Emma's Column
To Save Hawai’i, Study Hawai’i “I go out in nature a lot. I love Waipi`o and the mountain,” a Hilo High School freshman named Jessica says. Her friend Miki agrees. “We go camping and I love the ocean. Something just … Continued
Ocean Carbon Experiment Is Put on Hold: Setback for Science, or Win for Environment?
If all had gone according to plan, the $5 million Carbon Dioxide Ocean Sequestration Field Experiment would be history by now – or at least on its way there. Instead, the researchers proposing it have been sent back to the … Continued
Verts and Inverts and Vascular Plants: Biology Conference in Hilo Had It All
For three hot and sticky days bridging the months of July and August, the collective knowledge of more than a thousand of the world’s foremost experts in conservation biology was focused in the meeting rooms and conference halls of the … Continued
Draft Water Plan Projects Major Shortages
In the year 2018, Hawai`i’s water sources will meet only 57 percent of state project demands, according to a draft plan recently presented to the Water Commission. The most desperate island by 2018 will be Maui, where projects will be … Continued
Floating Plastic Debris Poses Threat To Albatross Chicks in North Pacific
How much plastic can an albatross chick swallow? The answer: An absolutely staggering amount. The volume of plastic that can be found in the carcasses of chicks would choke the proverbial horse. And the size of the items the chicks … Continued
Letter from Kaua`i
When Turtles Are in Trouble, Who Do You Call? A few months ago I was walking my two dogs at Kealia Beach, a long stretch of sand on Kaua`i’s east side, just north of Kapa`a. It’s a beautiful beach, serving … Continued
Hook on Midway Tells A Tale
Almost all Hawai`i longline vessels use monofilament line when they fish. This is a clear plastic line, all but invisible in the water. When I spied the thick stainless steel hook lashed onto about a foot of thin plastic-coated wire … Continued
Groups Push Closure of Lobster Fishery To Promote Recovery of Monk Seals
Lobsters in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are in trouble. And, as the lobsters go, so go the monk seals. This reasoning is at the heart of a recent lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service brought by three environmental groups … Continued
What the Legislature Didn't Do: Environmental Bills That Died
These are a handful of bills that, for better or worse, would have affected Hawai`i’s environment but which did make it to crossover. Crossover occurs when bills that have passed one chamber are sent to the other for consideration. In … Continued