Several million dollars have been spent over the past few years on research, habitat restoration, and land acquisition to mitigate the unexpectedly high number of endangered Hawaiian hoary bats being killed by wind farms across the state. Last month at … Continued
Where on O‘ahu are endangered Hawaiian hoary bats most active? According to an acoustic monitoring study launched in 2017, “by far and way, the bulk of activity is on northern part of the island,” said Joel Thompson of the Oregon-based … Continued
Last year, the number of longline sets targeting swordfish hit a record low of 300, according to Russell Ito of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Only 14 of the 150 longline vessels fishing around Hawai‘i last year were shallow-set vessels, he … Continued
At the council’s March meeting, University of California at Santa Barbara professor Douglas McCauley briefed members on the potential threat deep sea mining poses to Hawai‘i’s pelagic fisheries. McCauley, who runs a website called Deep Sea Mining Watch, said mining could start occurring … Continued
Recent reports by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) suggest that the pelagic population of false killer whales within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Hawai‘i may be larger than was previously thought. Or it may be about … Continued
On February 28, Curt Cottrell, administrator for the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks, asked the Land Board for permission to hold public hearings on proposed fee increases for parking, entry, and facility uses. He noted … Continued
Nearly a year ago, the Board of Land and Natural Resources granted a 55-year easement and a right-of-entry permit to allow a non-profit group of Hanalei taro farmers to repair and maintain the ancient, pre-contact Hawaiian irrigation system that they rely on … Continued
Had Christopher Arai and his wife been made aware that short-term renting was not allowed at their beachfront house in South Kona, they wouldn’t have bought it, he wrote in a letter to the Board of Land and Natural Resources … Continued
At its February 14 meeting, the Board of Land and Natural Resources continued to levy fines against landowners in Kona who had been using their houses in the Conservation District as vacation rentals. The board fined Sheri Parish-Hamilton, who owns a beachfront … Continued
Last November, Wailuku Water Company (WWC) president Avery Chumbley told the Commission on Water Resource Management that his company doesn’t have enough money to make the kinds of improvements needed to better control the water flowing through the irrigation system he operates. … Continued