Ed Freitas didn’t know what hit him. In October 1997, he recalls, he saw the trucks and bulldozers pull onto the private road leading to his home in Nienie, just west of Honoka`a on the Big Island, and watched, aghast, … Continued
The Kaua`i population of `A`o, or Newell’s shearwaters (Puffinus auricularis newelli) is in a free-fall. Over the last seven years, numbers of the bird have declined 60 percent overall, with average annual declines of some 14 percent. The Newell’s shearwater, … Continued
The recent discovery of two Asian Longhorned Beetles (ALB) in packing material for a slate shipment illustrates how vulnerable Hawai`i is to the effects of travel and trade. If the bullet-shaped beetle were to ever become established here, Hawai`i’s native … Continued
Kaua`i Stairs to Shore Are Allowed to Remain Last year, Steven Cohen of New York built a stairway leading from his property in Kilauea, Kaua`i, across his neighbor’s property, down a rocky cliff, to Kaupea Beach, also known as Secret … Continued
The Transforming Power of Environmental Education In March, I talked about the feelings, views, and beliefs of the Hilo High School Paradise Pursuits team. Paradise Pursuits is a quiz show, sponsored by the Hawai`i Audubon Society, where high school students … Continued
Elmer Cravalho, former mayor of Maui whose administration was often beset by controversy, is the new chairman of the Maui Board of Water Supply. And if the first meeting of his tenure in that office is any indication, controversy may … Continued
40 Years after Tests of Agent Orange, UH Removes Dioxin Wastes from Kaua`i The legacy of Vietnam continues to haunt Hawai`i. Last month on Kaua`i, more than two dozen barrels of dioxin-contaminated material were hauled from the University of Hawai`i … Continued
Daniel Medeiros, a maintenance worker-turned teacher at Ka`ala Farm, steps gently over rocks and around the trees that cover the ancient Hawaiian sites tucked within Wai`anae Valley. He sometimes tours the area with the fourth-grade children who come to the … Continued
The Department of Land and Natural Resources has come under fire lately for its issuance of shoreline certifications to developers despite ongoing appeals. Under state law, most development along the coast requires, as a condition of its permit, a state-approved, … Continued
State Already Does Enough To Ensure Food In your December 1999 editorial, “State Must Do More to Make Food Safe”, you alleged that Department of Health understated the risks of eating cucumbers contaminated with heptachlor expoxide (HE), claiming that the … Continued