The Permaculture Solution

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Joe Kennedy

Most people will agree that the planet needs our help, because all the environmental problems are increasing, plus warfare.  In the late 70s and early 80s, scientists warned us that the world was degrading and the population was increasing dramatically.  Only a few people believed in it and started doing something about it.  But now we see that almost all of the predictions have come true.  The thrill of getting rich and amassing power, the “dog eat dog” mentality of entrepreneurial business and the bottom-line thinking in industries and manufacturing has now become the unfortunate norm. …

Warming Up with Winter Athletics

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

The end of the year brings a new winter athletic season. Though most students are getting ready to take a holiday break, farmer athletes are fired up, training hard and ringing in the New Year with new coaches, new competition and new goals for state championships.

Boys and Girls Swimming
For MHS swimming, some athletes have been training all year through the Molokai Chapter of Maui Dolphins Swim Club (MDSC) — a swimming program for all ages that began in August — prepping for the season.

“Every year we’ve gotten a little bit better and our team has grown,” said fourth year coach Jessie Ford.…

Lighting the Way for Christmas

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Lighting the Way for Christmas

As darkness fell over Kaunakakai last Saturday, the town transformed into a festive wonderland of lights.  Moving to the beat of seasonal tunes and decked with colorful costumes and light displays, a parade of 22 community groups and organizations announced the arrival of Christmas, Molokai-style.

Kaunakakai’s main street closed for a few hours as the community crowded the streets for the seventh annual Parade of Lights.
“I’ve watched the parade almost every year and this year was the most beautiful I’ve seen,” said resident Sally Trinidad.

The parade began by Rawlins Chevron and travelled to Mitchell Pauole Center. Spectators of all ages smiled and waved at their favorite holiday-themed floats, with this year’s standouts including Friendly Market’s ohana-themed float complete with a pig cooking on a rotating spit, Monsanto’s gift-wrapped tractor and the Church of Latter Day Saints’ Nightmare Before Christmas float.…

Energy Festival Cancellation

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

IAM News Release

I Aloha Molokai (IAM) regrets to announce the cancellation of our third Alternative Energy Festival, scheduled for Jan. 14. We had hoped once again to host vendors, speakers, and vigorous public discussion of energy options for our island and our state. Recent confidential negotiations between Molokai Ranch, California wind developer Princeton Energy, Maui County and Maui Electric, however, have cast doubt on our ability to keep the Festival as transparent and neutral as the previous two.

These negotiations concern a proposed 25 megawatt solar farm with pumped hydro backup, to be placed on Molokai Ranch land above and below Manila Camp.…

A Bee’s Life

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Glenn I. Teves, UH Extension Agent

The life of a bee is not easy, and has changed dramatically through the activities of man. Pollution, pesticides, changes in farming systems, and the movement of invasive species across continents have combined to make life difficult for bees. The accidental introduction of two very serious bee pests, the Varroa mite and the Small Hive Beetle have weakened both wild bees and cultivated hives in Hawaii.

Stresses bought on by these pests have also predisposed bees to serious viruses, while certain pesticides have added to demise. This one, two, three and sometimes four-punch is wiping out bees in certain parts of the state, and also the world.…

Molokai Students Visit College

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Molokai Students Visit College

Community Contributed

By Allison Place

On Nov. 15 and 16, 17 Molokai High School students participated in the 2013 Hawaii College and Career Fair at the Blaisdell Center on Oahu.  The students are participants in Ke Kukui Mohala o Molokai, a partnership between Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center, UH Maui College, Molokai/Gear Up Hawaii and the Education Opportunities Center (EOC).  Ke Kukui Mohala o Molokai provides parents and `opio with college information such as searching for the right college, SAT test, college applications, scholarships and financial aid information.  It is through these services that students will experience a smooth and enjoyable transition to college.…

Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Arleone Dibben-Young, Molokai compiler

The 114th Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will take place on Molokai Thursday, Dec. 19. The nationwide event is an annual count that takes place in established areas during the same time period during the month of December. The information compiled over time provides a useful tool indicating population trends of bird species.

The topside Molokai count is divided into three routes: Seabirds and waterfowl via a northern pelagic route, forest birds at the Waikolu Lookout, and shorebirds and waterfowl along the south shore. The Kalaupapa peninsula is the fourth site in the count circle and requires advance reservations.…

Energy Festival Nixed Over Renewable Project Concerns

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Amid recent concerns over proposed renewable energy project Ikehu Molokai, I Aloha Molokai (IAM) has cancelled its third annual Renewable Energy Festival that was scheduled for January. The nonprofit feared the event would act as a showcase for Ikehu, falsely implying IAM’s endorsement of the project. While IAM leaders say they feel the project has potential for Molokai, they are not ready to support it based on what they consider to be a lack of public input.

“We do not want [the energy festival] to be used to help push a process that does not have community buy-in yet,” said Kanohowailuku Helm, president of IAM, a local nonprofit that supports community-based energy solutions, in an email to Maui County officials.…

Proposal Would Bring 100% Renewable Energy

Wednesday, December 4th, 2013

A proposed renewable energy project for Molokai combines solar and stored hydroelectric power with the goal of 100 percent renewable energy for the island and lowered electric rates for local customers. The project, called Ikehu Molokai, is still in the early stages of discussion. It would be a joint endeavor between California-based Princeton Energy Group and landowner Molokai Ranch.

If completed, Molokai would become the first grid in the world to be converted completely to renewable energy, said Princeton CEO Steve Tabor.

“We were on sidelines for the Big Wind project [that proposed industrial wind turbines on Molokai], but we were kind of offended by the project — it was way out of scale,” said Tabor. …

Youth Tackle Invasives

Wednesday, December 4th, 2013

Youth Tackle Invasives

Students of Aka`ula School tackled some big environmental issues on Molokai, researching, surveying residents and presenting their findings at the school’s 17th annual PRISM Symposium last month. All focusing on public opinions and knowledge about control of invasive plants, mammals, fish and insects, students formed eight groups, which each surveyed more than 100 Molokai residents.

“When Dara [Lukonen] and I started this 18 years ago, someone said it was some of the most academic work on Molokai,” said one of Aka`ula’s founders and teachers, Vicki Newberry, of PRISM, which stands for Providing Resolutions with Integrity for a Sustainable Molokai.

Kaliloa Durant, Malu Duquette , Skylar Kuahuia and Kamaka Adams researched Hawaii’s invasive fish and whether they should be used to make fertilizer on Molokai.…