Environment

Fire Sparks Concerns

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

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.…

CCSLAR Plan Moves Forward

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

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. …

Below Average Rainfall Predicted for Wet Season

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

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.…

The Adze Quarries of Kaluako‘i

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023

Community Contributed 

By Marshall Weisler, Archaeologist

If there was ever a perfect name for a piece of land, then surely Kaluako‘i is it. The name means “the adze pit” and the 50,000 acres encompassing this leeward region of west Molokai contains more stone adze quarries than the rest of the Hawaiian Islands combined. The rolling hills and slopes fronted by the rocky coastlines are dominated by the nearly 1,400 foot high, 1.7 million years old Maunaloa volcano. 

Why is Kaluako‘i important? Well, imagine life without your mobile phone. Most people would be at a loss without this essential modern “tool.”  Hundreds of years ago, stone adzes were the most common tools in ancient times.…

Boat Wreck on Papohaku

Wednesday, October 11th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, a 50-foot boat ran aground near ‘Ilio Point around 4 a.m. The five-man crew was rescued early in the morning by the Coast Guard and Molokai Fire Department, leaving the damaged boat in the water.  

As of Tuesday, the Coast Guard reported that “the vessel is currently afloat and a hazard to navigation, maritime safety broadcast has been issued to notify mariners in the area,” adding that “there is no visible sheening at this time and the Coast Guard will continue to monitor the vessel.”  

By Wednesday, the boat had drifted down the coast, eventually sucked into shore near the area of Papohaku known as Third Hole. …