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Sustainability

Overpopulated Deer Dropping Dead

Wednesday, December 9th, 2020

I am writing as a concerned absentee condo owner on the west end of Molokai. My concern is the proliferating deer herds on the island which are experiencing heavy die-off due to lack of water and vegetation. Shared photos and videos reveal herds are decimating yards, gardens and grounds in daylight hours, unafraid of people, and still they are not able to sustain themselves, as evidenced by their bony, skeleton-like bodies.

Consequently, deer are dropping dead everywhere. Roadsides are punctuated with carcasses which only indicates the number that must be lying in the fields and forests of the island. It is said that hunters are shooting them nightly for sport, leaving the bodies to rot because their freezers are already full.…

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Shearwaters Return to Mokio

Wednesday, December 9th, 2020

Shearwaters Return to Mokio

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

For the first time in years — maybe decades, maybe centuries, no one’s quite sure — fuzzy Uʻau kani, or Wedgetailed Shearwater, chicks hatched in the Anapuka area within Mokio Preserve. The successful nesting of the indigenous seabirds indicates that the past 12 years of work of the Molokai Land Trust is paying off and the native ecosystem is recovering, as crews clear acres of dense kiawe and remove deer, cats and mongoose.

Adult Uʻau kani have gray-brown and white feathers, a long, hooked beak and a wingspan of more than three feet. Clumsy on land, the birds live most of their lives on the wing at sea, and come onshore only to breed.…

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Visitor Industry Gives Rice

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020

MHLA News Release

The Maui Hotel and Lodging Association (MHLA) distributed 25,000 pounds of rice throughout Maui County in November.

The annual “Rice for the Holidays” program began in 2009 when MHLA partnered with Jim Coon of Trilogy Excursions in their annual giveaway of turkeys to the residents of Lanai by adding a five-pound bag of rice with the turkey.

Since then the program has expanded to provide rice for food distributions on Maui and Molokai. In 2011, Hana was added to the distribution. The rice was distributed on Lanai and Molokai Saturday, Nov. 21; and will be distributed in Hana on Friday, Dec.…

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$1.8M for Molokai Conservation Efforts

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai is anticipated to have clearer oceans and reefs, less erosion and flooding, and protection from wildfires thanks to $1.8 million in federal funds that were just awarded to the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

The funding, through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), will pay for measures to protect Molokai’s forest ecosystems, like fencing for protection from hooved animals and creating firebreaks. The State of Hawaii is also matching the funds as part of a larger Watershed Initiative, directing an additional $2 million of state Capital Improvement Project (CIP) and operating funds to protect Molokai’s forests and provide jobs for Molokai residents, according to the DLNR.…

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Aging Water System Gets $37M Upgrade

Wednesday, November 25th, 2020

Aging Water System Gets $37M Upgrade

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Repairs and improvements to the 80-year-old Ho’olehua Water System kicked off with a small groundbreaking ceremony last Thursday that marks the beginning of a multi-phase, $37 million project that will last about two years. The water system serves more than 2,400 customers, including about 500 homesteads in Hoʻolehua, Palaʻau, Kalamaʻula and Moʻomomi, as well as provides water to the post office, schools and airport.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) capital improvement project will include improvements such as the installation of a 200,000-gallon storage tank, upgrades to automation systems, a new warehouse, and a new emergency generator diesel fuel tank.…

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$2.5M in Assistance for Farmers and Ranchers

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

Mayor Michael Victorino is urging Maui County farmers and ranchers to apply for reimbursements of expenses for losses related to COVID-19 and for food sustainability.

“This program has $2.5 million in CARES Act funding to provide Maui County farmers and ranchers with an urgent lifeline to help them with reimbursement of their expenses,” Mayor Victorino said. “I would like to thank the Maui Chamber of Commerce for partnering with the County of Maui to help sustain our agricultural community through these difficult times.”

Farmers and ranchers can apply reimbursement on allowable expenses of up to $25,000 for those who meet program qualifications.…

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County Food Distribution Friday

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

County of Maui News Release

A drive-through food distribution event will be held on Friday, Nov. 20 for Molokai residents in need, announced Mayor Victorino.

The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Mitchell Pauole Community Center in Kaunakakai.

Volunteers will pass out 150 boxes of produce on a first-come, first-served basis. Recipients are required to wear face masks.

To maximize social distancing, food distribution will be done in a grab-and-go drive-through (no walk up). Motorists will have the option of getting boxes placed in their vehicle’s trunk or rear cargo area.

“I would like to thank everyone who helped set up this food distribution event, including Molokai Community Liaison Stacy Crivello,” Mayor Victorino said.…

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Honomuni Community Garden

Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

Come clean up the Honomuni Community Garden on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Bring your own tools, equipment and mask. Help grow food for our Mana’e community.

Ahonui Homestead Association…

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Sust’aina ble Molokai Launches Egg Production

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Sust’aina ble Molokai Launches Egg Production

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai doesn’t have to decide whether the chicken or the egg came first, because another “first” has poised the island to potentially produce all its own eggs. Nonprofit Sust’aina ble Molokai is the first organization in Maui County — and likely the state — to have a Dept. of Health certified cooperative distribution model for on-island egg production.

Molokai currently imports more than 100,000 eggs per month, according to Sust’aina ble Molokai (SM) Executive Director Harmonee Williams Pastrana. Hand in hand with their efforts to foster consumption of locally grown produce, the organization is seeking to reduce the community’s dependency on off-island sources for eggs through a unique program that makes it easy for small farmers to produce and sell eggs.…

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Molokai’s 1st Little Free Library Open

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Molokai’s 1st Little Free Library Open

Kawela Plantation Homeowners Assn News Release

Just past mile marker 4.5, at the entrance to Kawela Plantation II, you will find Molokai’s first Little Free Library. A global phenomenon, the small, front-yard book exchanges number more than 100,000 around the world in over 100 countries. Now, with the support of the Kawela Plantation Homeowners Association, Molokai’s new Little Free Library will join the movement to share books, bring people together and create communities of readers.

“Our Little Free Library doesn’t just belong to us, it belongs to Molokai,” say Kawela Plantation residents, who introduced the idea of installing the library. “It’s our hope that this Little Free Library will bring a little more joy, a little more connection and a whole lot more books to our community.”…

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