What an accomplishment for lobbyist Jon Okudara. He managed in the late 1980s to become executive director of a state-created and -funded committee that spent about $833,000 in the 1990s, ostensibly on efforts to address the agriculture industry’s fruit fly … Continued
The state Department of Health is concerned that Maui County’s landfill plans don’t meet with accepted design standards or federal regulations. And because of that, the DOH has been holding up the opening of Phase IV of Maui’s Pu`unene landfill … Continued
Thomas Manby, master’s mate to Captain George Vancouver on the Discovery, described the reaction of Kamehameha to the longhorn cattle Vancouver had brought with him and which he presented to the king in February 1793: The cattle greatly delighted him, … Continued
Honda Magnate Bulldozes Kaua`i Bluff, Causing Mud to Blanket Pila`a Bay Pila`a Bay on the wild and rugged North Shore of Kaua`i was known for its crystal clear water and abundance of limu. It was also a major source of … Continued
In 1905, the government of Hawai`i began the process of setting aside forested areas of the islands as reserves, to be protected for their watershed value. By that time, hundreds of thousands of acres of the islands’ forests had already … Continued
After more than a century of abuse by cattle ranching, Kahikinui, meaning “the great rising,” is on an upswing. Although still isolated, rugged, and dry, the land there managed by the state Department for Hawaiian Home Lands has for the … Continued
This summer’s meeting in Hilo of the Society of Conservation Biology focused on island ecosystems. Not surprisingly, many of the sessions addressed issues with a strong local angle. This is our third and final report on highlights of the conference: … Continued
With the right set of ears, you could dive in the ocean and hear a full symphony of sounds: The chirps and moans of whales, the growls and grunts of seals, the background din of wind and waves, the far-reaching … Continued
Since taking over management of Midway Atoll in 1996, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been attempting to rid the island of the last vestiges of waste from years of commercial, military, and industrial use. Apart from scientific research, … Continued
July 7 marked the opening of the 2001 hunting season for big game – pigs, sheep, and goats – at three areas in the ahupua`a of Pu`uwa`awa`a on the island of Hawai`i. The presence of these ungulates, along with the … Continued