The Lihu`e Basin is the source of drinking water for more than half of Kaua`i’s population of 58,000. But according to a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey, the basin has experienced sharp declines in water levels and well … Continued
Like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the brain, the 2006 Hawai`i Conservation Conference offered more than anyone could possibly take in. Our articles discuss at length several of the topics served up. Here are a few of the more interesting side … Continued
“It’s a baby step that should have been taken a long time ago,” Water Commissioner Lawrence Miike said about his agency’s renewed effort to document and verify all stream diversions in the state. In 2005, the Legislature gave the Commission … Continued
Is Lenny Freed a prophet without honor in his own land when he warns of doom for the Hawai`i `akepa? Or is he the boy crying wolf? At the 2006 Hawai`i Conservation Conference, held in July at the Honolulu Convention … Continued
Frog Fungus Infects Coqui: In 2004, the state Department of Agriculture began to consider whether a fungus that was devastating frog populations across the globe might be useful as a biocontrol agent for the Puerto Rican tree frog, or coqui, … Continued
The Hawai`i Conservation Alliance held its annual conference in July, providing an embarrassment of riches to our two reporters in attendance. Here’s the second, and final, installment taken from our reporters’ notebooks. Avoiding Beach Loss: A century from now, people … Continued
Site Conditions, Budget Restraints Cause Koa Restoration to Fall Short “There are a lot of unknowns about restoring native forests that have been disturbed like this, that have been logged,” Division of Forestry and Wildlife administrator Paul Conry told the … Continued
If you managed your bank account like the Department of Land and Natural Resources manages its finances, you’d be lucky to escape a jail term. That’s the conclusion one is left with after reading an audit of the DLNR’s finances … Continued
“The devil is in the details.” If that cliché was uttered once at the September meeting of the Natural Area Reserves System Commission, it was uttered a dozen times as commissioners thrashed out the implications of having the U.S. Forest … Continued
Within the next month or so, Lawrence Miike, Water Commissioner and hearing officer in the Waiahole Ditch contested case, is expected to finalize his recommendations on the handful of issues that the state Supreme Court remanded to the Water Commission … Continued