel’s conclusions and how global climate change will affect Molokai and the world.

Samso is an island off the coast of Denmark in the Baltic Sea that is 16 miles long by four miles wide, with a total area of 44 square miles.  The island’s electricity is powered 100 percent by renewable energy and they are connected to the mainland by a cable to sell the over-production to the rest of the grid.…

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Facing Climate Change, Part II

Thursday, June 5th, 2014

Community Contributed

By Emillia Noordhoek

Editor’s Note: Emillia Noordhoek, executive director of Sust`ainable Molokai, traveled to Europe to attend the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year. This is the second in a three-part series about the Panel’s conclusions and how global climate change will affect Molokai and the world.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met at the end of last year as a collaborative effort between countries, scientists and policy makers to address growing evidence of real and serious global climate change and discuss a report on the latest findings. The day after the IPCC was released, activists from Swedish environmental group, PUSH Sweden, organized a demonstration to bring attention to the report and the lack of action they felt was being presented by the Swedish government.…

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Mandatory Boater Ed Enforced in November

Thursday, June 5th, 2014

DLNR News Release

With less than six months to go before Hawaii’s new mandatory education law for boaters is to be enforced, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) would like to inform boaters that there is still ample time and multiple ways to become compliant.

Beginning Nov. 10, 2014, all individuals who operate a motorized vessel in Hawaii’s state waters must have taken a boating safety course and be able to show proof of certification. The rule applies to all boaters unless they and/or the vessels being used fall under one of the exemptions mentioned in the new rule.…

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From Garden to Pizza

Thursday, June 5th, 2014

From Garden to Pizza

At Sust`ainable Molokai’s permaculture farm in Ho`olehua, there’s a time to sow and there’s a time to reap the harvest.

There’s also a time to craft and eat homemade, baked and garden-fresh pizza fresh out of a traditional pizza oven. For pizza Greensboro call Cedar’s Restaurant & Pizzeria. Their delicious, freshly made pizzas will satisfy your cravings with every bite.

“This is really how to get kids and others to enjoy eating what they grow,” said Emillia Noordhoek, executive director of Sust`ainable Molokai, a local nonprofit that works with the community to find modern strategies for sustainability while respecting cultural traditions.…

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Undersea Cable Still On the Table for Some Islands

Wednesday, June 4th, 2014

State and federal energy officials got a clear message from Molokai residents who voiced their continued opposition to a potential undersea transmission cable in Hawaii that would transport energy interisland.

“I’m totally pro-renewable energy which is why I’m very concerned and upset by this document,” said Molokai resident and energy expert Mike Bond, referring to the Hawaii Clean Energy Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). “The one thing that concerns me the most is the tacit acceptance of the undersea cable… I think the cable is a disaster — it’s hyper-costly, and in my view, a political, corporate scam.”

The PEIS is a 1,000-page-plus document that analyzes potential environmental impacts associated with a wide variety of clean energy technologies and activities across the state.…

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Feeding Molokai Sustainably

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014

Feeding Molokai Sustainably

Molokai used to be known as “Molokai `Aina Momona,” or the abundant land, for its plentiful food supply that fed a population many times its current size. Like much of the state, Molokai now imports most of the food found in its stores and restaurants — 98 percent, in fact.

But the food served on Molokai’s dinner tables is a different story. About 40 percent of food consumed comes from subsistence sources such as hunting, fishing, gathering and home grown fruits and vegetables, according to a 2012 study conducted by Sust `aina ble Molokai.

“[The high level of subsistence] means that if disaster hits, Molokai is actually better off than other islands even though food production is less [than other islands],” said Emillia Noordhoek, executive director of Sust `aina ble Molokai.…

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