September 2013 PDF
September 2013
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
Annual Damages from Little Fire Ant Could Be $170 Million on Big Island Alone
If efforts to control the little fire ant (LFA) on Hawai`i stay as they are, the island could see damages of nearly $170 million a year, as well as 33 million sting incidents a year. That’s according to University of … Continued
Hawai`i Is Becoming a Different Place 'Very Quickly,' Threatening Conservation Work
Jeff Burgett is the science coordinator of the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative. At the Hilo meeting organized by Peter Vitousek of Stanford University to discuss research into Hawai`i ecosystems, Burgett spoke direly of changes to come. “Conservation is founded … 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
New & Noteworthy
Monk Seals Are Not Pigs: Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered, with only about 1,100 remaining in the wild, 140 of which live in the main Hawaiian islands. While federal resource managers are trying to grow those numbers, fishermen have begun … Continued
Kaua'i Drag Strip, Invasive Species Council Are Matched in Legislative Appropriations
The Hawai`i Invasive Species Council recently announced that it would be awarding $2.5 million in grants to address problems associated with plants and animals that pose serious threats to the state’s economic and environmental health. That is a far cry … Continued
Board Talk
Land Board Finds Three Kayak Vendors Guilty of Illegal Use of Maui Beaches After years of lax enforcement, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Land Division has begun cracking down on commercial tour companies on Maui that use … Continued