May 2015 PDF
May 2015
New & Noteworthy: Biosecurity, Kilauea Ag Park
Navy Plans for Biosecurity: A Regional Biosecurity Plan for Micronesia – broadly defined to include every island state from Hawai`i in the northeast to Micronesia in the southwest – has been released by the U.S. Navy and cooperating agencies. The … Continued
After Crackdown at Kealakekua Bay, Kayak Vendors Launch from Kahauloa
A real-life game of Whack-a-Mole is being played out in and around Kealakekua Bay, on the Kona Coast of the Big Island. Two years ago, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources strictly limited the number of kayak companies … Continued
Board Talk: Ka Iwi, Sand Island Off-Road Park, Pupukea Reserve
Land Board Grants $1M to Save Ka Iwi Land From Development On April 10, despite its staff’s recommendation to deny, the Board of Land and Natural Resources unanimously approved the release of $1 million for Livable Hawai`i Kai Hui’s purchase of … Continued
Hawaiian Farmers, Cultural Practitioners Demand Environmental Review for East Maui Water Diversion
Have Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., and its subsidiary, East Maui Irrigation Co., Ltd., been illegally diverting more than a hundred million gallons of water a day from East Maui streams? Last month, on behalf of East Maui residents Healoha Carmichael … Continued
Board of Agriculture Approves Draft Rule To Block Import of `Ohi`a Rust Carriers
At long last, the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture has moved toward a quarantine rule that is intended to reduce the likelihood that new strains of the `ohi`a rust, Puccinia psidii, are introduced to Hawai`i. “The board has determined that there … Continued
Plan to Protect Rare False Killer Whales Is Scrutinized After Serious Injuries Spike
Last year, the Hawai`i deep-set longline fleet interacted with more Hawaiian false killer whales than it had in more than a decade and most of those interactions resulted in serious injuries, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. This happened … Continued
New & Noteworthy: GEMS, Albizia
GEMS Update: The Green Energy Market Securitization program, which was the subject of several articles in the March issue of Environment Hawai`i, has signed up with Pacific Rim Bank as the provider of GEMS-backed loans. At its February 26 meeting, … Continued
Stock Assessment Confirms Overfishing of Parrotfish in the Main Hawaiian Islands
There’s an 89 percent chance that commercial fishermen in the Main Hawaiian Islands are catching uhu, commonly known as parrotfish, at an unsustainable rate. That’s according to Cassandra Pardee, a Hawai`i Pacific University graduate student who has recently completed a … Continued
DLNR Rules Linger in Governor’s Office
It’s not uncommon for the governor to sit on controversial rules approved by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources until all or most of the kinks are worked out. Former Gov. Neil Abercrombie took months to sign rules … Continued