For a few years, questions about the impacts of climate change were hypothetical. Supposing the predictions are true, what then? After a while, the nature of the questions shifted: What can be done now to mitigate the effects of climate … Continued
Buildup in Guam, Cuts in Inspections Increase Brown Tree Snake Risk Here “About a dozen species of native forest birds were present and in stable populations” when the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) arrived in Guam in the late 1940s, … Continued
Getting species added to the state’s noxious species list isn’t easy. Any proposed plant must meet five criteria to be designated. For species that are already in Hawai`i, designation helps to provide the legal authority to control them, including a … 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
“We’re plunking millions into these programs. Do we really know where we are?” asked Sharon Moriwaki, co-chair of the University of Hawai`i’s Energy Policy Forum and moderator of last month’s Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit panel on measuring and reporting … Continued