Protecting and Preserving Maui Nui’s Environment & Important Cultural Sites for Over 40 Years

WHERE HAVE HAWAII’S FISH GONE?

By Rene Umberger This article was originally featured in the Sierra Club Newsletter of September 2009 Increasingly snorkelers and divers in Hawaii are asking “Where have all the fish gone?” Reef fish decline can be attributed to several factors, however none weigh so heavily as the losses due to extraction, including collecting reef animals for the home tanks of hobby aquarists. According to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, “Severe overfishing for the aquarium trade … Read more

Letter Opposing Open Ocean Aquaculture Signed by 10 Scientists

August 3, 2009 Secretary Gary Locke U. S. Department of Commerce 14th Street and Constitution Ave. N. W. Washington, DC 20230 Delivered via e-mail to Jess Beck, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS at Jess.Beck@noaa.gov; and posted electronically to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov Re: Proposed Rule 0648-AS65: Fishery Management Plan for Regulating Offshore Marine Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico Dear Secretary Locke: Thank you for the opportunity to provide a scientific perspective on the environmental risks … Read more

Honokowai Restoration Project

The& Honokowai Cultural Overlay stabilization project is a component of Ka`anapali 2020, which includes restoration and preservation of an ancient farming archeological site, as well as a Multi-Cultural Center. The project is supported by businesses, organizations and the people of Maui. Steady progress is being made at the work site. In October 2002, the Hawaii State Archaeological Society, with more than 20 archaeologists, inspected the project. They all felt Honokowai sites were among the best … Read more

Superferry

The Hawai`i Superferry presents a classic case of how not to do business in Hawai`i. Superferry’s lack of planning and violation of the Hawaii Environmental Protection Act has created a public debacle, inconvenienced their customers, and put Hawaii’s environment at risk. Three years ago the Sierra Club, Maui Tomorrow, and Kahului Harbor Coalition asked the Hawai`i Superferry and the Lingle Administration to complete an environmental review of the Superferry. Unknown environmental risks, concerned neighbor island … Read more

Ma’alaea

BACKGROUND After 3 (’55, ’59 & ’79) attempts to create a safe harbor at Ma`alaea, the Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a plan for construction of a 620 ft breakwater, and blasting of a new channel. The plan is a relic of 1960’s planning and holds losses for nearly every group of harbor users, surrounding residences and businesses. Since the Army Corps plan is based on models, there is no guarantee that their $10 … Read more

Huaka‘i Kaho‘olawe Day 4

By Neola Caveny

For the last time, the sound of the pū wakes us, and we scramble to pack sleeping bags and night clothes, leaving us in bathing suits and wetsuits in the pre-dawn chill. There’s a fire built on the beach, and some of us huddle around it – not so much for the physical warmth as for the sense of companionship with people with whom we have formed a bond, however temporary. Sitting on a log, I talk with Kukui, from Wai‘anae, O‘ahu, about taro lo’i restoration projects there, and how that relates to similar projects on Maui. Why haven’t we talked before? Oh well – next time.

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Huaka‘i Kaho‘olawe Day 3

By Neola Caveny Another incredibly refreshing sleep. Either the air mattress I insisted on bringing (after all, we’re not backpacking here) or the Advil I was advised to take by our trip physician (mahalo, Dr. Karen) are working, or it might just be the mana of Kaho’olawe. I walk out to the beach alone to see the sunrise (it managed to make it on its own that day), and am greeted with a “WHHOOMPH” sound … Read more