Editorial
<b.Hawai’i Can’t Afford Cuts to the DLNR’s Budget There’s no money.” It’s an excuse as old as the hills and as common as it is ancient. But when it comes to managing Hawai’i’s precious natural resources – its irreplaceable and … Continued
The DLNR's Response to Questions on its Budget
When Environment Hawai’i sought comment from DLNR administrator Peter Young on the budget cuts suffered by his department, we were asked to submit questions in writing to the DLNR’s public information officer, Debbie Ward. Here are the questions we asked … Continued
Emma's Column
On Returning to My Islands There is an awakening moment, every once in a while, when I am staring up into a tree and then suddenly notice all the fruit hidden among the leaves. Every time I come back to … Continued
Federal Case in Honolulu Casts Light On Traffic in Endangered Species
A Honolulu man charged with violating federal and international laws barring trade in endangered species is scheduled to stand trial in U.S. District Court in Honolulu later this month. The case, says Leslie Osborne, the assistant U.S. attorney handling it, … Continued
Pig Deaths Quench Hopes to Employ Helicopters to Spread Rat Bait in Forests
August 28, 2003: The day Tonnie Casey had awaited for years was at hand. Finally, she was going to supervise the helicopter drop of tons of pellets containing rat poison across hundreds of acres of land at Keauhou Ranch, near … Continued
What Went Wrong?
Although the state Department of Agri-culture had not released its investigation of the Keauhou Ranch experiment involving the aerial broadcast of rat poison, documents obtained by Environment Hawai’i reveal a series of missteps, if not out-and-out regulatory violations, that culminated … Continued
Natural Areas Commission Rejects Plan For Kayak Concession at 'Ahihi-Kina'u
In a rebuke to the administration of Governor Linda Lingle, the Natural Area Reserve System Commission rejected a proposal to allow a kayak concession in the very first unit of the system – ‘Ahihi-Kina’u, on the South Maui coast. The … Continued
Hawai'i's Forest Birds: Is Recovery Possible? FWS Biologists Discuss the Prospects
“When I first arrived in Kona,” wrote R.C.L. Perkins at the turn of the 20th century, “the Great ‘Ohi’a trees, at an elevation of 2,500 feet, were a mass of bloom and each of them was literally alive with hordes … Continued
DHHL Forest Restoration Plan Starts with Logging on Mauna Kea
High on the eastern slope of Mauna Kea, blustery trades clear the air of the lingering mists rising from the earth, freshly quenched by a late January storm. The sea of kikuyu grass is unbroken but for the occasional koa … Continued
Editorial: To Save Endangered Birds, State Must Shift Course
The ostrich is not native to Hawai’i, but it has taken a firm foothold here, in the ranks of the state bureaucrats charged with managing the recovery of the islands’ dwindling numbers of endangered forest birds. That’s the only possible … Continued