tagged w/ Maui
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Ask Billy Blankenfeld, 72, about his childhood memories of Maunalua Bay, and he talks about a lush undersea world full of fish and crab.
"When I was young, the reefs were vibrant," said Blankenfeld, a fisherman who has lived along the bay his entire life.
Ask Buzzy Agard, 85, about his long-ago memories of O'ahu's shoreline, and he also speaks of an environment of abundance. The near-shore waters, he recalls, were thriving with a diversity of fish and corals.
Today, the picture is far different.
"It's just like you're on another planet," said Agard, who for several decades fished and dove the waters off O'ahu. "It's like the moon.
There's nothing there."
While the reefs around the main Hawaiian islands still are considered relatively healthy by some scientists, thanks mainly to the state's geographic isolation, conditions have declined substantially in recent decades. The degradation has been so dramatic in some spots off heavily developed sections of O'ahu and Maui that much of the coral has died and the fish stock is largely wiped out.
And scientists are predicting a continued, accelerating decline, mirroring what's happening globally, if major steps aren't taken to reverse the trend.
"The amount of damage already done on our coastal resources has been stunning," said Bob Richmond, a University of Hawai'i marine biologist.
Scientists blame mostly human behavior, stretching back decades, when scant attention was paid to protecting the environment and less was known about the harms being done. Years of overfishing, pollution, sediment runoff, the spread of invasive algae, recreational overuse and other people-related activities have taken a heavy toll on Hawai'i's reefs, though some scientists believe the impact has been overstated.
And the state government, the steward for Hawai'i's near-shore waters, has done a poor job of protecting such a vital natural resource, one that serves as the foundation for a marine ecosystem critical to the state's No. 1 tourism industry, critics say.
Decades of government inaction, underfunding and poor or piecemeal public policy have contributed to a steady deterioration of the reefs and related fisheries.
Part of the problem is that the state has to balance what the science calls for with the varied interests of its many ocean users.
Achieving that balance historically has been complicated by cultural factors, the importance of Hawai'i's fishing traditions and a relatively lax approach to marine enforcement.
Coral decline
"All is not lost, but we can't get complacent,"
said Alan Friedlander, a UH scientist with expertise in fisheries and corals. "Now is when we really need to press these issues. It's a lot easier to protect stuff than to fix stuff when it's broken."
Without effective regulatory oversight, fish have been taken from Hawai'i's near-shore waters at a pace not sustainable for healthy reefs. Too much sediment, pollutants and other reef-harming materials also have flowed into the ocean in many places, mainly because the Islands' natural, land-based filtering systems (such as wetlands) have been destroyed, altered or paved over.
Fast-growing invasive algae, often brought to Hawai'i by accident or design, likewise have established footholds in many spots, choking off and overtaking wide swaths of coral.
While some decline is attributed to natural causes, especially the periodic beatings the reefs take from hurricanes and powerful surf, the bulk of the destruction is traced to fallout from human behavior, many scientists say.
By some measures, the decline has been significant.
In one ongoing study of coral cover around the main Hawaiian islands, 19 of 27 sites that have been monitored for at least 10 years have experienced coral decreases, some exceeding 75 percent. At two sites in Maui's Honolua Bay, for instance, coral cover since 1974 has plunged nearly 80 percent.Ask Billy Blankenfeld, 72, about his childhood memories of Maunalua Bay, and he talks... more
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Kepano
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3 years ago
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A factory-built home that creators say is a model for being affordable and green will be on display by appointment in Wailuku beginning Monday.
Francesca Carey, president of FABMAC Homes, Affordable Housing Solutions, said the model home exceeds state and county building code requirements and has an Energy Star designation, indicating it is energy efficient.
"We see FABMAC Homes as one more tool in the effort to have quality-built, durable, energy-efficient affordable housing for Maui's local families," Carey said. "It is not designed to meet the needs of the entire housing market, but we see it as a real option for many who want a home they can afford to buy and that has been built to be energy efficient so that it is also affordable to keep."
This is without photovolatic cells, starting at $189,000 Fully Furnished? Energy Star Rated? Check out maybe in your neighborhood.A factory-built home that creators say is a model for being affordable and green will... more
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Kepano
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3 years ago
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A draft environmental impact statement lays out A&B Properties' plans to develop a $30 million water treatment plant in Wailuku that would draw 9 million gallons per day from Waihee Ditch and turn it into safe drinking water for Central and South Maui residents.
The additional supply of water would reduce the need to tap as much underground water from the Iao aquifer, which supplies most of the fresh water for the Central Maui system. And the water treatment plant would pave the way for more real estate development.
But the review of the proposed facility's environmental impacts comes as there's an ongoing dispute over the fate of the stream water being sought to supply the plant. The state Commission on Water Resource Management is considering a petition to set instream flow standards in Na Wai Eha, the four streams (Waihee, Waiehu, Iao and Waikapu) that flow out of the West Maui watershed. In 2003, the commission approved a petition to designate the surface waters as a state water management district. The designation requires all existing users to apply for permits to take water from the streams. Currently, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co., a subsidiary of A&B, uses West Maui ditch water to irrigate its sugar cane fields.A draft environmental impact statement lays out A&B Properties' plans to... more
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Kepano
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3 years ago
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Nestled along the beautiful mountains on the Valley Isle lies an effort by a world-class producer to keep that beauty in tact.
In this Earth and Sea Project report, KHNL/K5 News heads to Maui, where wonderful music is made with the environment in mind.
There are around 200 professional recording studios in Hawaii. The owner of Grace Recording Studio, Bob Plotnik says he has the only fully solar-powered one.
"I'd like to see more people getting into wind and solar, we're in a perfect place in the United States, we get the most sun, probabNestled along the beautiful mountains on the Valley Isle lies an effort by a... more
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Kepano
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3 years ago
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A dear, kickass friend of mine tried surfing for the first time in Hawaii two years ago. He caught his first wave and never really bailed too hard. Then, a few hours later he was paralyzed from the waist down due to a condition called Surfer's Myelopathy.
Surfer's Myelopathy is a non-traumatic spinal cord injury that affects first-time surfers. Today, the Surfer' Myelopathy Foundation team announced the launch of the Foundation's website.
Check out the website, and although it's a rare condition, if you could find it in your heart to give to the foundation, I'd really appreciate it.A dear, kickass friend of mine tried surfing for the first time in Hawaii two years... more
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Rene Sylva, the first person to champion the preservation of native Hawaiian endemic plants, died Sunday at his family home on Paia Bay. He was 79.
Sylva - a charter member of the Native Hawaiian Plant Society and a mentor to many isle individuals and groups involved in environmental work - was hailed by peers as an "amazing, forward-thinking" conservationist.
His legacy includes developing the unprecedented native plant collection that evolved into the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, and starting a Kahoolawe revegetation program a decade before the Navy returned the former Target Isle to the State of Hawaii. He also inspired Anna Palomino of Haiku to start Ho'olawa Farms, the first nursery of native Hawaiian endemic and indigenous plants; and guided the Honokowai Valley restoration project.Rene Sylva, the first person to champion the preservation of native Hawaiian endemic... more
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Kepano
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3 years ago
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Our National Parks keep the wilderness of our country open and free. Long may they protect the beauty of our natural and most precious spaces!Our National Parks keep the wilderness of our country open and free. Long may they... more
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On a recent trip to Maui I visited the Pacific Whale Foundation and took a two hour whale watching cruise. I brought along my camera and captured the experience.On a recent trip to Maui I visited the Pacific Whale Foundation and took a two hour... more
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A woman, 49 years-old, holding on to a water container for 19 hours, 1 mile off the coast of Maui was rescued. When she went to the hospital she was treated for sun burns and dehydration. That's incredible! A woman, 49 years-old, holding on to a water container for 19 hours, 1 mile off the... more
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Some news from the home state!A new ferry between O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i launched 2 days ahead of schedule after the state Supreme Court ruled that the company operating the boat should carry out an environmental assessment. But, the ruling didn't specifically say the ship couldn't begin running, so...they went for it.This is a tough one. I bet taking a ferry would be really pretty, and taking your car would be a nice convenience rather than having to rent one on the other island. But if it's bad for the environment or the marine animals, then of course I would stick to flying.Plus, after the $5 promotional fares end...$240 is a lot for a person and a car, especially when inter-island airfare is about $80 round-trip!(By the way, aole is a hawaiian word that translates as no way or never.)Some news from the home state!A new ferry between O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i... more
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Tori
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4 years ago
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