When Environment Hawai’i sought comment from DLNR administrator Peter Young on the budget cuts suffered by his department, we were asked to submit questions in writing to the DLNR’s public information officer, Debbie Ward. Here are the questions we asked … Continued
On Returning to My Islands There is an awakening moment, every once in a while, when I am staring up into a tree and then suddenly notice all the fruit hidden among the leaves. Every time I come back to … Continued
A Honolulu man charged with violating federal and international laws barring trade in endangered species is scheduled to stand trial in U.S. District Court in Honolulu later this month. The case, says Leslie Osborne, the assistant U.S. attorney handling it, … Continued
August 28, 2003: The day Tonnie Casey had awaited for years was at hand. Finally, she was going to supervise the helicopter drop of tons of pellets containing rat poison across hundreds of acres of land at Keauhou Ranch, near … Continued
Although the state Department of Agri-culture had not released its investigation of the Keauhou Ranch experiment involving the aerial broadcast of rat poison, documents obtained by Environment Hawai’i reveal a series of missteps, if not out-and-out regulatory violations, that culminated … Continued
In a rebuke to the administration of Governor Linda Lingle, the Natural Area Reserve System Commission rejected a proposal to allow a kayak concession in the very first unit of the system – ‘Ahihi-Kina’u, on the South Maui coast. The … Continued
“When I first arrived in Kona,” wrote R.C.L. Perkins at the turn of the 20th century, “the Great ‘Ohi’a trees, at an elevation of 2,500 feet, were a mass of bloom and each of them was literally alive with hordes … Continued
High on the eastern slope of Mauna Kea, blustery trades clear the air of the lingering mists rising from the earth, freshly quenched by a late January storm. The sea of kikuyu grass is unbroken but for the occasional koa … Continued
The ostrich is not native to Hawai’i, but it has taken a firm foothold here, in the ranks of the state bureaucrats charged with managing the recovery of the islands’ dwindling numbers of endangered forest birds. That’s the only possible … Continued
DLNR to Revamp Commercial Use Rules After Getting an Earful from the Public A new permit system for surf schools, kayak renters and other commercial operations multiplying like bunnies along Hawai’i’s beaches is probably not going to be in place … Continued