Board Talk
Use of Monk Seal Bait Sparks Debate Over Permit to Cull Sharks in NWHI “There’s a big difference between taking an action to kill versus using the flesh of an animal already dead,” said at-large Board of Land and Natural … Continued
Judge Invalidates Permit for Subdivision Planned for `Ohi`a Forest in South Kona
An old-growth `ohi`a forest in South Kona has been spared the developer’s ax – for now, at least. Judge Ronald Ibarra of the 3rd Circuit Court has determined that the County of Hawai`i planning director, Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, and the … Continued
All About Albizia (Falcataria moluccana)
Some questions and answers about albizia in Hawai`i. What is albizia’s native range? It is native to the Moluccas, New Guinea, New Britain, and the Solomon Islands. When did it arrive in Hawai`i? It was brought to the islands in 1917 by … Continued
Board Talk
DLNR Proposes Strict Size, Bag Limits On Fish Catches Around Maui, Lana`i On June 12, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved a request by the state Division of Aquatic Resources to hold public hearings on some rather … Continued
Author Robert Cabin Responds to 'Restoring Paradise' Review
I appreciated Patricia Tummons reviewing my book Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawai`i in the July issue of Environment Hawai`i, but was surprised by her strong negative reaction to this and my previous book, Intelligent Tinkering. I also found her overall hostility ironic, because … Continued
Fire Dangers Increase Exponentially with Just a Small Rise in Temperature
“I don’t mean to scare anybody,” Andrew Pierce said after he had probably done exactly that. Pierce’s new research, which he shared at July’s Hawai`i Conservation Conference in Waikiki, suggests that climate change has resulted in fires now that can … Continued
Conservation Scientists Gather in Hilo for 25th Annual Vitousek Meeting
There are no plenary sessions, registration fees, special badges or fancy luncheons. No logo-imprinted coffee mugs – not even a logo, for that matter. But for the last 25 years, the summer meetings organized by Stanford University professor Peter Vitousek … Continued
Board Talk
Land Board Fines Another Maui Kayak Tour Company Paul Noble offered every argument he could to justify his kayak tour company’s use of the state’s Olowalu Beach Reserve on Maui: Some nameless Department of Land and Natural Resources employee on … Continued
Board Talk: Second Kahuku Wind Farm Gets Approval
On December 13, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the general form of a development agreement for a wind farm that Na Pua Makani Power Partners, LLC, plans to construct on 232 acres of agricultural land in … Continued
Biofuel Industry on Big Island Fails to Follow Through on Big Plans of 2008
Five years ago, state land on the Big Island experienced the biofuel equivalent of a gold rush. Bioprospectors – folks wanting to make a fortune from crops that could be used as feedstock in a variety of biofuel products – … Continued