Black-footed Albatross Not Endangered: That’s the final determination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in response to a petition to list the species Phoebastria nigripes as endangered. The petition was filed seven years ago by Turtle Island Restoration Network … Continued
The Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative has lost its “priority position” to generate hydropower using irrigation systems and land in west Kaua`i managed by the state Agribusiness Development Corporation. Last month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order dismissing the … Continued
Some of them leak like sieves, losing (or wasting, some might say) millions of gallons a day of diverted stream water into the ground. But achieving greater food security without the 130 or so earthen reservoirs throughout the state would, … Continued
The National Park Service is worried about water. More specifically, it fears that the underground flows that feed the fishponds and anchialine pools at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park will be interrupted or polluted if areas mauka of the park are … Continued
Riviera Resort Redux: Remember Charles Chidiac’s failed efforts to build a resort in one of the remotest areas of the state? It did not end well, with more than 16,000 acres near South Point, on the Big Island, being turned … Continued
The cost to operate a stream gage is roughly $22,500 a year. The potential cost, in lives and property, of not operating it is incalculable. So, when the U.S. Geological Survey announced recently that it would be ceasing operations of … Continued
In April 2005, the owner of a nursery in Waimanalo noticed a fungus he did not recognize on an `ohi`a. A month later, a rose apple tree above Maunawili was heavily infested with a similar rust. Within six months, the … Continued
Na Moku `Aupuni o Ko`olau Hui’s decade-long fight to get more water released into East Maui streams has hit a snag. On September 15, the Hawai`i Intermediate Court of Appeals affirmed its August 31 decision to dismiss Na Moku’s appeal … Continued
Jawmin, the company logging sandalwood from former Hokukano Ranch land in Kona, is emerging from its year-long bankruptcy. On August 12, Bankruptcy Judge Robert Faris granted Jawmin’s motion to close the case after Jawmin arranged for a third-party loan to … Continued
Army Wins Permission to Train Pilots on Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa In a 4-2 decision, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved a right-of-entry permit to allow the U.S. Army to conduct high-altitude helicopter training on Mauna Kea … Continued