ʻAina Leʻa Is on the Verge of Losing Land Designated for Affordable Housing
Above photo: These affordable units built by ‘Aina Le’a more than a decade ago are still not ready for sale. What’s been happening recently with ʻAina Leʻa, the development that has been proposed for around 1,000 acres across Queen Kaʻahumanu … Continued
New & Noteworthy: Birds, Red Hill Inquiry, and a Clarification
Poems and Pinions: One of the heaviest, most serious tomes in any reputable library of a Hawaiʻi conservation biologist is Alien Plant Invasions in Native Ecosystems of Hawaiʻi, edited by Charles Stone, Cliff Smith, and Tim Tunison. And now that … Continued
Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference Part 2: Aerial Control of Invasives
Aerial Spraying Could Extinguish Little Fire Ant Infestations on Maui “They’re miserable little things that we need to get rid of,” Brooke Mahnken of the Maui Invasive Species Committee said, referring to the little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata), which first … Continued
Water Roundup: Waihe‘e ‘Auwai Restoration, East Maui Flow Standards, and More
Commission Gives Hui Permit to Rebuild Waiheʻe ʻAuwai Destroyed by 2018 Flood On February 18, 2018, a massive flood ripped away a 500-year-old ʻawuai that fed dozens of acres of loʻi kalo in North Waiheʻe in Central Maui. Although hundreds … Continued
5 Maui Nui NAR Proposals Advance, As Commission Reflects on its Purpose
Above photo: Nakula Natural Area Reserve. Credit: DLNR After nearly two years without a meeting, the state Natural Area Reserves System Commission finally met on August 18. Over the course of four hours, the members voted on five proposals – … Continued
Three Arraigned in Federal Court In Hawaiʻi County Housing Fraud Case
On August 11, three individuals facing fraud charges stemming from schemes perpetrated on the Hawaiʻi County Office of Housing and Community Development were arraigned in federal court. All three – Rajesh Budhabhatti, Gary Zamber, and Paul Sulla – pleaded not … Continued
Energy Lab Balks at Permit Conditions Aimed at Conserving Water in Keauhou
On August 16, the Commission on Water Resource Management finally approved a permit for the construction of a well to serve the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority (NELHA) in Keahole and the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation’s (HHFDC) … Continued
New & Noteworthy: Kihei High, Seawall Settlement
Kihei High: How will students at the new Kihei High School – now named Kulanihakoʻi – cross Piʻilani Highway to get to the campus? Until last year, the Department of Education maintained that it did not need to comply with … Continued