Can Genetic Engineering Save the ‘I‘iwi? Scientists in Volcano Weigh the Odds
Temperatures are rising. And as they soar, so, too, do the mosquitoes that carry the parasite that causes avian malaria, fatal to so many of the native Hawaiian forest birds. For years, scientists and biologists concerned with the health of … Continued
Appellate Court Overturns Award Of Damages to Bridge ‘Aina Le‘a
Chalk one up for the state. A big one. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has shredded the takings claims of Bridge ‘Aina Le‘a, LLC, over the state Land Use Commission’s decision in 2011 to … Continued
Hawai‘i County Asks LUC to Declare That Farm Dwellings Can’t be Vacation Rentals
Last month, Hawai‘i County asked the state Land Use Commission (LUC) to rule that transient vacation rentals aren’t allowed in farm dwellings within the state Agricultural District. In November 2018, the county adopted Bill 108, which regulates short-term vacation rentals on … Continued
BOARD TALK: Land Board Fines Two More Owners For Illegal Vacation Rentals in Kona
At its February 14 meeting, the Board of Land and Natural Resources continued to levy fines against landowners in Kona who had been using their houses in the Conservation District as vacation rentals. The board fined Sheri Parish-Hamilton, who owns a beachfront … Continued
Owner of Wailuku Ditch System Fights Fine for Dumping Water into Dry Gulch
Last November, Wailuku Water Company (WWC) president Avery Chumbley told the Commission on Water Resource Management that his company doesn’t have enough money to make the kinds of improvements needed to better control the water flowing through the irrigation system he operates. … Continued
Bills Seek to Secure Water Resources Via Transfers of Lands, Irrigation Ditches
For years, Wailuku Water Company (WWC) has been trying to get Maui County to take over its irrigation system. Maui mayors have repeatedly included in their proposed budgets $9.5 million to purchase the company’s lands and infrastructure, but the County … Continued
New & Noteworthy: ‘Ohi‘a Rust Rule, Pepe‘ekeo Point, Corrections
Delay in ‘Ohi‘a Rust Rule: Last August, after many years of delay, the state Department of Agriculture finally approved rules to ban the importation of plants in the Myrtaceae family from other states, in hopes of protecting ohi‘a from a devastating rust. … Continued