Emma' Column
When A Day at the Beach Turns Nasty The Hawaiian rain slips through the soil, drips from the lush green leaves and flushes the earth clean. A big rain makes torrents of water rush through numerous streams, brown and foamy … Continued
As Fossil Fuels Go Up In Smoke, State Looks For New Energy Sources
In Hawai`i, per capita consumption of petroleum is among the lowest in the United States. Hawai`i residents use half of what Texas residents use, and a quarter of what Alaskans use, says petroleum engineer Jack Zagar, the first of several … Continued
Editorial: On the Occasion of Completing 10 Years, a Reflection
Environment Hawai`i has completed ten years of publication. With this issue, we embark on our second decade. It is an achievement in which we take some measure of pride. The newsletter has consistently given its readers reports that are neither … Continued
What Maui County and A&B Have Agreed On
The recently approved memorandum of understanding between the Maui County Board of Water Supply (BWS) and Alexander & Baldwin calls for the two parties to arrive at several additional agreements relating to specific areas covered in the memorandum of understanding. … Continued
Letter From Kaua`i
Deep in the Alaka’i, Native Birds Slowly Yield Secrets to Scientists Kaua’i is often touted as the last great hope for some of Hawai’i’s imperiled birds. Its rain forests are relatively healthy and intact, it’s not yet heavily developed and … Continued
The 2000 Legislature and the Environment: Missed Opportunities
Lobbying the Hawai`i State legislature is a lot like playing chess. The difference, however, is that your pieces all have their own distinct personalities and you never know when they’re going to switch sides. And when you are lobbying on … Continued
Natural Area Commission Votes to Keep Pu`u Maka`ala NAR Boundaries Intact
On June 2, at its first meeting of the year, the state Natural Area Reserves (NAR) Commission voted against cutting 4,000 acres from the Pu`u Maka`ala NAR on the Big Island. The only dissenter was the member appointed to represent … Continued
The Hoof Beat
State Limits Hunting in Bird Sanctuary: Why? The Pu`uwa`awa`a Forest Bird Sanctuary on the island of Hawai`i is crawling with feral sheep, goats, and pigs. For that matter, the entire upper portion of the ahupua`a is alive with the animals, … Continued
Waipi`o Community Seeks to End Kamehameha Schools' Waste of Water
Now that sugar is dead, the the Big Island’s Waipi`o Valley community wants water diverted by the sugar industry more than a decade ago returned to their streams, which serve as habitat for the endemic `o`opu (fish), `opae (shrimp), and … Continued
Emma's Column: From Desolation to Forest
For the final project in the school year for the Hilo High School club Jr. Greenpeace, we decided to undertake one of the most rewarding activities: planting trees. So, once again, we all boarded a car heading along the winding … Continued