A dream, or a nightmare? A visionary solution to Hawai`i’s growing problems of rubbish and oil dependency? Or a pie-in-the-sky proposal, completely untethered from reality? Those were among the conflicting views of a proposal that recently came before the board … Continued
Opponents of the planned introduction of a biocontrol agent for strawberry guava have raised several arguments. Here are the top concerns, along with the responses from scientists with the Forest Service, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and others: • The … Continued
Controversy Flares Over Proposal to Control Waiawi with Scale Insect The proposed release of a scale insect to control strawberry guava, or waiawi (Psidium cattleianum), has sparked an outcry of opposition among some sectors of the public. Yet, although the … Continued
<b>Old `Ohi`a:</b> Pat Hart thinks he may have found the oldest broadleaf trees in the Northern Hemisphere – right in his back yard. More than a decade ago, Hart, a professor of biology at the University of Hawai`i – Hilo, … Continued
Nature Conservancy Withdraws from Honouliuli The Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i has decided to refocus its management efforts on intact native habitats. And because its 3,600-acre Honouliuli preserve contains a mix of native and non-native habitat, TNCH asked the state Department … Continued
No Permits for Vacation Rentals in Conservation District To young Leah Suesen, the thought of her hometown becoming a “horizontal hotel” scares her. Suesen, one of more than 100 Ha`ena residents opposed to the proliferation of vacation rentals there, asked … Continued
Imperium Renewables, LLC, a company based in Washington state, has been granted a 35-year lease at O`ahu’s Kalaeloa Harbor, where it plans to produce some 100 million gallons of biodiesel each year. Once it completes its processing facility in 2009, … Continued
1. Ranking of residents of Hawai`i among all U.S. states in per-capita emissions of carbon dioxide in 2003: 32nd 2. Per-capita annual carbon dioxide emissions for Hawai`i for that same year: 17.78 tons 3. Ranking of Hawai`i in 2003 among … Continued
In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, Hawai`i has looked to a wide range of renewable energy sources, including geothermal, wind power, solar generating systems and solar water-heaters, hydroelectric power, wave energy, ocean thermal energy conversion, biofuels (ethanol and … Continued
Kona Conservation: On June 6, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that it had accepted a $1.968 million dollar grant from the U.S. Forest Legacy Program to help complete the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement over … Continued