{"id":16049,"date":"2024-07-09T11:39:46","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T21:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.environment-hawaii.org\/?p=16049"},"modified":"2024-07-09T15:16:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T01:16:21","slug":"new-noteworthy-mosquito-control-lahaina-permit-and-affordable-housing-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/?p=16049","title":{"rendered":"New & Noteworthy: Mosquito Control, Lahaina Permit And Affordable Housing Trial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kaua\u02bbi Mosquito Control: <\/strong>In a desperate effort to stave off the extinction of Kaua\u02bbi forest birds, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources\u2019 Division of Forestry and Wildlife is resorting to aerial spraying of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis<\/em> (Bti) as a means of killing mosquito larvae. The mosquitos are vectors of disease that have reduced endangered bird populations to critical levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a presentation last month to the Board of Land and Natural Resources, DOFAW explained that Bti targets specifically mosquito larvae and poses no threat to non-target species. DOFAW is also set to release Wohlbachia<\/em>-infected male mosquitos on Kaua\u02bbi as another means of controlling mosquitos, but that is not scheduled to start until next January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lahaina Permit:<\/strong> N\u0101 \u02bbAik\u0101ne o Maui, Inc. \u2013 the same group involved in efforts to protect stream rights described elsewhere in the cover story of this issue \u2013 has received an after-the-fact revocable permit from the state Board of Land and Natural Resources for the land where its museum and cultural resource center stood before it was destroyed in the Lahaina fire last August. On June 28, the BLNR also voted to change the rent from $40 per month to free. The permit’s expiration date was set for August 9, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the permit, the group is eligible to receive relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for personal property lost in the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Department of Land and Natural Resources communication specialist Patti Jette, “DLNR\u2019s understanding is that FEMA will conduct debris removal at federal expense and not provide funds to NAOMI for such activity. Additionally, any discussion about funding for future buildings on the property is premature because NAOMI does not have a lease from the State for future use of the land. The Board would need to approve any request for such a lease at a public meeting.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(This article, which was based on an incorrect DLNR press release, has been corrected to reflect the actual purpose of the permit.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The \u02bbauwai that runs along the Lahaina museum sitei. Credit: DLNR<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Trial Delay: <\/strong>The trial of the three men accused of defrauding Hawai\u02bbi County in a scheme involving the sale of affordable housing credits has been postponed again to next May. It had been set for September 2024, but on June 28, Judge Jill Otake agreed to yet another delay in the trial of two lawyers \u2013 Gary Zamber and Paul Sulla Jr. \u2013 and Rajesh Budhabhatti. The three were involved in setting up businesses with Alan Rudo that exploited Rudo\u2019s position in the county Office of Housing and Community Development. Rudo pleaded guilty in June 2022. His sentencing will probably not happen until after he testifies in the trial of the other three involved \u2013 all of whom have pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kauaʻi Mosquito Control: In a desperate effort to stave off the extinction of Kauaʻi forest birds, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife is resorting to aerial spraying of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) as … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[526],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-16049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-july-2024","tag-patricia-tummons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}