Whale Day 2020!

The Sierra Club hosted a booth at Whale Day on Feb 8th at Kalama Park in the “Eco-Alley” section of this annual event.  It was a huge success with many participants asking for more information on climate change, water rights issues, agriculture, cultural preservation and much more!  We had an “Eco-stamp bracelet” activity and a Volcanoes National Park coloring activity as well as information on our native endangered Hoary Bat for the keiki to enjoy.  We even enlisted new volunteers … Read more

Sierra Club Benefit Night at Maui Ocean Center

  Thank you to Tapani Vuori, Flip Nicklin, and those who join us for a fantastic “Sierra Club Benefit Night” at the Maui Ocean Center Sphere! We learned, we laughed, and we were inspired by all that was shared of the many years of whale research, underwater photography, and video footage captured by award winning National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin. You can learn more of the latest research at the upcoming 14th Annual Whale Tales Event hosted by Whale Trust.

Supreme Court Oral Hearings in Lahaina Injection Wells Case November 6, 2019

This is the Supreme Court justices (in black) questioning Mayor Victorino’s lawyers (in red), slightly condensed. Coral reef image courtesy of Caitlin Maratea, owner of Banyan Tree Divers in Lahaina. Elbert Lin Your Honor, I think if it still goes through the groundwater, the — the question under the statute is what is the — what is the conveyance, what is the thing that carries and delivers the pollutants. I think even if it’s forcefully … Read more

West Maui Reefs Horribly Degraded

These underwater pictures from the reef off of Kahekili Beach Park show the extent of the damage suffered in the last several years. Runoff, global warming and El Nino events have added to the attack on this precious and irreplaceable resource, but a significant contributor is the release of treated wastewater high in nitrogen and phosphorous through the Lahaina injection wells. These “nutrients” stimulate the growth of algae that smother the corals. Despite the scientific … Read more

Maui County Council petitioned to settle Lahaina injection wells case

August 28, 2019 #injectionwells #maui #petition A petition with 15,962 names was handed over to Maui County Council Chair Kelly King this morning, asking the County to settle the Lahaina injection wells case rather than pursue it to the Supreme Court, and to invest in eliminating ocean pollution instead of continued litigation. A large banner had a small photo taken in the waters off Kahekili Beach Park (where treated wastewater is released) for each of … Read more