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Environment

News stories regarding Molokai’s outdoor environment

Visitors Clean Up Beach

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

Community Contributed

By Al Wickheim

I am a visitor from Vancouver Island, Canada who visits your beautiful island every couple of years with my growing family for a couple or three weeks. Each time, we spend an afternoon doing a bit of good for the land that provides us with such enjoyment. Our task of choice is cleaning garbage off the large beach just west of Mo`omomi. Each time, we have gathered about 300 pounds, bagged and dragged to the road access and camp spot and contacted the Nature Conservancy, and although they don’t get back to us, evidently the garbage is picked up.…

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Fruit Growers Featured Farmer

Wednesday, January 15th, 2014

Fruit Growers Featured Farmer

HTFG Molokai Chapter News Release

Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) is a statewide nonprofit organization, dedicated to tropical fruit research, education, marketing and promotion. The Molokai Chapter is made up of members that are gardeners, farmers and interested community members who meet monthly to share ideas about promoting products, skills and agricultural opportunities. Meetings are held the first Monday evening of every month at Lanikeha Center, Ho`olehua. The next meeting is Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m.

This month’s featured farmer is HTFG’s member Nannette Walters. She is the delightful face of Mahana Gardens in Ho`olehua who commits her support to commercial producers for the return of Molokai to become the bread basket of the islands and for Molokai residents to restore functional, edible gardens to feed their families.…

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Ikehu Molokai Project

Wednesday, January 15th, 2014

Princeton Energy News Release

It is our goal to keep island residents informed of the progress of the Ikehu Molokai project.  As everyone knows, the grid on Molokai has some problems, like high costs for Molokai residents and businesses, blackouts and brownouts, and a high carbon footprint.  The Ikehu Molokai project aims to address these problems by converting the island’s electric system to renewable energy. The project is a joint effort between Princeton Energy and Molokai Ranch.

Maui Electric Company (MECO) has done their part to solve these problems, taking financial losses to minimize rate hikes, and working with the University of Hawaii’s Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) to install a battery system to stabilize the grid. …

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Metal Recycling Services Are Here to Stay

Wednesday, January 15th, 2014

Community contributed

By David Powell

It seems that securing the proper place to store or dispose of materials made of metal on Molokai has been a challenge over the years. From Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., you’ll find Michael Diorec’s locally-owned, certified reclaimer company ready to assist you in any way possible. I found it a big relief when they aided me in cleaning up my little eye sores and junk areas. They have been at the Molokai Metal Facility for about a year now and their contract with the county runs for two more. We now have the means in place to do some serious clean-up in regard to all metal junk, year round, and for the next two years for sure.…

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Hawaiian Airlines to Serve Molokai This Year

Sunday, January 5th, 2014

Hawaiian Airlines plans to begin service to Molokai and Lanai this year, and the certification process to launch its new subsidiary, Ohana by Hawaiian, has resumed. After 2013 budget sequestration caused delays in certification through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Hawaiian officials say things are back on track.

In the fall of 2012, Hawaiian Airlines announced its plans to add Molokai and Lanai to their itinerary, anticipated to begin in 2013. The start date was pushed back several times, and there is still no estimated timeframe.

Alison Croyle, director of external communications, confirmed that the airlines is in the third of four phases in the certification process.…

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Maka`ala Molokai, the Little Fire Ant May Be Coming

Sunday, January 5th, 2014

Maka`ala Molokai, the Little Fire Ant May Be Coming

Community Contributed

By Lori Buchanan, MoMISC


The stinging little fire ant has been detected on hapuu ferns being sold at several garden stores and big box retail outlets on Maui and Oahu, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (DOA) on Dec. 31. The ferns originated from Hawaii Island.

The Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC) continues to strongly urge Molokai residents not to import plants from Hawaii Island due to the current little fire ant (LFA)and coqui frog infestations there. Also to be aware that coqui frogs and LFA will hitchhike on other goods such as household items, vehicles and on you!…

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Hemp, Health Houses and a Greener Future

Friday, January 3rd, 2014

The MOM hui and Sust`ainable Molokai News Release

Hemp with lime is a non-toxic and energy-efficient building matertial; it is also resistant to mildew, fire and pests. The drawback – industrial hemp is currently illegal to farm in the United States. However, industrial hemp, a non-psychoactive plant, is grown in 31 other countries. It can also be used to make thousands of sustainable products, and it offers many solutions for global warming, nutrition, and deforestation.

To learn more, we invite you to the documentary film premier of “Bringing it Home” – a film that depicts the story of a father’s search to find the healthiest building materials, leading him to the completion of the nation’s first hemp house.…

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Kalaupapa Aircraft Wreckage to be Recovered, Under Investigation

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Kalaupapa Aircraft Wreckage to be Recovered, Under Investigation

After a Makani Kai aircraft crashed into the ocean off Kalaupapa last Wednesday, Makani Kai owner Richard Schuman said the Cessna Grand Caravan will be recovered this week.

“We know what happened, but not why,” Schuman told the Dispatch Sunday. “One way or another, we’ll get that aircraft out… and get the engine to the manufacturer [for answers.]”

The Makani Kai flight departing Kalaupapa about 3:45 p.m. experienced “catastrophic engine failure” shortly after take-off, according to pilot Clyde Kawasaki. The plane went down about 1/2 mile off the peninsula. Eight on board survived, while Department of Health (DOH) Director Loretta Fuddy died in the water after exiting the sinking plane.…

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UH Funds MHS Student’s Research

Monday, December 16th, 2013

UH Manoa News Release

The University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering and its Hawaii Center for Advanced Communications (HCAC) are supporting a Molokai High School student in her efforts to protect Hawaiian wildlife.

Sarah Jenkins, a junior at Molokai High, has already received recognition for her strong commitment to protecting Hawaiian endangered birds.  She placed second overall at the 54th annual Maui Science and Engineering Fair and later won first place for best Senior Research Project in the Animal Science Category from the Hawaii Academy of Science.  Her successful work is focused on improving the reproduction environment of the Hawaiian Coot and involves creating artificial floating nesting structures in Pipio Pond in the Mapulehu area. …

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Two Tips for Healthy Plants

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Joe Kennedy

Aloha everyone, especially to all you folks who are planting things to eat. I would like to point out a few basic things that might help save work and make your plants grow even better.  The first thing is to leave the fertilizers such as manure, urine, compost on top of the ground next to your plants. There’s no need to work it in, which could backfire because too much could feed the microbes too fast resulting in using up the nitrogen and starving the plant. When you leave it on top, the nutrients are slowly released. …

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