Maui Nui Marine Resource Council

Free presentation about Kaho'olawe by Dean Tokishi of Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission
2019-04-03 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
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The public is invited to a free presentation focusing on Kahoʻolawe titled, “Kūkulu Ke Ea A Kanaloa — The life and spirit of Kanaloa builds and takes form.” The talk will be presented by Dean Tokishi, Ocean Resources Specialist III, Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission, at the Wednesday, April 3 meeting of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council at a new venue: The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center.
“Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe’s rich history, complex present and hopeful future can be seen and felt,” said Tokishi. “My talk will cover everything from the island’s use as a prison colony, a ranch, and military live fire training site to the extensive unexploded ordinance clean-up project and the efforts to restore an entire island ecosystem, mauka to makai.”
The meeting and presentation will take place at Maui Ocean Center at The Sphere, a new high-tech dome-shaped presentation space, offering reclining movie-theater style seats and state-of-the-art visuals and acoustics. (Learn more at www.mauioceancenter.com.) Doors open at 5 pm; please enter by the Administrative Office entrance at Maui Ocean Center. The presentation will take place from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. Admission is free and the public is invited. By order of the fire marshal, only 118 guests can be accommodated, so admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Many on Maui look across the channel to Kahoʻolawe and wonder about its history, and what the island is like now,” says Amy Hodges, Program Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “Thereʻs also a lot of curiosity about the reefs and marine resources of Kahoʻolawe. How are they surviving after the years of extreme sediment runoff caused by the decades of military bombing of Kahoʻolawe? We are grateful that Dean Tokishi will be sharing his manaʻo and knowledge about Kahoʻolawe with us all.”
“Please join us for this free talk, which will include time for questions from the audience,” says Hodges. “Iʻm confident that weʻll all learn much and come away inspired by the work that KIRC is doing to restore and protect Kahoʻolawe and its marine resources.”
About Dean Tokishi:
Growing up on Maui, Dean graduated from Maui High School and later received a Bachelorʻs Degree in Marine Science from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. For three years he was involved in the restoration of Kahoʻolawe during the ordnance removal project. In January of 2003 he obtained a position with the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) in monitoring, managing and protecting all of the Reserves marine resources. Currently Dean serves as KIRCʻs Ocean Resources Program Manager where he is given the opportunity to educate others on the importance of these marine resources.
About Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC)
From its inception by the State of Hawaiʻi in 1993, KIRC was funded through the Kahoʻolawe Island Rehabilitation Trust Fund – originating from a portion of the federal funding allocated to the Navy’s unexploded ordnance clearance project (ending in 2003). In 2014, KIRC partnered with PKO (Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana) and OHA (Office of Hawaiian Affairs) to publish a collaborative plan for the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve through 2026 (entitled I Ola Kanaloa!). With refined goals and objectives adopted by each organization, KIRC presented its self-sustainability financial plan to the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 2016. Supported by an Aloha Kahoʻolawe campaign, which called for memberships, shared information and public testimony to affirm KIRC’s restoration and access programs, the State authorized permanent funding for KIRC staff and additional CIP funding for KIRC operations in 2018. Programs that bring community volunteers to the Reserve continue to rely on funds raised through donations, grants and memberships. Learn more at https://www.kahoolawe.hawaii.gov/home.php.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Celebrating 11 years, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a Maui-based nonprofit organization working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and the restoration of native fish for the islands of Maui County. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.
Special thanks to Maui Ocean Center for donating the use of The Sphere for this presentation.

Free presentation titled, “Thinking Like an Island: How to Survive the Plastic Pollution Pandemic”
2019-05-01 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
Please join us at a free presentation titled, “Thinking Like an Island: How to Survive the Plastic Pollution Pandemic,” that will be offered by Hannah Bernard at the Wednesday, May 1 meeting of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.
This free presentation will take place from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. Doors will open at 5 pm. Advance reservations are recommended, as seating is limited. To make a free reservation, visit https://bit.ly/MauiPlasticPollution
“While scientists and politicians may argue about climate change and its impact on our world ocean, the world is waking up to the devastating reality of the oceanic plastic plague,” says Bernard, the co-founder and Executive Director of Hawai’i Wildlife Fund. “After several decades of local awareness-raising we are at a tipping point worldwide where plastic pollution of the ocean is widely recognized as one of the greatest threats of our time to the ocean ecosystem and even human health.”
Bernard’s talk will focus on ways individuals help turn the tide on the plastic plague and why there’s hope for the future.
“We are excited to have this opportunity to share Hannah Bernard’s extensive knowledge about plastic pollution with the community,” says Amy Hodges, Programs Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “She’ll be sharing the latest findings about plastic pollution and offering commonsense ideas for ways to slow down and perhaps even stop the ‘plastic plague’ that is threatening our ocean and all marine wildlife.”
The meeting will also include updates on Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s programs, including results from its ocean water quality monitoring program along the shores of south and west Maui and its program to improve ocean water quality at Ma’alaea Bay.
The meeting and presentation will take place at Maui Ocean Center at The Sphere, a new high-tech dome-shaped presentation space, offering reclining movie-theater style seats and state-of-the-art visuals and acoustics. (Learn more about The Sphere at www.mauioceancenter.com.) Maui Ocean Center is donating use of this space to Maui Nui Marine Resource Council for this event.
Doors open at 5 pm; please enter by the Administrative Office entrance at Maui Ocean Center. The presentation will take place from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. Admission is free and the public is invited. By order of the fire marshal, only 118 guests can be accommodated. Free reservations can be made by following this link: https://bit.ly/MauiPlasticPollution
About Hannah Bernard:
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hawai’i Wildlife Fund, Hannah Bernard is an award-winning marine biologist with 37 years’ experience studying, teaching, leading expeditions and directing efforts to support research and conservation of Pacific Ocean marine life. In addition to co-founding the state’s Makai Watch program, she currently serves on the federally appointed False Killer Whale Take Reduction Team to address the incidental mortality and serious injury of false killer whales in Hawai`i’s longline fishery.
She has served on numerous Boards and committees, including the federally appointed Pacific Scientific Review Group, Sierra Club’s National Marine Wildlife and Habitat Committee, the ‘Ahini-Kina’u Advisory Group, the Hawai’i Ecotourism Association, the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, Save Honolua Coalition, Maui Surfrider Foundation, Maui Coral Reef Network, Maui Reef Fund and the ‘Ohana Coalition Steering Committee.
Hawai’i Wildlife Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 1996, and has initiated numerous community-based management projects and orchestrated the removal of more than 300 tons of marine debris from some of Hawai’i’s most impacted coastal habitats, protected more than 10,000 hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings and their mothers, and taught thousands of students and volunteers in the field and in the classroom through marine naturalist trainings, youth outreach programs and expeditions.
About Maui Nui.Marine Resource Council:
Maui Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a Maui-based nonprofit organization celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and an abundance of native fish for the islands of Maui County. In addition to co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola ocean water quality testing program, which tests ocean water quality at 39 locations along the south and west shores of Maui, the nonprofit is working to improve ocean water quality in Ma’alaea Harbor through the installation of caged oysters in the harbor. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is also working in the Pohakea watershed above Ma’alaea Bay to prevent stormwater runoff to protect ocean water quality and the coral reefs located in the bay. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org

Free presentation about carrying capacity study of heavily visited Haunama Bay
2019-06-05 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
When considering Maui’s most popular reefs, how many snorkelers are too many? What’s the impact of hundreds or possibly thousands of snorkelers per day at our reefs? How do we determine the right amount of snorkelers at our local reefs?
If you’ve wondered about the answers to these questions, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites you to a free talk that will share methodology and findings from a carrying capacity study of O‘ahu’s heavily visited Hanauma Bay by researchers from The Coral Reef Ecology Lab (CREL). The free presentation will take place at the Wednesday, June 5 meeting of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. Doors open at 5 pm. Seating is limited so advance reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve, visit https://bit.ly/snorkelers
The featured guest presenters will be Sarah Jane Leicht Severino, Research Associate, and Ku‘ulei Rodgers, PhD, Principal Investigator of The Coral Reef Ecology Lab (CREL) at the University of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology campus. They will speak about CREL’s Hanauma Bay Biological Carrying Capacity study, which quantifies the extent of human influence and determines the acceptable limits of disturbance to the marine resources of Hanauma Bay. For the past year, CREL has performed observational and manipulative experimentation within the Bay documenting the interactions between visitors and the marine environment as they relate to human use, coral tramping, sedimentation, and visual water clarity.
“The findings of the Hanauma Bay research should prove valuable in helping communities throughout Maui County evaluate the impacts of snorkelers at our popular reefs,” says Amy Hodges. “
This talk is an excellent opportunity to explore how Maui County might most effectively answer the question of how many snorkelers — and under what circumstances — are too many snorkelers at our local reefs?”

About Dr. Ku’ulei Rodgers:
Dr. Ku‘ulei Rodgers has been working at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology’s (HIMB) Coral Reef Ecology Lab since 1992 under the direction of Drs. Paul Jokiel and Fenny Cox, as an HIMB faculty member since 2005 and as the Principal Investigator of the Coral Reef Ecology Lab since 2016. Over 100 of her articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals, published reports, and conference proceedings. She was in the top five most read PeerJ journal articles in 2017.
Since 2005, she has provided graduate advising, mentoring, and training for 15 graduate students, 40 undergraduates, interns, and technicians, and 2 post-docs. Ku‘ulei has been heavily involved as Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator or research assistant on 25 funded projects since her appointment, conducting research at sites on every island. She has secured funding through grants of over $3.5 million assisting in student support and research needs.
Many of her research projects are of an interdisciplinary nature involving close collaborations with over 20 UH researchers from the oceanography, engineering, and zoology departments and over 50 cooperative relationships with managers and scientists from federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private industry. Her research has been widely disseminated through extensive media coverage with well over 200 documented local television news interviews, newspaper articles, and media events, global webcast video coverage, national and international newspaper and web articles and radio interviews
Ku‘ulei was one of the co-founders along with Dr. Paul Jokiel, Dr. Eric Brown, and Will Smith of the ongoing Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program established in 1999 and continues to serve as PI along with the State Division of Aquatic Resources.
About Sarah Jane Leicht Severino:
Sarah Jane Leicht Severino earned her MS in Marine Science at Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU) in 2015. For her master’s research she developed a technique, the Fluorescence Census Technique (FCT), that utilizes the natural fluorescent pigmentation found within some species of corals to non-destructively census their smallest size classes in-situ under daylight conditions.
After graduate school, Sarah worked as a First Mate on HPU’s Research Vessel, Kaholo, for two years. In addition to managing fieldwork on HPU’s Research Vessel, she was recruited by the Navy to manage field operations for a project studying the structure of marine resources within the main Pearl Harbor shipping channel. The FCT was used in the Pearl Harbor shipping channel to quickly and accurately quantify the abundance and recruitment patterns of juvenile coral colonies on their natural reef substrate.
Since starting in the Coral Reef Ecology Lab, Sarah has been working toward establishing a biological carrying capacity for Hanauma Bay Marine Life Conservation District (MLCD). By analyzing historical data and performing several field experiments, she seeks to quantify changes in the benthic community of reefs at Hanauma Bay in response to pressure from human use.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Established in 2007, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) is an award-winning nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish for the islands of Maui County.
During the past 11 years since our organization’s establishment, we have been based on Maui and have achieved recognition for working with our local community to create culturally appropriate, effective science-based solutions to serious local threats facing our reefs. Many problems facing Maui County’s local reefs originate on land, which is why our projects and programs are community-based and work from mountains (mauka) to sea (makai). To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.

Free Presentation: South Maui Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Results
2019-06-12 18:00 - 19:30 | HI, United States
Free public presentation of findings from 12 months of ocean water quality monitoring at 20 beach locations along the coast of South Maui by the volunteer-based program Hui O Ka Wai Ola (Association of Living Waters). On Wednesday, June 12 , from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary at 726 South Kīhei Road in Kīhei. Admission is free.

Free talk by Ed Lyman, Large Whale Entanglement Response Coordinator, on Tuesday, July 2
2019-07-02 17:00 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
As part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly meeting, a free presentation, titled, “Catch and Release: Large Whale Entanglement Response,” will be offered by Edward Lyman on Tuesday, July 2 at 5:30 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. The event is open to the public. The presentation will include amazing video footage from pole- and helmet-mounted cameras showing some of the whale rescues in Hawaii by the network of responders that are authorized to assist with such entanglements,
Seating is limited, so reservations (free of charge) are recommended and can be arranged at https://bit.ly/WhaleRescueTalk.
Lyman, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s Natural Resources Management Specialist, has responded more than 120 times to calls to free large whales and other marine animals from entangling gear over the past 25 years, resulting in more than 50 large whales being freed.
“For over 17 years the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, working with NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and the on-water community, has led a successful community-based network of experienced responders to free large whales, like the humpback whales found seasonally around Hawaiʻi, from life-threatening entanglements,” said Lyman. “As a result, the sanctuary and its partners have removed gear from more than 30 large whales and gained a wealth of information to mitigate the threat and its broad impacts.”
During his presentation, Lyman will describe the difficult and sometimes dangerous task of disentangling 40-ton, likely free-swimming whales, using techniques modified from those employed to catch large fish or used historically by whalers to kill the animals.
The talk will be part of the July monthly meeting of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, a nonprofit organization working for healthy coral reefs and clean ocean water. It will take place at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, located at 192 Maʻalaea Road at the Maʻalaea Harbor Shops.
Doors will open at 5 pm and the talk will begin promptly at 5:30 pm.
“We are grateful to Maui Ocean Center for generously donating the use of The Sphere for this presentation,” said Amy Hodges, Programs Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We are also very thankful to Ed Lyman for making time to give this talk during a holiday week celebrating ʻlife, liberty and the pursuit of happinessʻ — important for whales as well as people.”

About Edward Lyman:
Ed Lyman is currently the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s Natural Resources Management Specialist and Large Whale Entanglement Response Coordinator under NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. He works closely with NOAA Fisheries, and under their Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. For more than 25 years Ed has worked with NOAA, state agencies, and others to better understand the animals and to address the threats that impact them, especially ship-strikes and entanglements. His efforts encompass Alaska, the East and West Coasts, Hawaiʻi and other countries. Ed has worked with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary for more than 17 years.
Ed has participated in over 120 disentanglement efforts and helped free more than 50 large whales – 30 off Hawaiʻi. He assists NOAA in coordinating a community-based network to provide safe and authorized response to entangled large whales. However, the ultimate goal is working with fishermen, scientists, managers, and others to gain valuable information that may reduce entanglement threat in the future.
Ed graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he received a Master’s of Science studying semi-aquatic mammals and island biogeography. He worked for the Shoals Marine Laboratory and Sea Education Association, where he gained a strong marine background. He has studied whales since 1994, when he worked for the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, a non-profit whale research and rescue organization. Ed also worked for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, where he worked with fishermen to reduce entanglement impacts.

About Maui Nui.Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a Maui-based nonprofit organization celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and an abundance of native fish for the islands of Maui County. In addition to co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola ocean water quality testing program, which tests ocean water quality at 39 locations along the south and west shores of Maui, the nonprofit is working to improve ocean water quality in Ma’alaea Harbor through the installation of caged oysters in the harbor. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is also working in the Pohakea watershed above Ma’alaea Bay to prevent stormwater runoff to protect ocean water quality and the coral reefs located in the bay. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org

Free Presentation: Report on West Maui Ocean Water Quality
2019-07-30 18:00 - 19:30 | Lahainaluna High School, 980 Lahainaluna Rd,, Lahaina, HI, 96761, United States
How clean is the ocean water along the shores and at the beaches of West Maui? The public is invited to learn the answer to this question at a free presentation showcasing the results gathered by Hui O Ka Wai Ola, a unique community-based coastal water quality monitoring program co-managed by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, The Nature Conservancy and West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative.
The presentation will take place on Tuesday, July 30 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at the Lahainaluna High School Cafeteria in Lahaina. Admission is free. Residents and visitors are welcome. The evening will feature results from two years of ocean water quality monitoring at 19 West Maui locations from Honolua Bay to Papalaua near the Pali.
“Come learn about the scientific data that our volunteers and staff have gathered through their diligent work in the field and in the lab,” says James Strickland III, Project Manager of Hui O Ka Wai Ola. “We encourage everyone to attend, to learn about the water quality issues that we’ve found in West Maui.”
A Unique Community-Based Effort
Hui O Ka Wai Ola (“Association of Living Waters”) is the first citizen science-based water quality monitoring program of its kind in Hawai’i that works in close cooperation with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health Clean Water Branch to provide scientific, quality-assured data for use by State and County government, community groups, researchers and the public. More than 40 Maui residents volunteer with Hui O Ka Wai Ola. Since monitoring began in 2016, the program has collected and analyzed over 700 water quality samples from 49 sites in West and South Maui.
“Our primary motivation for launching this program was the health of Mauiʻs coral reefs,” says Robin Newbold, co-founder and Chair of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “Coral reefs need clean ocean water to survive; especially during this time of warming ocean water, sea level rise and climate change. Having this data is an important step in working for clean ocean water along our coasts.”
Quality Assured Data
The Hui O Ka Wai Ola program follows a strict Department of Health (DOH) approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). As a result, the DOH readily accepts the Hui’s data, and incorporates it into its reports and databases.
Every three weeks, trained volunteers wade into knee deep water to gather ocean water samples from the 39 monitored locations in leeward Maui, conducting evaluations of salinity, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity (sediment) at portable labs carried in the volunteersʻ cars. Additional analysis of the samples takes place in labs that are hosted pro bono by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and Lahaina Luna High School. The samples are also frozen and shipped to the SOEST Analytical Laboratory on O‘ahu for additional analysis of nitrogen and phosphorous compounds.
Data is the First Step Toward Solving Maui’s Ocean Water Quality Issues
By identifying where water is impaired and why, the community can begin to identify the sources of the impairment. “For example, when we find areas with high levels of nutrients, we can look for upslope issues like chemically intensive landscape management practices or historic agricultural that impacts the ocean through runoff or via the groundwater,” says Tova Callender, Coordinator of the West Maui Ridge to Reef initiative.
All data collected by the Hui is made available to the public at HuiOKaWaiOla.com, PacIOOS, and Zenodo. The data has also been uploaded to the Environmental Protection Agency’s STORET database for use by State and Federal agencies. This volunteer-based citizen science water quality monitoring group’s data has been included in the State of Hawai‘i Clean Water Branch’s Integrated Report to the EPA, “2018 State of Hawai‘i Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report”.
“This community-based program is an excellent example of how people can organize to supplement the efforts of our hard-working State agencies,” says Kim Falinski, Marine Science Advisor for The Nature Conservancy. “Our program has paralleled State-collected data protocols and developed standards available for groups in Hawai‘i and beyond to adopt in creating similar programs.”
The Hui O Ka Wai Ola program is a partnership between the Maui Nui Marine Resources Council, The Nature Conservancy, and the West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative, and is supported by Maui County Office of Economic Development (OED), Hawai‘i Tourism Aloha ‘Āina Program, North Beach West Maui Benefit Fund, Napili Bay and Beach Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Lush Cosmetics, The Makana Aloha Foundation, Honua Kai West Maui Community Fund, as well as individuals, families and local businesses. To learn more, please visit www.huiokawaiola.com or at www.mauireefs.org.

Dr. Steven Businger to Speak on “Severe Weather in a Warming World”
2019-08-07 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
A free presentation titled “Severe Weather in a Warming World” will be offered by Dr. Steven Businger on Wednesday, August 7 at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, as part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly meeting. The talk takes place from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. Doors open at 5 pm.
This presentation is open to the public and admission is free. Seating is limited so advance reservations are recommended. For reservations, visit https://bit.ly/hurricanetalk
Dr. Businger is the Professor and Chair of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Hawaii and has devoted the past 30 years to researching the evolution and structure of destructive atmospheric storms.
“My talk will cover the evolution of recent hurricanes and other severe weather events that have threatened Hawaii, including how and why they form, how their structure affects the hazards they produce, and the role that a warming climate may play in these events,” said Dr. Businger. “I will also cover the similarities and differences between hurricanes and kona lows (a winter half year phenomenon).”
“We are offering this presentation because hurricanes have a profound impact on Maui’s coastal areas, causing erosion, storm surges and damage to homes and property – and possibly to coral reefs,” said Robin Newbold, co-founder and Chair of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “The weather and the future of our reefs are inextricably linked.”
“Right now, we are fortunate to have our local coral reefs providing an estimated $377.1 million worth of protection from storm surges and big waves to Maui’s coastlines every year, according to a recently released study from the U.S. Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy and UC-Santa Cruz,” noted Newbold.
“However, coral bleaching caused by warming ocean temperatures can make corals weak and brittle, and more likely to be broken off in strong waves,” said Newbold. “If the height of our corals is reduced, we can expect more storm-related damage along our coasts. If sea level rises, it will also be harder for corals to break up big waves.”
“Please attend this talk to learn about hurricanes and severe weather events in Hawaii, so we can all be better prepared and safer,” says Newbold.
A nonprofit Maui-based organization working for healthy coral reefs and clean ocean water, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council hosts monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month featuring guest presenters speaking on issues, ideas and new advances relating to Maui County’s nearshore ocean environment. The meetings are free and open to all. Maui Ocean Center generously donates space for these monthly meetings at The Sphere, its new high-tech facility featuring advanced audio and visual projection and comfortable movie-style amphitheater seating.
About Dr. Steven Businger:
Dr. Steven Businger is Professor and Chair of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Hawaii. He has made notable contributions to the atmospheric sciences in several important, yet diverse areas. For the past 30 years Professor Businger has been active in researching the evolution and structure of destructive atmospheric storms, resulting in fundamental contributions to our understanding of the formation of storm systems in cold air streams and in the tropics (e.g., Kona lows and tropical cyclones). To date he has over 80 peer-reviewed journal publications, published 2 academic textbooks, and seven book chapters.
Dr. Businger was elected Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) in 2010. He is an AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist, and in 2011 Professor Businger received the UH Mānoa Chancellor’s Citation for Meritorious Teaching.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
An award-winning, community-based organization, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council co-founded and co-manages Hui O Ka Wai Ola, a unique volunteer-based ocean water quality monitoring program that gathers data at 39 shoreline locations in South and West Maui. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is working to restore clean ocean water at Ma’alaea Bay, through a pilot program to use oysters to improve ocean water quality in Ma’alaea Harbor and through upslope projects in the adjoining Pohakea Watershed. The organization also sponsors visitor education programs to encourage respect, protection and responsible use of our local coral reefs. To learn more visit www.mauireefs.org.

Presentation by Dr. Paul Brewbaker: “Overtourism and Sea Level Rise: Some Economic Dimensions”
2019-09-04 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
On Weds., Sept. 4, Maui residents and visitors will have the opportunity to attend a free presentation by Hawaii’s best known and most-quoted economist, Paul H. Brewbaker, Ph.D. and CBE, speaking on some of the economic dimensions of overtourism and sea level rise in Hawaiʻi.
This free talk is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly meeting. It takes place from 5:30 pm to 7 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center in Ma’alaea. Doors open at 5 pm and admission is free, but advance reservations are strongly recommended, as seating is limited. Make your complimentary reservation at https://bit.ly/BrewbakerTalk

Paul H. Brewbaker is the Principal of TZ Economics, a Hawaiʻi economics consultancy. His background in research on the Hawaiʻi economy and financial risk analytics stems from a 25-year affiliation with Bank of Hawaiʻi, concluding as its Chief Economist. He is a graduate of Stanford University, did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, and received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaiʻi. He has lectured extensively in international, monetary, and financial economics. He is a member of the American Economic Association, the American Finance Association, and the National Association for Business Economics, from which he holds the Certified Business Economist designation.
“Just as ‘resilience is the new sustainability,ʻ overtourism is the new GMO,” said Dr. Brewbaker. “Decision-makers have jumped to the default public policy intervention: prohibition.”
“Surely undocumented vacation rentals seeking a pathway to citizenship confront us with more nuanced issues to tackle, since what bothers most of us is congestion and natural resource degradation,” he noted. “For both of these negative externalities well-understood economic policy interventions exist; neither externality has anything to do with bigotry (the official name for the assertion that people unlike you ‘are changing the character of the neighborhood’).”
“In this presentation, we explore some of the economic implications of overtourism for Hawaiʻi, and relate economic policy responses to those which confront sea level rise attendant to global climate change,” he said.”Seemingly unrelated policy interventions might prove surprisingly similar.”
“One of the hottest topics on Maui right now is tourism — and how much is too much for our environment and way of life,” says Amy Hodges, Programs Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We are pleased to bring Dr. Brewbaker’s insights and perspective into the discussion, as we look at some of the economic dimensions of tourism and sea level rise for Maui and all of Hawaiʻi.”
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council thanks Maui Ocean Center for providing free meeting space for this event.
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a Maui-based nonprofit celebrating 11 years of working toward clean ocean water and healthy coral reefs. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.

An Evening with Nainoa Thompson
2019-10-08 18:00 - 19:30 | ‘Iao Theater, 68 N Market St,, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
An Evening with Nainoa Thompson:
“Mālama Honua (Care for Island Earth): In a Changing World, Hope Comes With Action”
President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and a master in the traditional Polynesian art of non-instrument navigating, Nainoa Thompson led Hōkūleʻa’s global “Mālama Honua (Care for Island Earth) Voyage.” Inspired by his kūpuna, his teachers, he has dedicated his life to exploring the deep meaning of voyaging. On long voyages, Nainoa came to appreciate the Hawaiian concept of “mālama” (caretaking).
“Our ancestors learned that if they took care of their canoe and each other,” Nainoa often told his crew, “and if they marshaled their resources of food and water, they would arrive safely at their destination.”
Nainoa is the recipient of numerous community awards, including the Unsung Hero of Compassion, awarded to him by His Holiness XIV Dalai Lama on behalf of the organization Wisdom in Action, the Native Hawaiian Education Association’s Manomano Ka ‘Ike (Depth and Breadth of Knowledge) Educator of the Year Award, the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, the BLUE Ocean Film Festival Legacy Award, the Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Excellence in Marine Exploration, the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, and the Explorers Club Medal.
Don’t miss this inspiring presentation on Tuesday, October 8 at the historic ʻIao Theater in Wailuku. It is presented as part of the “Know Your Ocean” Speaker Series, presented by the nonprofit Maui Nui Marine Resource Council with support from the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and Maui Visitors Bureau. Tickets are $10 – $20 per person with reserved seating. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Presentation at 6:00 pm.
To purchase your ticket, visit https://bit.ly/NainoaThompson

Talk Story with Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
2019-10-28 17:30 - 19:00 | Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, 726 South Kihei Road, Kihei, HI, 96793, United States
What are your thoughts and concerns about Maui’s coral reefs, ocean water quality and the numbers of fish living in our nearshore ocean areas?
What issues relating to our coastal areas are most important to you?
What ideas do you have for projects and programs that would benefit our beaches and reefs?
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites visitors and residents to a community input meeting on Monday, October 28, from 5:30 pm to 7 pm at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary at 726 South Kihei Road, Kihei. Come talk story with us!
You’ll also meet our new Executive Director, Christina Lizzi, who will be there to listen and learn from the community.
Free and open to all. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

"Ola Nā Papa i Pūlama ‘ia: A Tribute to Maui’s Living Coral Reefs" To Be Presented on November 6 by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
2019-11-06 18:00 - 19:30 | ‘Iao Theater, 68 N Market St,, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
An event titled “Ola Nā Papa i Pūlama ‘ia: A Tribute to Maui’s Living Coral Reefs” will be presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council on Wednesday, November 6 at 6 pm at ‘Iao Theater in Wailuku. The purpose of the event is to bring together Hawaiian culture and science to celebrate Hawaiʻiʻs coral reefs and promote better understanding of these remarkable undersea communities. It will feature presentations by three of Hawaii’s most noted coral scientists, Dr. Mark Hixon, Dr. Bob Richmond and Russell Sparks, plus a presentation on the significance of coral reefs in Hawaiian culture by Rhiannon Chandler-‘Īao.
It will feature presentations by three of Hawaii’s most noted coral scientists, Dr. Mark Hixon, Dr. Bob Richmond and Russell Sparks, plus a presentation on the significance of coral reefs in Hawaiian culture by Rhiannon Chandler-‘Īao and a hula performance by local Maui hulau, Hula Alapa’i i Malu’ulolele of Ka ‘imi Na’auao o Hawai’i Nei.
“The evening will feature hula plus four short presentations, each by an expert on coral reefs or Hawaiian culture,” said Christina Lizzi, Executive Director of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “This event is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s new ‘Know Your Ocean’ speaker series which kicked off in October with a presentation by Nainoa Thompson.”
This event is funded in part by the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development. Tickets are $5 (all inclusive) and are available at MauiOnstage.com. Doors open at 5:30 pm and the presentations will begin at 6:00 pm. Complimentary tickets for students and teachers can be obtained by emailing info@mauireefs.org.
The Tribute to Maui’s Living Coral Reefs will feature these presentations:

Performance by Hula Alapa’i i Malu’ulolele of Ka ‘imi Na’auao o Hawai’i Nei
This 20 minute performance will feature dances related to the themes of kumulipo, limu, fish, rains and the ocean. The performance will close with Mo’olele, which was composed Lahaina’s doublehull sailing canoe (Mo’olele) and starts with “let’s go holoholo…take us into our voyage of the night.”

The value of Hawaiiʻs coral reefs as cultural and natural resources
Rhiannon “Rae” Renee Tereari’i Chandler-‘Īao

The Kumulipo, the creation chant of the Hawaiian people, tells us that ʻuku koʻakoʻa or the coral polyp, was the first organism created. Discover the immeasurable value of our coral reefs in Hawaiian
culture and as a natural resource through this talk by Rhiannon “Rae” Renee Tereari’i Chandler-‘Īao. She is the Executive Director of O‘ahu Waterkeeper. Chandler-‘ Īao earned a B.A. in Ethnic St
udies from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2004 and graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2016 with certificates in both Native Hawaiian Rights Law and Environmental Law.
After graduating, she worked as a Post-JD Research & Teaching Fellow at Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law. Prior to attending law school, Rhiannon served as the Executive Director of the environmental non-profit organization Community Work Day Program, d.b.a. Mālama Maui Nui. While on Maui, Chandler-‘Īao served as a member of the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, Maui County Cultural Resources Commission, a board member of the Maui Non-Profit Directors Association and a Steering Committee member of Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows Leadership Program.

Saving the Uhu (Parrotfishes) Can Help Save Our Reefs
Dr. Mark Hixon
Brilliantly colored with big “smiles” created by their fused upper teeth, uhu are not only beautiful, but are also very important in helping to save both our reefs and our beaches during this time of climate disruption. Dr. Mark Hixon will explore the essential role of uhu in Hawai‘i’s coral reef ecosystem. Dr. Hixon has been recognized as the “most cited American scientific author on coral reefs” (2003, ISI Citation Index). He is a Fulbright Senior Scholar, an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, and a Fellow of the International Coral Reef Society. Dr. Hixon is the Hsiao Endowed Chair in Marine Biology at the Department of Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and he serves on the scientific advisory committee for the Sustainable Hawai‘i Initiative plan for effectively managing nearshore ocean waters. Dr. Hixon has given TEDx talks about coral reefs and has published scientific studies of reefs in Hawaiʻi, Australia, French Polynesia, the Bahamas, and the Virgin Islands.
Cockroach Corals and the Sounds of our Reefs
Dr. Bob Richmond
You know how hard it can be to kill a cockroach? Some corals are just as resilient, thriving in impaired, sediment-laden ocean water – conditions that normally undermine coral reef health. Dr. Bob Richmond has been studying these “cockroach corals” in Ma’alaea Harbor and Olowalu. He’ll share theories about how these corals are so resilient and their possible role in replenishing reefs harmed by climate change. Dr. Richmond will also bring examples of the sounds emitted by coral reefs and help us understand why these sounds are a useful diagnostic tool to evaluate reef health. A Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, a Leopold Fellow in Environmental Leadership and Past President of the International Society for Reef Studies, Dr. Richmond is the chair of the Maui Coral Recovery Team convened by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council and is a co-author of the Maui Coral Recovery Plan.
Coral Bleaching Off Maui: How Bad? And What’s Next?
Russell Sparks
Hawaiʻi is facing an unprecedented coral bleaching event, caused by overly warm ocean waters. What happened to our reefs during the last major bleaching event in 2015 and what did we learn about coral survival rates? What can we theorize about this current bleaching event and bleaching events of the future? Russell Sparks is the Aquatic Biologist of the Division of Aquatic Resources of the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources. Sparks received his B.S. in Biology from Oregon State University. He received his M.S. in Marine Biology from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1996. Since 1998, Russell has worked for the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources as an education specialist and more recently as an aquatic biologist. He is currently responsible for leading the design, implementation, and overall management of the Maui marine monitoring program, and for working with stakeholders and communities to develop marine management programs aimed at adaptively managing nearshore fisheries and coral reef resources.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program at 41 sites in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Ma‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council Presents Free Talk on "Wildfire and Sediment: Addressing Two of the Biggest Threats to Maʻalaea Bay and its Coral Reefs"
2019-11-13 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
Wildfire and sediment are two of the biggest threats to ocean water quality in Ma’alea Bay. Wildfires burn away the plant cover on upslope lands, creating prime conditions for soil erosion. Erosion results in sediment in the ocean, which harms coral reefs, hindering their ability to feed, grow and reproduce.
What can be done about these threats to Ma’alaea Bay? Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites you to learn more at a free talk on Wednesday, November 13 at 5:30 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. Admission is free and the public is invited. Seating is limited, so advance reservations are suggested. To make your complimentary reservation, visit https://bit.ly/wildfireandsediment
Speaker Michael Reyes, Senior Ecologist at Maui Environmental Consulting, will take participants on a virtual trip to the Pohakea watershed above Ma’alaea, to learn about plans to mitigate wildfires in the area and resolve problems that currently contribute to erosion.
Reyes will be sharing the findings and the action steps outlined in the “Vision for Pohakea” plan that Maui Environmental Consulting created on behalf of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is in the process of taking the first steps to implement that plan.
The evening will also include updates on Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs pilot project to use caged oysters to help improve ocean water quality in Maʻalaea Harbor. Amy Hodges, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s Programs Manager will speak about this project and will show photos of the oysters that are being raised for this project.
To arrange for your free reservation, follow this link: https://bit.ly/wildfireandsediment

About Michael Reyes:
Michael Reyes is the Principal and Senior Ecologist at Maui Environmental Consulting, LLC (MEC). His educational and professional experiences have provided him with an extensive background in several aspects of ecology and water quality. He has experience in environmental assessments, water quality evaluations, surface water monitoring, listed species surveys, and numerous wetland delineations/evaluations. Mike has been certified by the National Society for Wetland Scientists as a Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS#2303). He serves as an Associate Director for the Central Maui Soil and Water Conservation District and acts as the Watershed Coordinator for the Southwest Maui Watershed Plan.
Working with Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, MEC developed the Pohakea Stormwater Management Plan. This project involved canvassing the Pohakea watershed for current landscape conditions affecting water quality within Maʻalaea Bay. While this study focused on erosion and sediment transport caused by surface water flow during stormwater events, any on-site observations of nutrient, pathogen, or other pollutant sources, as well as any other land management practices that may be contributing to water quality degradation in Maʻalaea Bay or Maʻalaea Harbor were recorded. Implementation projects were then designed to address these sources of pollution. Michael will be offering a brief review of the Pohakea Stormwater Management Plan.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program at 41 sites in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Ma‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

Free Talk by Duane Sparkman on “Preventing Ocean Pollution: Proven Alternatives to Herbicides and Pesticides for Your Home, Business and Landscaping”
2020-01-07 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
Come learn about ways to prevent harmful ocean pollution by choosing tested alternatives to herbicides and pesticides for your home and business, and all of your landscaping, at a free presentation by Duane Sparkman, Assistant Chief Engineer and Landscaping Manager at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa.
The talk is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” and will take place on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at 5:30 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. Admission is free, but reservations are encouraged, due to limited seating at The Sphere. To make a free reservation, please go to https://bit.ly/DuaneSparkman.
Sparkman offers a wealth of practical first-hand experience about what works to control pests and weeds, based on his years of experience as a professional landscaper, designing and maintaining luxury resort properties and private residences, his work at Haleakala National Park’s Vegetation Management Division and recently, as the Assistant Engineer and Landscaping Manager at The Westin Maui.
At The Westin Maui, Sparkman has successfully implemented measures to reduce the resort’s use of herbicides and pesticides, showcasing alternatives that are safer and more environmentally friendly.
“We are offering this presentation as part of launching the New Year, hoping that more people will resolve to find ways to protect our coral reefs and marine environment by reducing or avoiding the use of herbicides and pesticides in their homes, yards and at their places of employment, including golf courses and resorts,” says Robin Newbold, Chair of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.
Newbold points out that most people don’t realize how porous our soil is on Maui and how readily chemicals from pesticides and herbicides find their way into the ocean, causing harm to fish, birds and corals.
According to the NOAA Ocean Service Education website, pesticides are designed to be toxic to a target organism, but they often kill other organisms as well. “The insecticide azinphos-methyl, for example, which is used to control insects such as biting mites and aphids, is also very toxic to fish and birds.” The website notes that many of the compounds used today are toxic at very low concentrations.
Herbicides also penetrate coral tissues and rapidly, within minutes, can reduce the efficiency of the beneficial algae (zooxanthellae ) that live within the corals, reports the book, Chemical Pollution on Coral Reefs: Exposure and Ecological Effects. The zooxantellae convert the energy from the sun into food for the corals through photosynthesis, providing corals with about 90% of their food. When herbicides enter the ocean, they can cause the corals to suffer due to reduced food availability.
“We owe it to our coral reefs and ocean water to find better ways to manage pests and weeds without adding harmful chemicals to our land- and marine-ecosystems,” says Newbold. “We’re grateful that Duane Sparkman is willing to share his practical, hands-on knowledge and experience with us all.”
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council also acknowledges and thanks Maui Ocean Center for providing free meeting space at The Sphere for this event.
About Duane Sparkman:
A resident of Maui since 1995 arriving here from Texas, Duane is an avid photographer who aspires to capture “rare moments”. His life’s passion is to preserve intact Hawaiian forests and the perpetuation of Hawaiian Culture. Duane is a professional landscaper by trade, designing and maintaining luxury resort properties, private residences, and working on projects within the Haleakala National Park, Vegetation Management Division. When he is not working or volunteering his time with various Hawaiian reforestation projects “putting back what belongs” he enjoys spending time with his wife, Erin and 2 children, Evan and Isabella cultivating his back yard native forest.
About The Westin Maui Resort & Spa:
Centrally located on pristine Ka’anapali Beach, the spectacular transformations within this resort will completely reimagine many areas of the 12-acre tropical paradise. Surrounded by lush gardens with cascading waterfalls, the 770-room beachfront resort abounds with ways to rejuvenate. Guests can indulge in six outdoor pools that include a brand new family pool and dedicated adults-only pool, spa rejuvenation, unique dining experiences and cultural activities. It is mere steps away from snorkel and sunset cruises, neighboring Whalers Village and championship golfing. Visit www.westinmaui.com.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program at 41 sites in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Ma‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.
About Maui Ocean Center
Since 1998, Maui Ocean Center has fostered understanding, wonder and respect for Hawaiʻi’s marine life, drawing thousands of visitors from across the globe. The three-acre marine park, located in Wailuku, Maui, faithfully replicates the natural ocean ecosystem featuring only animals who are native to Hawai’i. The center features the largest collection of live Pacific corals in the world, over 60 exhibits, 20 daily presentations by marine naturalists, outdoor tide pools and a 750,000-gallon Open Ocean exhibit with a 240-degree view acrylic tunnel. Maui Ocean Center operates in compliance with a County of Maui ordinance prohibiting the exhibit of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and offers exploration of these creatures through interpretive displays, including its cutting-edge “Humpbacks of Hawai‘i” Exhibit & Sphere. Under the guidance of Kahu Dane Maxwell, the aquarium integrates Hawaiian culture in presentations, exhibits, special events, and also in the marine park’s standards of operations and service. For more information, please visit https://mauioceancenter.com.

Free Talk: Factors Contributing to Declining Humpback Sighting Rates
2020-02-04 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
What are the factors contributing to the decline in observed sighting rates of humpback whales in Hawaiʻi and Alaska? Three humpback whale researchers will be presenting information on a collaborative study that is examining this question on Tuesday, February 4, as part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.”
This evening of presentations is free and open to the public. It will take place from 5:30 to 7 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. Seating is limited so advance reservations are recommended. You can arrange for your free reservation at https://bit.ly/fewerwhales
The presenters will be Jens Currie, Chief Scientist at Pacific Whale Foundation; Dr. Adam Pack, a full professor at the University of Hawaii, Hilo; and Lars Bejder, Director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The researchers are collaborating on a project to gain an understanding of changes in the body condition of humpback whales throughout their feeding and breeding seasons. The researchers are also looking at the variability in body condition of humpback whales from year to year and how it might impact the number of whales that migrate between Hawaiʻi and Alaska.
“Last year, Pacific Whale Foundation joined a collaborative research project to quantify the bioenergetic demands of humpback whales migrating between Alaskan foraging grounds and Hawaiian breeding grounds,” says Stephanie Stack, Chief Biologist at Pacific Whale Foundation. “Working with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Marine Mammal Research Program, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, and the Alaska Whale Foundation, the project aims to identify potential factors contributing to the decline in observed sighting rates of humpback whales in Hawaiʻi and Alaska.”
In 2016, the Hawaiʻi distinct population segment of humpback whales was taken off the Endangered Species List. However, since then, sighting rates of humpback whales in Hawaiʻi and southeast Alaska have dropped, notes Slack. There is currently a lack of understanding of why humpback whale sighting rates have reduced.
This project will contribute to efforts investigating the possible causes of this recent trend focusing on relationships to changes in body condition and animal health.
“Migrating has a cost to the animal’s body and health,” says Stack. “Understanding this cost may provide insight into a potential shift in the whales’ survival strategy and an increased understanding of the recent trends we’re seeing in Hawai’i and Alaska.
The “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” is presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council to introduce the public to marine research and conservation efforts to protect Maui’s ocean resources. This series offers a free presentation every month, usually on the first Wednesday of the month (although our February presentation is on the first Tuesday of the month). Maui Ocean Center generously donates the use of The Sphere for these presentations. The series is supported by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.
About Jens Currie:
Jens Currie is the Chief Scientist for Pacific Whale Foundation, a non-profit research, education, and conservation organization based in Maui, Hawaii. Jens has a wide and varied background including studying lobster fecundity in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, modelling the impacts of aquaculture pens in Canada on the surrounding environment, and evaluating ecosystem goods and services in coastal South Africa. Jens currently serves as research chair (alternate) on the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary advisory council, is an invited member of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, and a first responder for NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding and Large Whale Entanglement Response teams in Hawaii.
Jens’s research focus is on distance sampling, modelling cetacean population dynamics, and quantifying cetacean interactions with marine debris. He is currently studying the abundance and distribution of odontocetes in Maui Nui, the efficacy of legislation on marine debris accumulation, and the impacts of climate change on humpback whales.
All research activities are conducted in accordance with NOAA permits 20311-01, 19703, 14585 and 19655. All UAV activities are conducted in accordance with FAA Part 107 regulations.
About Dr. Adam A. Pack:
Dr. Adam A. Pack is a Full Professor at University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH) with a joint appointment in the Departments of Psychology and Biology. His many professional “hats” include: current chair of the Psychology Department, cooperating faculty member of UHH’s Master of Science Degree Program in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, co-creator of the UHH LOHE Bioacoustics Laboratory, Cooperative Faculty at UH Manoa’s Psychology and Biology Departments and Marine Science Graduate Program, former chair of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, associate editor of the journal Marine Mammal Science, and co-founder and current president and director of The Dolphin Institute, a not-for-profit Hawaii-based organization dedicated to dolphins and whales through education, research and conservation.
Dr. Pack is the co-recipient of the American Psychological Association’s 1999 F.A. Beach Comparative Psychology Award and the recipient of the 2017 UH Hilo University of Hawaii Board of Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2008, Dr. Pack developed the UHH Marine Mammal Research Laboratory. His research program focuses on scientific studies of marine mammal behavioral ecology and cognition. For more than 30 years, he has been conducting research on dolphin sensory perception, cognition and communication abilities as well as humpback whale social organization and habitat use, migratory and residency patterns, social behavior and communication systems in the Hawaiian breeding grounds and Alaska feeding grounds. Over the course of his research career, he has published over 60 papers, book chapters and reports and given over 80 presentations and invited addresses. Dr. Pack’s research has been featured widely in print media such as the New York Times, the Economist and National Wildlife and in television documentaries such as National Geographic’s Humpbacks: Inside the Pod and PBS’s Mystery of the Humpback Whale Song.
About Dr. Lars Bejder:
Dr Bejder is the Director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa where he supervises higher degree research students (PhDs and MScs) and is responsible for the academic and strategic development of the MMRP. He has studied various aspects of cetacean biology, ecology and conservation in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and US (Hawaii, Florida and California). He has published >120 research journal articles and book chapters on cetaceans focusing on behavioral ecology, analyzing and developing quantitative methods to evaluate complex animal social structures; evaluating impacts of human activity (coastal development, tourism, habitat degradation) and health assessments. He works closely with wildlife management agencies to optimize the conservation- and management outcomes of his research. He advises on anthropogenic impacts on cetaceans to: IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group, US Marine Mammal Commission; US National Marine Fisheries Service; International Whaling Commission; Australian Federal Government; Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife; New Zealand Department of Conservation. He currently serves on the Pacific Scientific Review Group (NOAA), and on the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Dr Bejder is an adjunct Professor at Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia and at Aarhus University, Denmark.
The focus of his research includes both empirical and applied research themes, many of which support conservation and management objectives. Studies addressing anthropogenic impacts focus on the quantification of the specific effects and overall biological significance of human activities on cetaceans, and the development of appropriate mitigation approaches and management strategies. Research on cetacean population dynamics and behavior involves efforts to assess population connectivity and identify appropriate units for management, to estimate abundance at local and regional scales and assess spatial and temporal patterns in abundance, and to measure and quantify individual behavior in order to examine social structures. His research includes the use of innovative technology (non-invasive suction cup tagging and unoccupied aerial systems; UAS, drones) to quantify fine‐scale habitat use, movements, communication, calf suckling rates and body condition of marine mammals.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program at 41 sites in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Ma‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.
About Maui Ocean Center:
Since 1998, Maui Ocean Center has fostered understanding, wonder and respect for Hawaiʻi’s marine life, drawing thousands of visitors from across the globe. The three-acre marine park, located in Wailuku, Maui, faithfully replicates the natural ocean ecosystem featuring only animals who are native to Hawai’i. The center features the largest collection of live Pacific corals in the world, over 60 exhibits, 20 daily presentations by marine naturalists, outdoor tide pools and a 750,000-gallon Open Ocean exhibit with a 240-degree view acrylic tunnel. Maui Ocean Center operates in compliance with a County of Maui ordinance prohibiting the exhibit of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and offers exploration of these creatures through interpretive displays, including its cutting-edge “Humpbacks of Hawai‘i” Exhibit & Sphere. Under the guidance of Kahu Dane Maxwell, the aquarium integrates Hawaiian culture in presentations, exhibits, special events, and also in the marine park’s standards of operations and service. For more information, please visit https://mauioceancenter.com.

Public Invited to Free Presentation by Mark Deakos, PhD on "Living Buildings and Communities" that Support Health, Restoration and Thriving Coral Reef Ecosystems
2020-03-04 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
More development — including more structures, homes, neighborhoods, and communities — is planned for Maui’s future. Is it possible to create buildings and communities that restore and support thriving ecosystems, including our coral reefs?
Marine biologist Mark Deakos, PhD, believes it’s possible, and will be sharing his findings at a free talk on Weds, March 4 on “Living Buildings and Living Communities; a philosophy, a framework and a certification program focused on regenerative growth.”
“Imagine nurturing and generous places that promote healthy lifestyles for everyone and contribute a positive impact on the human and natural systems that interact with them, including our precious coral reefs,” says Deakos. “I’ll introduce our audience to Living Communities that generate their own energy and capture and treat all the water they need.”
Deakos will share information about the Living Building Challenge and the Living Community Challenge, performance standards that are net positive for good. Born out of the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), they offer global strategies for lasting sustainability by partnering with local communities to inspire and incentivize green building and infrastructure solutions on scales ranging from single room renovations to neighborhoods or whole cities.
The presentation is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” and will take place at 5:30 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. Free and open to all, but seating is limited. Advance reservations are recommended. Reserve at ADD URL.
The “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” is presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council to introduce the public to marine research and conservation efforts to protect Maui’s ocean resources. This series offers a free presentation every month, usually on the first Wednesday of the month (although our February presentation is on the first Tuesday of the month). Maui Ocean Center generously donates the use of The Sphere for these presentations. The series is supported by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
About Mark Deakos:
Mark Deakos came to Hawaii in 1996 to complete his master’s at UH Manoa, studying humpback whales and his PhD studying manta rays. He later founded the Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research in 2004, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to protecting Hawaii’s marine resources. After two decades of marine science and scientifically describing the degradation of our natural resources caused by the increasing threats from unsustainable growth, he switched his focus on solutions. In his new role as Chief Sustainability Officer for 3-P Consulting, his ambition is to connect business owners, developers, planners and decision makers with sustainable, regenerative solutions that not only eliminate the threats but allow us to restore the damage we have caused.

About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 11 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program at 41 sites in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Ma‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.
About Maui Ocean Center:
Since 1998, Maui Ocean Center has fostered understanding, wonder and respect for Hawaiʻi’s marine life, drawing thousands of visitors from across the globe. The three-acre marine park, located in Wailuku, Maui, faithfully replicates the natural ocean ecosystem featuring only animals who are native to Hawai’i. The center features the largest collection of live Pacific corals in the world, over 60 exhibits, 20 daily presentations by marine naturalists, outdoor tide pools and a 750,000-gallon Open Ocean exhibit with a 240-degree view acrylic tunnel. Maui Ocean Center operates in compliance with a County of Maui ordinance prohibiting the exhibit of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and offers exploration of these creatures through interpretive displays, including its cutting-edge “Humpbacks of Hawai‘i” Exhibit & Sphere. Under the guidance of Kahu Dane Maxwell, the aquarium integrates Hawaiian culture in presentations, exhibits, special events, and also in the marine park’s standards of operations and service. For more information, please visit https://mauioceancenter.com.

Free Presentation: “Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future”
2020-06-03 17:30 - 19:00 | The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center, 192 Maalaea Rd, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
PLEASE NOTE: EVENT POSTPONED TO WEDS. JUNE 3
What will determine the future impacts of sewage on Hawai’i’s nearshore ecosystems and public health? Learn more at a free talk titled “Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future” by Daniel Amato, Ph.D., which will include information on Hawaiʻi’s wastewater saga, including recent research and legal battles.
The presentation will take place on Wednesday, June 3 at 5:30 pm at The Sphere at Maui Ocean Center. Doors open at 5 pm. The event is free and open to the public. It is presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as part of their monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.” Advance reservations are recommended due to limited seating and can be made at https://mauisewageimpacts.eventbrite.com
“My talk will share reports on how injection wells and cesspools continue to pollute Hawaiʻi’s waters, with an emphasis on recent Maui studies,” says Dr. Amato. ”I will also present recent decisions from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and the current status of their effort to phase out cesspools.”
Dr. Amato will also discuss current legal cases regarding sewage pollution, and will present community efforts and new technological developments in sewage detection that show promise for the future.
A water quality specialist, Dr. Amato’s professional work focuses on the detection and impacts of land-based pollution in the Pacific Ocean and the development of new technology to assist in detecting the DNA of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in the water.
Dr. Amato is a Marine Research Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, an Environmental Scientist at Element Environmental LLC, and serves as the coordinator for Surfrider-Oahu’s Blue Water Task Force.
“We are bringing Dr. Amato to Maui to present on the important topics of sewage and its impact on Maui’s coastlines, including ocean water quality and our nearshore coral reefs,” says Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “It’s a critically important topic, at a time when our coral reefs need the benefit of clean ocean water, to survive the impacts of climate change and warming water.”
“We thank Maui Ocean Center for generously donating the use of The Sphere for this event, and the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development for supporting our Know Your Ocean Speaker Series,” says Hodges.
To make a free reservation for this talk, please visit https://mauisewageimpacts.eventbrite.com
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 12 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program at 41 sites in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.
About Maui Ocean Center:
Since 1998, Maui Ocean Center has fostered understanding, wonder and respect for Hawaii’s marine life, drawing thousands of visitors from across the globe. The three-acre marine park, located in Wailuku, Maui, faithfully replicates the natural ocean ecosystem featuring only animals who are native to Hawai’i. The center features the largest collection of live Pacific corals in the world, over 60 exhibits, 20 daily presentations by marine naturalists, outdoor tide pools and a 750,000-gallon Open Ocean exhibit with a 240-degree view acrylic tunnel. Maui Ocean Center operates in compliance with a County of Maui ordinance prohibiting the exhibit of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and offers exploration of these creatures through interpretive displays, including its cutting-edge “Humpbacks of Hawai‘i” Exhibit & Sphere. Under the guidance of Kahu Dane Maxwell, the aquarium integrates Hawaiian culture in presentations, exhibits, special events, and also in the marine park’s standards of operations and service. For more information, please visit https://mauioceancenter.com

Free Webinar: Invasive Roi in Hawaiʻi. What Should Be Done?
2020-07-01 17:30 - 19:00
Presented as part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s Know Your Ocean Speaker Series
Photo by Keoki Stender
Perhaps you’ve heard of “roi roundups” – efforts by the community to spearfish and kill roi, commonly known as the peacock grouper, to remove these invasive fish from our local reefs.
Roi were introduced to Hawaii in the 1950s from French Polynesia with the idea that it could provide a food source for people. An aggressive predator that eats smaller reef fish, roi flourished – especially when Hawaii residents found that the fish carried ciguatera, a type of food poisoning, and avoided eating them.
Alarmed by roi’s voracious appetite for smaller native fish, and concerned that the ciguatoxin carried in roi can move up the food chain and spread to other species, communities throughout the main Hawaiian islands have organized roi roundups.
How much of a problem are roi? What are recent scientific studies finding about the impact of roi on native reef fish? Should we try to rid our reefs of roi? Get answers to these and other questions about this invasive fish at a free webinar on Wednesday, July 1 at 5:30 pm presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as part of its monthly “Know Your Ocean” Speaker Series.
The webinar presenters will be Alan Friedlander, Chief Scientist, Pristine Seas, National Geographic Society, and director of the Fisheries Ecology Research Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi, and Russell Sparks, Aquatic Biologist, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources on Maui.
Our guest emcee is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360, made possible by H-Hawaii Media.
“We’ve heard concerns about a recent increase in roi sightings in the reefs of ‘Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve, and thought this would be a good time to bring in these scientists to meet with the community to talk about roi,” said Robin Newbold, co-founder and chair of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “It’s always good to start with the latest scientific facts as we work towards answers and solutions.”
This free Zoom webinar is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly “Know Your Ocean” Speaker Series now being held via Zoom due to COVID-19.
To make a free reservation, please go to https://bit.ly/RoiMaui.
Special thanks to the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development for their support of the “Know Your Ocean” Speaker Series.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 12 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program at 41 sites in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Ma‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.
About Darla Palmer-Ellingson:
With a strong passion for volunteerism on environmental issues, Darla produces and hosts Island Environment 360, Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics. Darla is a member of the County of Maui Citizens Advisory Committee on the Climate Crisis and a member of Vice President Al Gore’s Reality Project, Hawaii chapter. Her company, 360 Social Business, LLC provides website design, content, social media management, general business and marketing consulting.

Free webinar to focus on the social-psychological side of why some people care about Maui's reefs -- and others don't
2020-08-05 17:30 - 19:00
KIHEI, HI — Have you ever wondered why some people care — and others seemingly don’t — about protecting Maui’s coral reefs? Imagine if you could climb into their minds to understand what causes visitors and residents of Maui to be motivated (or not) to care for our reefs through their behaviors and actions. How would that help your community be more effective in protecting its reefs?
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites you to an important free Zoom webinar on Weds., Aug. 5 at 5:30 pm to find out more about the social and psychological factors that influence human behavior in our nearshore environments, based on a recent joint study conducted in West Maui by Polanui Hiu, The Nature Conservancy, and Stanford University.
You’ll meet Francisca (Kika) Santana, the leader of the study and a fourth year PhD candidate at Stanford’s Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources. Her team surveyed 300 reef users and learned about their reef-based activities, perceptions of reef health, their social-psychological indicators (such as place attachment and self-efficacy), and pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Alana Yurkanin, Maui Marine Project Manager at The Nature Conservancy, will also share her insights on the survey results.
During the webinar, you’ll also be transported to Polanui, a small, popular beach in Lāhaina, protected by an offshore reef named Nā Papalimu O Pi‘ilani. For generations, this reef sustained Hawaiian families with its abundance of fish and edible limu (algae). Sadly, that abundance has vanished and Polanui now has the lowest fish biomass in Hawai’i, meaning its fish are smaller and fewer than all other sites surveyed across the state.
You’ll meet Ekolu Lindsey and the Polanui Hiu, a local community group that he co-founded which works to restore the resources and Hawaiian traditions once practiced along this shore. Find out about their work and their results of recent human use and creel surveys conducted at Polanui (surveys of beachgoer and angler activity in the nearshore waters of this area).
Our guest emcee is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360, made possible by H-Hawaii Media.
“Let’s learn together to find ways to be more effective in bringing about positive change for our reefs, both now while tourism is largely absent, and later, when visitors begin to visit Maui again,” says Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “This free webinar is offered as part of our Know Your Ocean Speaker Series, offered online due to Covid-19.”
Special thanks to the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development for helping to make this presentation possible.
To register for the webinar, please visit https://bit.ly/reefcare or https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1RIULfUXRhy-6_zrwRGpnQ. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining this webinar.
Our presenters include:
Francisca (Kika) Santana is a fourth year PhD candidate in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER). She studies how individuals and groups respond to environmental change and climate risk. Specifically, her research investigates how individuals make protective health decisions in response to wildfire smoke, what motivates coastal users to take pro-environmental action in a declining coral reef environment on Maui, Hawaiʻi and how communities respond to land loss and restoration efforts in coastal Louisiana. She draws from theories and methods in sociology, environmental and social psychology, and decision science. Before pursuing her degree at Stanford, Francisca worked on energy and marine policy issues in the nonprofit and government sectors. She received a master’s degree in environmental science and management from UC Santa Barbara and a BA in history from Yale University.
Edwin “Ekolu” Lindsey
Raised on Maui (where he loved visiting his grandparents’ home in Lahaina to surf, swim and fish in the waters of Polanui), Ekolu graduated from Kamehameha Schools on O‘ahu, and earned a B.B.A. at University of Hawaiʻi at Mänoa. Ekolu’s parents — Ed Lindsey, a Native Hawaiian and lifelong schoolteacher, and Puanani Lindsey — co-founded Maui Cultural Lands in 2002. Ed Lindsey also co-founded Maui Nui Marine Resource Council in 2007 with marine biologist Robin Newbold. After his father passed away in 2009, Ekolu assumed the role of president of Maui Cultural Lands. He carries forward his familyʻs legacy of service and their vision of protecting and restoring Hawaiian cultural resources and the marine environment. In July of 2015, he completed a ten-day, 500-mile journey aboard the voyaging canoe Hikianalia to the Papahänaumokuäkea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to conduct reef surveys and fish monitoring to help better manage Hawai‘i’s marine resources. Ekolu also cofounded Polanui Hiu, the first Community Managed Makai Area (CMMA) on Maui. Ekolu is a member of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s Board of Directors.
Alana Yurkanin
Alana is the Maui Marine Project Manager at The Nature Conservancy and serves on the Steering Committee of Hui O Ka Wai Ola, a unique community-based ocean water quality monitoring program on Maui. Alana grew up in Hawai’i with a fisherman as a father. From all of her time spent in and around the ocean, she wanted to protect and continue to understand the environment along and beyond the coast – as well as the people and culture so intrinsically connected to our surroundings. In 2014, she completed a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management with a specialization in Coastal Marine Resource Management and a focus in Strategic Communications at the Bren School, UC Santa Barbara. During her program at Bren, she focused her studies on topics relevant to natural resource management, fisheries management strategies, storytelling, communication and media, coastal ecology, project management, and marine science. Additionally, she has a background in environmental education, marine science education, outdoor education, ecotourism, seamanship, team building, international aid work, performing arts, homesteading, and farming.
About Darla Palmer-Ellingson:
With a strong passion for volunteerism on environmental issues, Darla produces and hosts the public affairs program, Island Environment 360, Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics. The program is made possible by H-Hawaii Media. Darla is a member of the County of Maui Citizens Advisory Committee on the Climate Crisis and a member of Vice President Al Gore’s Reality Project, Hawaii chapter. Her company, 360 Social Business, LLC provides website design, content, social media management, general business and marketing consulting.

“A Closer Look at Hawaiʻi’s Sea Turtles”: Free Webinar
2020-09-09 17:30 - 19:00
If you’re one of the many people who love sea turtles, join us at a free webinar on Weds. Sept. 9 to take a closer look at these amazing marine reptiles. With wildlife endocrinologist Dr. Camryn Allen youʻll learn about the ratio of male vs. female turtles at foraging grounds — and what that means for the potential impacts of climate change on our sea turtle populations. The evening will also include a presentation by Shandell Brunson, NOAA’s sea turtle stranding coordinator for Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands region, who will share findings from sea turtle strandings in Hawai’i, including what’s being learned about threats from strandings, rehabilitations and deaths.
Dr. Allen is the Supervisory Marine Biological Researcher (JIMAR) at the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research at NOAA Fisheries Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center in the Protected Species Division and created a sea turtle endocrinology laboratory to examine sex ratios of sea turtles in the wild.
Shandell Brunson is a biological sciences technician with the Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program and is NOAA’s sea turtle stranding coordinator for Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands region.
Our guest emcee is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics. The program is made possible by H-Hawaii Media.
This free online event is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” and is made possible with support from the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development.
Advance reservations are for the Zoom webinar. To make your free reservation, please visit https://bit.ly/HawaiiSeaTurtles.
The talk will also be presented on Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs Facebook Live page at https://www.facebook.com/MNMRC.
Questions will be accepted from the audience on both Zoom and Facebook.

Free Oct. 7 Webinar by Daniel Amato, Ph.D. on “Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future”
2020-10-07 17:30 - 18:30
Part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs Online “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series”
What will determine the future impacts of sewage on Hawai’i’s nearshore ecosystems and public health? Learn more at a free Zoom webinar titled “Sewage Impacts on Hawaiʻi’s Coastlines: Past, Present and Future” by Daniel Amato, Ph.D., which will include recent research and latest information on Hawaiʻi’s wastewater saga. The webinar will take place on Wednesday October 7 at 5:30 pm and is free and open to the public. It is presented by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as part of their monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.” Advance reservations are recommended as the Zoom webinar is limited to 100 attendees.
“My talk will share reports on how injection wells and cesspools continue to pollute Hawaiʻi’s waters, with an emphasis on recent Maui studies,” says Dr. Amato. ”I will also present recent decisions from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and the current status of their effort to phase out cesspools.”
Dr. Amato will also discuss the current situation with sewage pollution in Hawai’i, and will present community efforts and new technological developments in sewage detection that show promise for the future.
A water quality specialist, Dr. Amato’s professional work focuses on the detection and impacts of land-based pollution in the Pacific Ocean and the development of new technology to assist in detecting the DNA of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in the water.Dr. Amato is a Marine Research Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, an Environmental Scientist at Element Environmental LLC, and serves as the coordinator for Surfrider-Oahu’s Blue Water Task Force.
“We are offering this webinar by Dr. Amato to share important information about sewage and its impact on Maui’s coastlines, including ocean water quality and our nearshore coral reefs,” says Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “It’s a critically important topic, at a time when our coral reefs need the benefit of clean ocean water, to survive the impacts of climate change and warming water.”
“We thank the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development for supporting our Know Your Ocean Speaker Series,” says Hodges.

Free Webinar: "Exploring the Octopus: How to Learn from Animal Behavior"
2020-11-18 15:00 - 16:30
Octopuses explore the world around them with their flexible arms, which can touch — and actually taste — to help them quickly identify prey. Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites the public to learn more about the specialized octopus cells that make this unique ability possible at a free Zoom webinar titled “Exploring the Octopus: How to Learn from Animal Behavior” on Wednesday, November 18 at 3 pm. This presentation is part of MNMRC’s monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.”
The guest speaker will be Peter Kilian, Research Assistant and Aquatic Animal Technician at the Bellono Lab at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. The lab studies how diverse organisms sense and respond to changes in their environment.
Peter will be sharing his work on a paper which he co-authored that was recently published in Cell titled, “Molecular Basis of Chemotactile Sensation in Octopus.” Stories about this report, which describes how octopus can both touch and taste with their arms, have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, tv news shows and online journals, including The New York Times, CNN, Smithsonian Magazine and others.
As a research assistant and aquatic animal technician at Bellono Lab, Peter spends most of his time working with fish, sharks, cephalopods, and various other marine invertebrates to try and learn how and why they behave the way they do.
“So many of us on Maui are fascinated with octopuses, especially after ‘My Octopus Teacher’ launched on Netflix,” says Meredith Beeson, Project and Research Coordinator at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We are excited to host this presentation by Peter Kilian, which will describe how Harvard researchers looked at the octopus at the molecular level to learn how the nervous system in the octopus’ arms — which operate largely independently from its centralized brain — allows these animals to both touch and taste their prey.”
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council offers its monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” via Zoom, usually on the first Wednesday of the month. This month’s presentation was delayed due to Election Day and Veteran’s Day. Please note that this event will start at 3 pm, earlier than other “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” talks, because the speaker is located in Massachusetts. If you wish to view the presentation, but cannot attend at 3 pm, please email info@mauireefs.org to receive emailed information about where and how to view the presentation later in the day.
To make a reservation for the live Zoom presentation, please visit https://bit.ly/OctopusTalk
The “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” is made possible with support from the County of Maui Mayorʻs Office of Economic Development.
About our speaker:
Peter Kilian, Research Assistant and Aquatic Animal Technician at the Bellono Lab at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, has been interested in the mystery of animal behavior since a young age. His drive to work with animals originates from countless trips to the local zoo and aquarium when he was growing up. This curiosity continued to evolve in college, where Peter dove into his passion for animal work. While in college he spent time working as a beekeeper, a penguin aquarist at the New England Aquarium, and a pygmy octopus husbandry specialist in the mariculture lab at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. He has since graduated from college, and now works full time in the Bellono Lab at Harvard as a research assistant and aquatic animal technician. He spends most of his time working with fish, sharks, cephalopods, and various other marine invertebrates to try and learn how and why they behave the way they do.

Free Online “Talk Story” Presentation by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council to Offer Latest on Projects to Protect Coral Reefs
2020-12-02 17:30 - 19:00
MĀ‘ALAEA, HI – Want to learn the latest about the oyster project that’s taking place in Māʻalaea Bay? The ocean water quality monitoring at 39 sites in South and West Maui? The fire suppression project in Pohakea watershed in Māʻalaea? How about educational programs about reducing pesticide use to protect Maui’s reefs and marine wildlife?
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) is inviting the public to an online “Talk Story” meeting on Weds, Dec. 2 from 5:30 pm to 7 pm during which MNMRC staff will present updates about the organizationʻs ongoing conservation programs.
New ocean water quality monitoring data about sites in South and West Maui will also be presented by Hui O Ka Wai Ola (Association of Living Waters) staff and volunteers. Hui O Ka Wai Ola was co-founded and is co-managed by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, The Nature Conservancy and West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative, working closely with the State of Hawaii Department of Health Clean Water Branch.
This online event will include time for participants to offer their ideas and suggestions on steps to improve coral reef health and ocean water quality along the shorelines of Maui County.
Door prizes will be awarded. Admission is free. Advance registration is required. Please visit https://bit.ly/talkstorymnmrc
“Despite Covid-19, the year 2020 has been a very busy one for Maui Nui Marine Resource Council with many projects and programs moving forward,” said Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We would like to share our progress and new developments with the community, and also hear back from everyone with their suggestions for ways we can tackle some of the most pressing problems impacting our reefs and nearshore areas in Maui County.”
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 13 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

Please Volunteer to Assist with Pre-Rainy Season Mā’alaea Ditch Clean Up on Sunday, December 27
2020-12-27 08:00 - 11:00 | Meet at Parking Lot between Maui Ocean Center and Carl’s Jr. by EV Charging Stations (along Honoapiilani Highway in Ma’alaea), 300 Ma'alaea Road, Wailuku, HI, 96793, United States
MĀ’ALAEA, HI — Looking for ways to give back this holiday season? Maui Nui Marine Resource Council invites the public to help protect marine life and water quality in Mā’alaea Bay by participating in a clean-up of trash that has been accumulating in the Mā’alaea ditch by the Honoapi‘ilani Highway. The clean-up will take place on Sunday, December 27, from 8 am – 11 am. Now is the time to remove trash from the ditch before heavy rains arrive and cause the debris to wash into the ocean.
“Unless we act now, the trash will flow into the ocean when winter storms arrive, putting marine life and water quality in Mā’alaea Bay at risk,” says Tiara Stark, clean-up coordinator. “We’ll meet at the EV charging stations at the parking lot along the highway between Maui Ocean Center and Carl’s Jr.”
Trash bags, gloves, and facemasks will be provided.
“To ensure a fun and safe event, safety precautions such as mask wearing, social distancing, and limitations on the number of volunteers will be enforced,” notes Stark. “Please wear closed toed shoes and long pants; don’t forget your hat, sunscreen and water bottle.”
“It feels good to make a difference,” says Stark.
To volunteer for one or more one-hour time slots, please sign up through this link:
https://bit.ly/MaalaeaCleanUp
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a nonprofit organization working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish. The organization is working to improve ocean water quality in Mā’alaea Bay through an oyster bioremediation project and a program to reduce sediment runoff from the adjoining Pohakea watershed. To learn more and to Adopt an Oyster to support this work, please visit www.mauireefs.org.

Free presentation about unique collaboration of 7 environmental projects on Maui and Molokaʻi
2021-01-27 17:30 - 19:00
During the Great Depression, the government-sponsored Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided paychecks for 3 million unemployed young men and provided valuable labor for conservation projects across the country.
With unemployment at record levels due to COVID-19, a new program followed this historical CCC model and put more than 70 Maui and Molokai residents to work in November, providing seven local conservation nonprofits with needed labor to benefit coral reefs, cultural resources and the environment.
The public is invited to a free presentation on Weds. January 27 at 5:30 pm on Zoom to learn about this unique collaborative employment and workforce training program and the impact it had on our local environment. The presentation will include videos, photos and firsthand accounts of the projects and accomplishments, with information on how the projects incorporated traditional Hawaiian cultural practices and modern technology to prevent sediment pollution in the ocean and protect valuable cultural resources.
It’s free, but registration is required. To sign up, visit https://bit.ly/mauiCARES
This unique collaborative employment and workforce training program was made possible through the County of Maui Office of Economic Development’s Maui CARES program, which was funded by the Federal CARES Act. As the fiscal sponsor, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council oversaw the administration of the Maui CARES funding for the projects and managed the rapid employment of more than 70 new hires with the help of simplicityHR by ALTRES.
The workers participated in conservation and restoration projects in Olowalu, Waihe’e, Keanae, Kipahulu, Hana and Moloka’i. All of the projects were rooted in Hawaiian cultural practices and values which serve as the foundation of our community. Their work was filmed by Inflatable Film of Kula. The evening will include video premieres exclusively for webinar attendees.
“Through this presentation, attendees will be immersed in a virtual experience to feel the importance of Kuleana, ʻOhana, Kōkua, Aloha ʻAina, Mālama ʻAina, and Hānai ʻAina, said Ekolu Lindsey, President of Maui Cultural Lands and a principal organizer of this program. “Be inspired to follow in the footsteps of those who have come before us, as we share our legacies with you.”
The participating nonprofits include:
Ka Honua Momona on Molokai worked to restore two ancient fishponds, which will help trap sediment before it reaches the open ocean – with the benefit of also producing fish for local people.
Kipahulu ‘Ohana in East Maui improved a lo’i, or wetland taro farm. The taro plants will slow the flow of stormwater, allowing time for sediment in the water to settle, rather than flow out to sea.
Hawaiian Islands Land Trust in Waihe’e worked to remove invasive species along approximately 3,000 linear feet of Kalepa Stream to lower sediment loads in the nearshore waters off Waihe’e and protect offshore corals.
Ke Ao Hali‘i (KAH) in Hana worked on 27 acres of publicly owned land at Mokae/Kaholaiki and another ~2 acres of contiguous land, directly above Hamoa Beach. Their project included invasive plant removal and native habitat restoration for seabirds and insects, and a biological survey of ‘opihi as a baseline for a possible ‘opihi rest area in the future.
Kipuka Olowalu in West Maui reestablished washed out and damaged lo’i (taro fields), rebuilt vanished lo’i and prepared lo’i for planting in the Olowalu Cultural Reserve. Workers removed overgrowth, fire hazards and invasive plants; planted native plants and crops and repaired infrasturcture.
Na Moku ‘Aupuni O Ko‘olau Hui in East Maui worked on watershed management and stream maintenance, as well as stream and ditch monitoring in the East Maui Irrigation system to establish accurate data for stream and ditch flow and loss as a basis for making sound future management decisions related to this resource and delivery infrastructure.   Each of the nonprofits will be presenting their work and accomplishments through photos, video and stories from the field.
Na Mamo o Mu‘olea in East Maui focused on land and shoreline management on a county parcel (which Nā Mamo O Mū’olea has a 50 year lease). It included removal of invasive plants around a rock wall that is on the historic registry, and preparation for wall restorations, maintenance of two heiau on the property, installation of new fencing around an area designated for native trees and medicinal plants, and maintenance and repair of feral animal controls.
“This presentation is a celebration of all that was accomplished and learned,” said Lindsey. “We encourage the public to attend to connect with these organizations and the workers who put heart and soul into these challenging and impactful projects.“
The emcees for this event are Ekolu Lindsey and Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 13 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

Free Feb. 10 talk on “Using the distant past as a guide for future decision-making about restoring and managing coastal lands in Waiheʻe and other parts of Hawaiʻi” by Scott Fisher, PhD
2021-02-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom webinar
Reserve your free spot at https://bit.ly/HILTpast
How can the distant past be used as a guide for future decision-making about restoring and managing coastal lands and helping these ecosystems survive future challenges from rising sea levels and climate change? Learn more at a free Zoom presentation that focuses on the science of paleoecology, which is the study of interactions between organisms and their environments across geologic timescales, by Scott Fisher, PhD, Chief Conservation Officer at Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT). The talk will take place on Wednesday, February 10, and will be hosted by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as part of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.”
Dr. Fisher’s presentation will be shared via Zoom and is free of charge and open to all who wish to attend. Advance reservations are required and are free. To reserve, visit https://bit.ly/HILTpast
Fisher and the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust staff are using sediment coring at locations such as Nu`u Pond to extract and examine micro-fossils embedded in the sediment. They are working to understand past ecosystems on HILT lands, particularly the function and composition of vegetation across landscapes. For example, what plants and organisms were most dominant approximately 2,000 years ago, long before the first humans arrived on Maui? How were they capable of withstanding substantial ecological disturbances, such as floods and tsunami? What can be learned from this natural history to better manage coastal lands in Waiheʻe and other parts of Hawaiʻi to make them more resilient to a changing global climate?
“As climate change brings about substantive changes to our islands, we need to discern ways of adapting to more intense storms, sea level rise and loss of coastal ecosystems,” said Dr. Fisher. “The past holds the key to the future, and by learning about the past, we can better understand how to restore, adapt and change in order to make our islands and nearshore coral reefs more resilient.”
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” events are held monthly via Zoom. Support for these events is provided by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
The emcee for this event is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.
About Scott Fisher, PhD:
Scott grew up in Kula, and at age 17 enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After his discharge, he studied at Colorado State University. Scott’s graduate work includes an M.A. in Peace Studies with a concentration in Native Hawaiian Strategies of Peacemaking and Reconciliation. His PhD. explored the dynamics of post-conflict recovery in a civil war on the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, with a particular emphasis on how communities make wise decisions about conflicts over natural resources. Scott also holds a graduate certificate in ecological restoration from the University of Idaho.
Since 2003 Scott has worked for the Maui Coastal Land Trust, first as a project manager at the land trust’s 277-acre Waihe‘e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge and is now the Chief Conservation Officer for the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust. In this capacity he has been involved in all aspects of ecological restoration work on land trust properties. In 2017 Scott began a three-year research fellowship in Paleoecology with the University of Leicester in England. With materials collected in Hawai`i, and with the assistance of the Quaternary Palaeoecology Working Group, his research was able to reconstruct the dominant floral species at Waihe`e over the past 12,000 years (since the beginning of the Holocene). More recently Scott has been consulting with the US Forest Service on a wetlands restoration project in western Madagascar.
About Hawaiian Islands Land Trust:
The Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT) is a state-wide land conservation organization dedicated to protecting the lands that sustain Hawaiʻi, while teaching future generations to do the same. HILT’s mission is to protect and steward the lands that sustain Hawaiʻi, and to perpetuate Hawaiian values by connecting people with ʻāina. Throughout ka pae`āina (the Hawaiian archipelago) HILT has protected over 20,000 acres through both fee ownership and conservation easements.
About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council:
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a community-based nonprofit organization celebrating 13 years of working for healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish throughout Maui County. Our work includes co-managing the Hui O Ka Wai Ola Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program in South and West Maui, efforts to reduce pollution in Mā‘alaea Bay (through erosion-control efforts in the Pohakea watershed and using oysters to filter sediment and pollutants from ocean water), coral reef research, visitor education programs and more. Learn more at www.mauireefs.org.

"Shark Research in Hawaii – With an Emphasis on Maui" Free Presentation by Kim Holland, PhD
2021-03-03 17:30 - 18:30
Recent shark attacks that occurred off the coast of Maui in November (2020), December (2020) and January (2021), as well as an incident in February (2021) which involved a large shark biting a kayak, have many ocean users concerned and curious about the sharks found in our nearshore waters.
The public is invited to learn more about our local sharks at a free Zoom presentation titled “Shark Research in Hawaii – With an Emphasis on Maui.” It wlll be presented by Dr. Kim Holland, Research Professor at Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, (HIMB) at University of Hawaii at Manoa and the founder of the Shark Research Group at HIMB.
This free talk is hosted by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” and will take place on Wednesday, March 3 at 5:30 pm via Zoom. The presentation is free, but advance reservations are required. To reserve your spot, please visit https://bit.ly/SharkWebinar
For over 40 years Dr. Holland’s research has focused on the biology and movement patterns of large marine fishes such as tuna, billfishes and sharks. He has been a pioneer in helping to develop and deploy cutting edge tracking technologies that allow unprecedented insight into the movement patterns of marine fishes.
His presentation will include a brief overview of tracking technologies with an emphasis on what has been learned about the movements of sharks around Maui Nui.
“While many Maui residents and visitors are fearful about sharks, it’s important to remember that sharks play an important role in maintaining Hawaii’s ocean ecosystems,” said Anne Rillero, Communications, Community Outreach and Development Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We’re looking forward to learning more about Dr. Holland’s findings and insights about Hawaii’s sharks.”
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” events are held monthly via Zoom. Support for these events is provided by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
The emcee for this event is Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program Island Environment 360 — Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.

Free Presentation on “Growing Up Fast: A Land-Based Coral Nursery for Restoring Hawaii’s Reefs” Offered During Earth Week
2021-04-21 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom webinar
KIHEI, HI— In honor of Earth Day and Earth Week, the public is invited to a free presentation on “Growing Up Fast: A Land-Based Coral Nursery for Restoring Hawaii’s Reefs” on Zoom on Wednesday, April 21 at 5:30 pm.
The presenter will be coral specialist Christina Jayne of the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery. The talk is hosted by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, as part of its monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.”
Coral reef restoration is the process of raising new corals — often from fragments of coral salvaged from the wild — in a protected, nurturing environment, then transplanting them out into the ocean to grow and form new reefs. When combined with efforts to improve coral reef habitat, it is viewed as a way to help coral reefs survive the stresses of climate change and warming ocean waters.
For the past two years, Jayne has worked for the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources as a coral restoration specialist at the Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery on Oahu with director David Gulko. Before moving to Honolulu, she earned her bachelor’s in Marine Biology from the University of California San Diego and her masters from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.“Hawaii’s reefs are extremely unique and Hawaiian corals have some of the slowest growth rates in the world, which is why the State has taken an innovative, land-based approach to coral restoration,” notes Jayne.
Hawaii’s first state coral nursery, which is managed by DAR, opened in 2016 at the Anuenue Fisheries Research Center on Oahu.
Corals are brought to the Coral Restoration Nursery and are rapidly grown using a series of aquarium-based techniques that help them to generate large coral colony modules in a fraction of the time it would take naturally, which can be out-planted back on the reef.
The nursery typically uses corals for out-planting from harbors because of their lower ecological value compared to corals from natural areas, says DAR, and they may also be more resilient to any challenges and environmental changes.
University of Hawaii Sea Grant researchers are also conducting experiments at the Anuenue facility to understand different environmental conditions, like light and water movement, that are useful for growing corals quickly. Creating the best environment for the corals to grow rapidly will help to restore local reefs after disturbance events such as bleaching or physical damage.
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” events are held monthly via Zoom. Support for these events is provided by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
The virtual event’s emcee will be Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.
To reserve your spot at this free Zoom webinar, please visit https://bit.ly/coralnurserywebinar

Free presentation on “Purifying Kihei’s Wastewater with Green Infrastructure as an Alternative to Injection Wells”
2021-06-09 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom webinar
Three new low cost, low energy, pilot green infrastructure systems that will be constructed in Kihei this summer to purify water coming out of the Kihei Wastewater Reclamation Facility will be the topic of a free Zoom presentation by Paul Sturm, Executive Director of Ridge to Reefs, on Wednesday, June 9 at 5:30 pm. This new system will harness the power of plants, soil and microbial activity to purify wastewater to approach drinking water standards, dramatically expanding its potential uses and reducing the need for disposal via injection wells.
This talk will be presented via Zoom as part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.” These monthly virtual events are supported by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
To reserve your spot, please visit https://bit.ly/KiheiWastewater.
Sturm will be presenting plans for the three new Kihei Wastewater Disposal Pilot projects that Ridge to Reefs will construct this summer with support from support from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and assistance from John Astilla, founder and owner of Sunshine Vetiver Solutions and construction support from Ali’i Farm Service. The pilot projects will be aesthetically pleasing and odor-free, bearing a closer resemblance to gardens rather than treatment facilities.
“Through natural processes, we will reduce the amount of wastewater that needs to be disposed of; any remaining wastewater will come as close as possible to drinking water standards, expanding opportunities for its re-use,” says Sturm. “Our Ridge to Reefs Kihei Wastewater Disposal Pilot will be up and running within two months, ready to demonstrate the effectiveness of Ridge to Reef’s nature-based solutions as viable, affordable alternatives to groundwater injection disposal.”
“We believe this system has the potential to reduce land-to-sea pollution from wastewater, to benefit Maui’s local coral reefs,” says Sturm.
Ridge to Reefs (RTR) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) formed in 2011 to help protect and restore coastal and coral reef ecosystems by reducing land-to-sea pollution with green infrastructure. The organization uses natural methods and innovative engineering to solve pressing environmental and social problems. Their expertise includes treating polluted storm and wastewater by establishing green infrastructure solutions such as constructed wetlands, rain gardens and bioreactors. Using proven natural methods and state-of-the-art engineering, Ridge to Reefs has installed systems in Maryland, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Palau and American Samoa. To learn more, visit https://www.ridgetoreefs.org/
The event’s emcee will be Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.
“As a nonprofit working for healthy coral reefs and clean ocean water, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is extremely proud to host this presentation, as our community works on solutions to reduce pollution to our nearshore waters, to help our coral reefs survive,” says Mike Fogarty, Executive Director of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We are happy to see this innovative science-based pilot project come to Kihei, to use natural materials to better treat wastewater and reduce its pollution impacts on our ocean waters.”
To reserve your spot at this free Zoom webinar, please visit https://bit.ly/KiheiWastewater.
About Paul Sturm:
Paul founded Ridge to Reefs (non-profit organization) in 2011 to support local creation and implementation of watershed plans primarily in the Chesapeake Bay and in coral reef watersheds – with the goal to achieve tangible environmental outcomes.
Paul and his team are currently testing a low cost, low energy, nature-based alternative septic system with University of Hawaii and have constructed similar systems in Puerto Rico and American Samoa. He has worked on innovative methods to control sediment transport using vegetation and stormwater using plants and biochar amendments. Recent efforts have also focused on improving food security, soil health and agricultural resilience in the face of climate change.
Paul is a former Center for Watershed Protection Director/Biologist and spent 11 years working on watershed plans, implementation projects and code changes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and around the country. Prior to that, he spent 6 years researching the effectiveness of implementation of agricultural and urban BMP’s and developed methods to track and target pollution source areas in agricultural watersheds.
Paul participated in the development of the EPA Sponsored Illicit discharge detection manual. He directly assisted the development of field assessment protocols for the Outfall Reconnaissance Inventory (ORI) and the development of the field form as well as the water chemistry testing protocol that was developed for the manual. The manual was produced for EPA and distributed to officials in all 50 states to help guide NPDES compliance methods for Phase I and Phase II communities. Paul also helped conduct a webcast for EPA that included over 1000 attendees. Paul conducted the field portion of the training where videos of the outfall reconnaissance inventory methods were presented for several outfalls. Paul also answered technical questions from participants in the webcast.
Paul has contributed to more than 20 publications and has presented more than 60 lectures around the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. These include participation as a trainer at four National Watershed Institutes, invited speaker at four US Coral Reef Task Meetings in Washington, D.C. and San Juan, Puerto Rico, three National River Rallies, three Army Corp of Engineers Water in the Watersheds Courses in Davis, CA and a Coastal Zone Management Course for the Institute of Marine Affairs in Trinidad and Tobago. Paul has led trainings in stream assessment, stormwater retrofitting, erosion, code change, illicit discharge detection and elimination, and sediment and erosion control.

Free Presentation by Dr. Craig Downs and Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard: “Education vs. Enforcement: Next Steps Beyond the Enactment of Hawaii's Sunscreen Law”
2021-07-07 17:30 - 19:30
Hawaii’s ban on sunscreens containing the reef-harming chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate went into effect on January 1, but is the law effective in protecting our local coral reefs and marine animals as intended? Is the ban being enforced? What’s the latest scientific evidence about the chemicals that are replacing these two ingredients in some brands of sunscreen? Are new laws needed?
Get the answers to these important questions on Wednesday, July 7 at 5:30 p.m. via a free Zoom presentation featuring special guest speakers: Dr. Craig Downs, whose groundbreaking research educated the world about sunscreen chemicals and their role in coral reef decline; and Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard, who authored the legislation that resulted in Hawaii’s ban on the sale of sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate.
The presentation titled “Education vs. Enforcement: Next Steps Beyond the Enactment of Hawaii’s Sunscreen Law” is sponsored by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and hosted by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as part of the organization’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.”
This event is free, but advanced reservations are required. To reserve your spot, please visit https://bit.ly/SunscreenWebinar.
Downs graduated from Hiram College with a B.A. in philosophy and biology, received his M.Sc. from Syracuse University, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii in cell and molecular biology. He has published over 50 scientific papers and a number of book chapters in scientific textbooks, and is the co-editor of the CRC press veterinary book, Diseases of Corals, as well as founded a number of companies and nonprofits relating anywhere from animal welfare to environmental conservation and exploration.
Downs has held positions as research professor at University of Hawaii’s School of Medicine and Sweet Briar College. He is currently an invited professor at Sorbonne University (France) and is the Executive Director of Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, a non-profit scientific organization dedicated to increasing the scientific, social and economic knowledge of natural environmental habitats in order to better conserve and restore threatened environmental habitats and resources.
Gabbard, who has represented District 20 since 2006, which includes Kapolei, Makakilo, and portions of Kalaeloa, Waipahu, and Ewa, has authored 54 bills that became law relating to energy efficiency, renewable energy, endangered species protection, industrial hemp, the environment, public safety, and more.
One of those bills that became law in 2018, SB 2571, is the ban of sale or distribution in the state of any sunscreen that contains oxybenzone or octinoxate, or both. Last session, Gabbard introduced SB 366, which would ban the sale, offer of sale, or distribution in Hawaii of any sunscreen that contains two more chemicals, avobenzone or octocrylene.
The speakers plan to address whether or not sunscreen pollution is a symptom of unsustainable tourism and coastal development, how we get visitors and residents to comply with the new sunscreen law, and who is responsible for enforcing it.
This panel will also provide information and tips on how you can help to protect the marine environment.
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” events are held monthly via Zoom. Support for these events is provided by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
The virtual event’s emcee will be Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.
To reserve your spot at this free Zoom webinar, please visit https://bit.ly/SunscreenWebinar.

Free Presentation “Saving a Species: “Rehabilitation as a Conservation Tool for Hawaiian Monk Seals” Offered on Weds., Aug. 4
2021-08-04 17:30 - 19:00 | Zoom webinar
Hawaiian monk seals are endangered, with fewer than 1,400 animals left on earth — yet they have recently been in the news, as videos and photos have surfaced showing the seals falling victim to harassment by visitors who get too close or attempt to touch them, sometimes for social media content. Learn more about Hawaiian monk seals at a free presentation called “Saving a Species: Rehabilitation as a Conservation Tool for Hawaiian Monk Seals” on Wednesday, August 4 at 5:30 pm HST via Zoom where two special guests from The Marine Mammal Center’s dedicated hospital for monk seals, Ke Kai Ola, on Hawai’i Island will highlight their conservation and outreach work.
The Center’s Lauren Van Heukelem, Response and Operations Coordinator, and Dr. Sophie Whoriskey, Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Veterinarian, will speak at this event, part of the “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” which is hosted every month by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.
Researchers estimate that about 30 percent of Hawaiian monk seals are alive today due to conservation efforts led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partners like the Center. The mission of The Marine Mammal Center focuses on global ocean conservation through rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education.
Reserve a spot at the free presentation by visiting https://www.bitly.com/monksealwebinar
“We are hosting this special presentation with the awareness that public education is needed to help protect our Hawaiian monk seals from harassment or injury,” says Anne Rillero, Communications Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “These animals are among the most endangered seals on earth.”
Dr. Whoriskey received her bachelor’s degree from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and her veterinary medical degree from the Atlantic Veterinary College. She first came to The Marine Mammal Center in 2015 as the intern veterinarian in marine mammal medicine and pathology where she spent two years training with marine mammal medicine experts.
In 2020, she returned to the Center as a full-time Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Veterinarian. She leads the Center’s Hawaiʻi animal care operations, dedicated to the rehabilitation, conservation and research of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.
Whoriskey has extensive field experience in remote and harsh environments and has participated in research projects from Alaska to Antarctica, all with a mission of advancing the global body of knowledge on marine mammal health.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Van Heukelem received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Marine Biology. She has participated in many research studies both in Hawaiʻi and the Northern Mariana Islands on various topics.
As the Response and Operations Coordinator, Van Heukelem oversees the monitoring of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal population on Hawaiʻi Island. She runs the Center’s 24-hour hotline for reporting seal sightings around the island and coordinates outreach and population assessments on a daily basis.
“On Hawai’i Island, we operate Ke Kai Ola, the only hospital dedicated to Hawaiian monk seals, providing support for monk seals found throughout the Hawaii archipelago,” says Van Heukelem. “Utilizing a 24-hour response hotline and a variety of education and outreach programs, we aim to advance conservation practices that empower our local community to protect this rare species.”
This presentation will focus on the center’s mission and work over the past 45 years in California and Hawaiʻi. Since opening Ke Kai Ola in 2014, The Marine Mammal Center has treated 36 Hawaiian monk seals and supports the work of NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program by providing the only long-term care facility for this endangered animal.
These monthly virtual events are supported by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
The event’s emcee will be Darla Palmer-Ellingson, local radio show host of the public affairs program, Island Environment 360 Maui’s only commercially broadcast public affairs show on environmental and related Hawaiian cultural topics, aired on the stations of H-Hawaii Media.
To reserve your spot at this free Zoom webinar, please visit https://www.bitly.com/monksealwebinar

Eleu (PP08), a weaned female Hawaiian monk seal pup rescued from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Refuge, rests during rehabilitation at The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola hospital and visitor center in Kailua-Kona, HI. The young female seal’s name means one that is active, alert, energetic, lively and nimble. Credit Lauren Van Heukelem © The Marine Mammal Center, NOAA Permit #18786-03

Hawaiian monk seals RK26 (on left) and RL50 (on right) rest on a beach. As the world’s largest marine mammal hospital, The Marine Mammal Center actively monitors endangered monk seals that frequent Big Island beaches to check on their condition, but its experts do not serve in a law enforcement capacity. Credit Sheila Latta © The Marine Mammal Center
