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Know Your Ocean: Have You Taken “The Coral Pledge?”

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Learn about the “The Coral Pledge,” a new initiative to reduce human impacts on Hawaiiʻs reefs year-round. The presenter was Dan Dennison, Senior Communications Manager for the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). The Coral Pledge was created by the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources and was introduced statewide earlier this month. The eveningʻs presentation included details about The Coral Pledge and featured a showing of “Saving Coral,” a half-hour television special created by DLNR to educate the public about threats to Hawaii’s coral reefs.

Dennison also provided updates on “30 x 30” which is a State of Hawaii commitment to effectively manage 30% of Hawaiiʻs nearshore ocean waters by 2030. At the conclusion of the evening, Maui Ocean Center also provided a special holiday treat for attendees: a viewing of the movie, “Humpbacks of Hawaii,” shown in 3D at The Sphere.

“The Coral Pledge provides a simple set of recommendations to help reduce human impacts to Hawai‘i reefs year-round, but particularly during bleaching events,” says Dennison. “While all ocean users can learn from the recommendations in The Coral Pledge, we especially encourage commercial tour operators and businesses who work in and around the ocean, and who regularly interact with visitors, to attend to learn about The Coral Pledge and hopefully to sign up to participate in this initiative.”

Click on the video below to watch the presentation:

About
Presented by Dan Dennison

Dan currently serves as the Senior Communications Manager for the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources. He brings more than four decades of broadcast journalism experience to his current position. Prior to joining DLNR in 2014, Dan served as news director at six, top-rated television stations, in four states, including KHON2 and KHNL/K5 in Honolulu. He began his news management career in his native Colorado after being a television reporter and photographer for 25 years covering Western Colorado for Denver television stations. He has multiple Emmy awards, state broadcaster association awards, and Edward R. Murrow awards both as a reporter and news director. At DLNR, Dan has been responsible for the production of more than 1.000 videos to date, including seven television specials. He supervises a team of communications specialists who handle all internal/external communications, media relations, and social media. Dan has served on numerous state and national boards both as a broadcaster and now as a government communications professional. He is an avid hiker, bicyclist, snorkeler, and skier, and loves to play tennis and Frisbee. He says he is both blessed and honored to document the work of DLNR staff and its many partners in the mountains, forests, and waters that comprise Hawaii Nei. “The best job in the world,” he says.

New Sunblock Dispensers Urge South Maui Ocean-Goers to “Love the Ocean the Right Way” on Valentine’s Day

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KIHEI – Four mineral sunblock dispensers are up on this Valentine’s Day on south Maui shores, encouraging all to “love the ocean the right way.” Two are at the ‘Āhihi-Kīna‘u  Natural Area Reserve and a pair are to be installed at Mākena State Park. Thousands of people enter the ocean at these locations every day.

The dispensers hold non-nano, zinc, mineral sunscreen. Products with these active ingredients are safe for people and marine life because those elements already exist in sea water. Dermatologists say mineral-based products are the most effective protection for people, as they block out both UVB and UVA rays from the sun.

The Maui installations were inspired by a sunblock dispenser at Waialea Bay at Hāpuna State Recreation Area on Hawai‘i Island. Kelli Lundgren, board member of the Robert F. Orr Charitable Foundation, decided Maui needed dispensers. “As a volunteer at ‘Āhihi-Kīna‘u I’ve communicated with hundreds of visitors about the effectiveness and protection of mineral sunscreens. As people understand the mineral alternative and discover that sprays and bottles labeled “reef safe” actually can be harmful, they wanted an alternative.”

The Robert F. Orr Charitable Foundation through the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, and with support from the State of Hawai‘i and County of Maui, helped with the placement of dispensers at the Maui beaches. “I hope this will be the start of additional protection for Maui’s corals, fishes, and other abundant, beautiful, and essential sea life,” Lundgren added.

“Once people try mineral sunscreens, they see how easy they are to use,” said Mike Fogarty, Executive Director at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “We hope these dispensers give people an introduction to a better way of protecting themselves and marine life. Using mineral-based sunscreens also help protect the fish that many in our community rely on for food.”

Beginning on October 1, Maui County will be the first place in the country to ban the sale and use of sunscreen products with petrochemicals as active ingredients. Many of those products are labeled as “reef safe” with no scientific backing to the claims. The historic ordinance was passed unanimously by the Maui County Council and was signed into law by Mayor Michael Victorino last December.

It is intended to protect reefs and ocean food sources from continuous, daily chemical contamination. A 2018 state-wide law only banned the sale of two chemicals but allowed the continued sale of many other chemical ingredients.The Maui ordinance is stronger because it allows only the sale of mineral products. It prohibits the sale or use of any chemical compounds currently in use as well as any new compounds created in  the future.

Council member Kelly King introduced the bill and commented, “Non-mineral sunscreens are an aggressive pollutant. Our coral reefs are our first defense against climate change and sea level rise. This includes impacts such as erosion, runoff from storms and development, and seepage from wastewater injection wells. Our ordinance is one important step toward protecting the health and resilience of our reefs and marine life by removing a significant ecological stressor. Making a better choice in sun protection is one thing we can  all do immediately. What better day than Valentine’s to make a change and show your love for the kai?”

Peter Landon, of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, manages ‘Āhihi-Kīna‘u Natural Area Reserve. Landon said, “Thanks for the generous donations and everyone’s work on this issue. The     installation of these dispensers is a welcome addition to our outreach efforts, giving us a way to help visitors who were unaware of the chemical sunscreen pollutants, or thought they bought something ‘reef safe’. We appreciate it when people hear our messageand want to do the right thing.”

Raw Elements USA supplied the dispensers and product. Chis Wagaman of the company remarked, “We’re honored and proud to be a part of this project with great people participating in positive change for Maui. It is incredible to see the steps taken to educate and provide an incredible experience for everyone who goes into the ocean.”
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To view video please click on photo or view at this link: https://vimeo.com/677415105

More information about mineral sunscreens and reefs:  https://www.mauireefs.org/sunscreens

More information about Maui’s ordinance: https://www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/130826/Ord-5306

Media Contact:  Dan Dennison 
Senior Communications Manager 
Hawai’i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources 
[email protected] 
808-587-0396

Maui’s Community-Based Ocean Water Quality Monitoring Program Celebrates 100th Sampling Session

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Maui’s volunteer-based ocean water quality monitoring program Hui O Ka Wai Ola celebrated a special milestone on February 8, 2022: its 100th sampling session since the program began on Maui in 2016.

A beachside ceremony held this morning at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park in Kāʻanapali was organized by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative and The Nature Conservancy, the three organizations that co-founded and co-manage this unique community program. It was attended by about 40 Maui residents, program volunteers and local VIPs including State Representative Tina Wildberger, Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin, and Maui County Managing Director Sandy Baz, who each delivered remarks and congratulations to the volunteers and staff.

A sampling session occurs over a week’s time and typically involves about a dozen volunteers, who wake up before sunrise and fan out in groups of three or four with cars packed with water quality monitoring equipment to gather and test ocean water samples along Maui’s leeward coast.

Sampling sessions take place every three weeks. Each sampling session in West Maui covers 16 sites stretching from Pāpalaua Pali to Honolua. Each South Maui sampling session covers 13 sites from Mā’alaea to ‘Āhihi Kīna’u.

Todayʻs celebration included awarding of gift certificates donated by Duke’s Maui to the volunteers in the program, plus a ceremonial gathering of ocean water samples by long-time volunteers Kit Harris and George Burnette. It was followed by a demonstration of how the water samples are tested for sediment, temperature, pH and other factors conducted by Harris, Burnette, Representative Wildberger and Councilmember Paltin with narration by Hui O Ka Wai Ola Senior Team Lead Tiarra Stark.

Representative Wildberger had a special connection to today’s event: she had volunteered with the Hui O Ka Wai Ola monitoring program  to collect and test ocean water samples in South Maui before being elected as the District 11 Representative for Kihei, Wailea and Makena.

For Councilmember Paltin, the 100th sampling event also held special significance. She, along with then-West Maui resident Dana Reed, helped provide the spark that led to the creation of the community-based ocean water quality monitoring program after the pair observed an unusual increase in brown water events at DT Fleming Beach in 2013-2014.

“Large brown plumes started appearing at DT Fleming, even without much rainfall, which led to beach closures,” noted Reed, who is a retired electrical engineer and now lives in Pennsylvania. “One day I saw another brown plume and said, ‘That’s it! I have to investigate!’.”

Reed had learned how to test ocean water for turbidity at a UH Maui course taught by Donna Brown. She grabbed the sampling bottles she had received at the course and started gathering samples. It was then that she met Paltin, who was a lifeguard at the time. Paltin shared that she too was concerned about the brown water plumes and had photographed them and sent them to Watson Okubo, the Director of the Department of Health Clean Water Branch. Their sampling data wasn’t accepted because they did not have a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) in place to ensure the integrity of the data.

Undaunted, Reed and Paltin started documenting the water quality at DT Fleming on a regular basis, gathering data from water samples and photos, including aerial photos that Reed’s husband Bill Rathfon obtained with his drone.

Reed said that Paltin would sound the alert – “the stream is running brown!” – and Reed would rush over to grab water quality samples. Paltin also kept sampling bottles at her lifeguard station so she could gather samples during her breaks.

Paltin was a member of the Marine Nui Marine Resource Council Clean Water Committee and together with Reed and Rathfon presented data and pictures from DT Fleming to the group.

Someone who had hiked upslope to understand where the sediment runoff was originating reported that a site that was being prepared for the development of Mahana Estates appeared to be the cause of the runoff.

The project manager from Mahana Estates was invited to meet with Marine Resource Council’s clean water committee and visit the site. She reported that the developer had put up sediment fences and barriers to control the runoff but was having trouble keeping them in place because they kept breaking.

The Department of Public Works said that the developer was following the County’s Best Management Practices (BMPs) and asked for baseline data to compare the current water quality issues at DT Fleming to past years when the problem wasn’t occurring.

That data didn’t exist. But Paltin, Reed, Rathfon and Maui Nui Marine Resource Council persisted in spotlighting the problem  – and ultimately a County engineer, Department of Health representative and the developer visited the site and saw the source of the sediment.

The result was a County-mandated shutdown of the project for more than a year and improvement of the County’s BMPs.

“From that experience, I saw the importance of water quality data – including the need for baseline data – at all of our Maui beaches,” said Reed, who attended the ceremony remotely from her home in Pennsylvania. “At that time, the Department of Health Clean Water Branch had only one person sampling water quality for all of Maui. They suggested that we create a citizen’s monitoring group.”

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council and The Nature Conservancy joined together to host Carl Berg, a research scientist who has worked on water quality issues on Kauai, to learn how to create a community-based water quality monitoring program here.

He told the groups that they needed to create a Quality Assured Project Plan (QAPP) that would meet EPA requirements and State Department of Health standards for projects that involve the collection and analysis of water samples.

This led to a meeting with the Department of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, The Nature Conservancy, West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative and other community environmental groups to discuss creating a water quality monitoring program for Maui.

The result was the launch of Hui O Ka Wai Ola (the “association of living waters”) to be managed through a partnership of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, The Nature Conservancy and West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council agreed to serve as the fiscal sponsor of the program and oversee its finances and payroll.  A grant from National Fish & Wildlife Foundation obtained by The Nature Conservancy helped fund paid positions for Reed and Kim Falinski to create the program in West Maui and purchase water sampling equipment. A second grant from National Fish & Wildlife Foundation later obtained by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council made it possible to expand the program to South Maui.

The QAPP was created over a two-year period by Reed, Falinski and Scott Lerner of The Nature Conservancy. The Department of Health Clean Water Branch signed off on the QAPP and the first official samples of the new Hui O Ka Wai Ola program were collected in June of 2016.

Volunteers signed on to receive the needed training and commit to the early morning sampling sessions. “People didn’t join for fun. They joined because they cared,” said Reed. “I am amazed at how many good quality people we got, who stuck with it. People are so dedicated. I am so impressed.”

At each sampling site, one of the volunteers wades into knee deep water and fills several containers with sea water. The citizen-scientists use portable lab equipment to analyze the samples for pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, salinity and turbidity. The water quality samples are transferred to indoor labs for additional testing. Further testing for nutrients is performed on samples that are frozen and shipped to the labs at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Today, the Hui O Ka Wai Ola program manages data collected at 40 leeward sites, which has been provided to the Department of Health Clean Water Branch, to be included in reports to the EPA and State and County agencies. New data is currently being gathered at 29 shoreline locations in West and South Maui.

Dozens of volunteers have worked with the program since its inception, including Hawaii State Representative Tina Wildberger and Maui resident Kit Harris. The program has four part time staff: Senior Team Lead Tiara Stark and Team Leads Meredith Beeson, Mitch Brown and Nalei Sampson. Retired biophysicist Cathy Maxwell is the organization’s Technical Advisor and Bill Rathfon is the Data Manager. Hui O Ka Wai Ola is led by a steering committee of representatives of the three partner organizations, along with Dana Reed and Kim Falinski, who are the Quality Assurance advisors.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Lahainaluna High School, Da Hawaiian Store and Pineapple Properties LLC have provided free space to the group for its indoor laboratories. The County of Maui has provided funding, along with local companies, foundations and groups including National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Duke’s Maui, Makana Aloha Foundation, Napili Bay and Beach Foundation, MediaThe Foundation, EACH Foundation, North Beach West Maui Benefit Fund,  Maui Ocean Center, Hawaii Tourism, LUSH, Hawaii Community Foundation’s CHANGE grant and individual donors.

Longtime volunteers George Burnette and Kit Harris carry water samples for testing from the ocean at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park in Kāʻanapali.

Photo by Ty Freiberg

Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin and volunteer Kit Harris test a water sample while Hawaii Representative (and a former Hui O Ka Wai Ola volunteer) Tina Wildberger looks on.

Photo by Ty Freiberg

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council Executive Director Mike Fogarty thanks the volunteers and announces a special gift for each one donated from Duke’s Maui.

Photo by Ty Freiberg

Emily Fielding, Maui Marine Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy, speaks about the partnership between The Nature Conservancy, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council and West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative that co-founded and co-manages the Hui O Ka Wai Ola ocean water quality monitoring program.

Photo by Ty Freiberg

 

Free Presentation to Discuss Redefining the Definition of a Public Aquarium – and What it Means to Our Local Community

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KIHEI— A free Zoom presentation on Wednesday, January 12 at 5:30 pm by Tapani Vuori, Maui Ocean Center’s General Manager and founder and president of the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute (MOCMI) will discuss “Redefining the definition of a public aquarium and what it means to our local community.”

Vuoriʻs presentation is part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.” His talk will look at the history of Maui Ocean Center, its operational details and its journey of transformation over the past few years, driven by Maui Ocean Centerʻs vision and mission.

Reservations are required. To reserve, visit https://bit.ly/OceanCenterWebinar

Vuori will discuss Maui Ocean Centerʻs role in the community in Māʻalaea and its stated responsibility first and foremost to add value to the community every day.

“I will discuss topics such as aquarium and zoo industry in general, plastic marine debris, shark finning, climate change, tourism, and environmental threats to nearshore marine ecosystems,” says Vuori. “I’ll share with the audience what Maui Ocean Center is doing about all of these issues — and why our aquarium and others around the world need to take action on the problems impacting our planetʻs oceans.”

Vuori draws inspiration from world-renowned scientist and ocean protector Dr. Sylvia Earle, who said, “the oceans deserve our respect and care, but you have to know something before you can care about it.” Vuori notes that Earleʻs powerful message is the driving force behind the energy he brings to Maui Ocean Center each day, and his goal to educate people and get them to care about the creatures beneath the oceanʻs surface.

Vuori grew up in Finland, where he formed a powerful connection with nature and the ocean — a bond he has carried throughout his life. He got his diving license as a young child and as a boy experienced the wonder of diving in winter beneath an ice-covered surface. As a young adult, Vuori moved to the U.S. to attend college, starting at Brigham Young University in Utah and graduating from UCLA in 1987.

When Vuori accepted the position as Maui Ocean Center’s general manager, he had one request — to build an on-property nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization to support conservation efforts further. Through his efforts and vision, Vuori became the founder and president of the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute (MOCMI), which serves to restore Hawaiʻiʻs coral reefs and rehabilitate injured Hawaiian green sea turtles.

Today, Vuori works from all angles to protect marine life and is deeply involved in Mauiʻs island community. In addition to his contribution at MOCMI, Vuori is an active board member of Māʻalaea Triangle Association, vice president of the Māʻalaea Village Community Association, and president of the advisory council for Maui County on Civil Rights. Vuori is also working to establish a regional wastewater treatment center for Māʻalaea Bay to replace the nutrient leaching injection wells that have caused widespread loss of coral reef and limu in the bay.

“My hope is that this talk will inspire our audience to become more active in their community, where ever it may be,” says Vuori.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s monthly “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” events are supported by the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.

To learn more about Maui Ocean Center, visit www.mauioceancenter.com.

To learn more about Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, visit www.mauireefs.org.

Reserve your spot for this presentation at https://bit.ly/OceanCenterWebinar.

Free Presentation “Saving a Species: “Rehabilitation as a Conservation Tool for Hawaiian Monk Seals” Offered on Weds., Aug. 4

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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 Hawaiʻi, 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

Free July 7 Zoom Presentation by Dr. Craig Downs and Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard: “Education vs. Enforcement: Next Steps Beyond the Enactment of Hawaii’s Sunscreen Law”

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KIHEI, HI— 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.

PacIOOS Water Quality Sensor Partnership Program Enhances Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s Water Quality Monitoring in Māʻalaea Harbor

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MĀʻALAEA, HI – Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s ocean water quality monitoring efforts in Māʻalaea Harbor are being helped by a new underwater data sensor that the organization has borrowed through the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) Water Quality Sensor Partnership Program. The new data sensor collects data every five minutes on water temperature, salinity, turbidity, chlorophyll and ocean depth.

The PacIOOS program supports scientists and natural resource managers to collect water quality data in order to inform research, conservation, planning, and resource management projects in the U.S. Pacific Islands region. The data sensor is owned and maintained by PacIOOS under the supervision of Dr. Margaret McManus, Chairwoman of the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

“We are grateful to PacIOOS for the use of this data sensor that will help us learn more about the effects of tides, swell, rain events, and runoff on water quality within Māʻalaea Harbor and to monitor water quality variability over time,” reports Amy Hodges, Programs and Operations Manager at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.

Mounted 1 or 2 meters below the ocean’s surface, the sensor package is relocated by divers from Maui Nui Marine Resource team to a new site within the harbor about once per month. The sensor package was installed in 2020 and is scheduled to be used in Māʻalaea Harbor through 2021.

The PacIOOS data sensor will help guide Maui Nui Marine Resource Council as it implements its watershed management plan, which aims to reduce sediment and pollutants in Māʻalaea Bay and its harbor. Professor Margaret McManus

“In recent decades, declining ocean water quality has led to significant deterioration of Māʻalaea Bay’s reefs,” says Hodges. “Monitoring by the community-based program Hui O Ka Wai Ola — which was co-founded and is co-managed by Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, The Nature Conservancy and West Maui Ridge to Reef Initiative —  using ocean water samples grabbed from the ocean edge has shown turbidity (sediment) and excessive nitrogen as primary causes of impaired water quality.”

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s staff also assist with gathering ocean water quality “grab samples” from the shore. All combined, the Hui O Ka Wai Ola sampling and the MNMRC staff grab sampling results in data from 5-10 sites every three weeks in Māʻalaea Harbor.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council has also been using a Manta data sonde, purchased with a grant from LUSH cosmetics, to gather water quality data in the Harbor. The sonde is towed behind a kayak and records real time data as it is pulled through varying depths through the water.

The organization has also been testing the nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N values) in macroalgae (limu) tissue to determine the possible sources of nitrogen pollution in the harbor and the bay. Other ongoing testing in Māʻalaea Bay conducted by MNMRC includes current drift analysis studies, underwater coral cover and fish transects, and stormwater sampling.

To address Māʻalaea’s sediment issues, MNMRC is working to improve stormwater management in the 4,000 acre Pohakea watershed adjoining Mā‘alaea Bay. In 2018, MNMRC commissioned Maui Environmental Consulting (MEC) to create the Pohakea Stormwater Management Plan following meetings with Hawai‘i Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), Māʻalaea Village Association, Maui Ocean Center and other stakeholders.

MNMRC has been enacting the priorities in this plan. In 2020, MNMRC installed firebreaks in Pohakea watershed to suppress frequent wildfires that occur in this windy, dry region, causing loss of vegetative cover that helps hold soil in place and prevents erosion. Partners included DOFAW, Maui Electric Co. and Goodfellow Bros. Inc.

MNMRC and Maui Environmental Consulting began monitoring headcuts (erosional features) in 2020 to quantify soil loss at four of the most severely eroded sites in the Pohakea watershed nearest the harbor. Their monitoring showed a loss of an estimated 64,050 pounds, or 32 tons, of soil from just two head cut locations in a single moderate rainstorm in January 2021. The lost soil was likely transported via culverts directly into the ocean, contributing to a severe brown water event in Māʻalaea Bay.  MNMRC is now working to obtain funding to work with Maui Environmental Consulting and Goodfellow Bros. to repair two of the most severe head cut locations to reduce the sediment runoff.

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council launched an oyster bioremediation project in Māʻalaea Bay in 2020 to utilize caged oysters as a natural method of water filtration. A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of ocean water per day, removing sediment and pollutants. During 2020, MNMRC installed more than 10,000 oysters and conducts periodic monitoring to assess their growth rates and health. Data from the PacIOOS data sensor will help measure changing ocean water quality conditions in response to the oyster program.

“The progress of our projects to clean up Māʻalaea Bay’s water quality will be measured by resulting data from the PacIOOS data sensor and our other monitoring methods,” says Hodges. “We to see evidence of improved ocean water quality, through reductions in sediment and excess nitrogen, an essential step in restoring coral cover and reef health in Māʻalaea Harbor and in the bay.”

To learn more about the PacIOOS Water Quality Sensor Partnership Program and view data, visit https://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/water/sensor-maalaea/#about.

Founded in 2007, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working for clean ocean water, healthy coral reefs and abundant native fish for the islands of Maui County. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.

 

CAPTION: Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s Grace Silver helps to prepare a site in Mā’alaea Harbor for the data sensor on loan from PacIOOS.

Public invited to free webinar on “Shark Research in Hawaii – With an Emphasis on Maui” by Dr. Kim Holland on Wednesday, March 3

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KIHEI, HI – 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’ by Dr. Kim Holland. Dr. Holland is the Research Professor at the 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.

To reserve your spot at this free Zoom webinar, please visit https://bit.ly/SharkWebinar

 

Experts tag a tiger shark with a tracking device in the waters off Maui. The satellite tag gets attached to the shark’s dorsal fin and sends a signal every time the fin surfaces the water. Photo Credit: HIMB

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council Launches Campaign to Encourage Chemical-Free Landscaping to Protect Coral Reefs and Marine Wildlife

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MAUI, HI – As part of its work to protect and promote healthy coral reefs, clean ocean water and abundant native fish in Maui County, Maui Nui Marine Resource Council has launched an educational campaign to encourage private and public landowners, golf courses and landscapers to switch to organic land management. The organization launched this campaign after gathering research on the impacts that toxic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers have on coral reefs and marine wildlife.

“Many people want to help protect the ocean, but they aren’t aware that they can do that through organic land management,” says Grace Silver, Project and Research Coordinator at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “This campaign will educate and encourage private and public landowners to give up use of landscape chemicals to protect the ocean environment and create a healthier and thriving microclimate on their own land.”

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council is working with Beyond Pesticides, National Organic Farming Association and local organic land management experts to provide the community with helpful information for landowners and land management experts to make the switch to organic land management. Because cumulative impacts can be so detrimental, every single property that makes the switch will make a difference towards creating a cleaner and healthier environment around them.

“Numerous scientific studies have shown that the use of synthetic chemicals on land have significant and adverse impacts to coral reef ecosystems and aquatic species,” reports Silver. “Some of these negative impacts include coral reef bleaching, eutrophication, biomagnification, reproduction inhibition and increased disease in fish and marine wildlife.”

“Through our research, we’ve found that a majority of chemicals applied to our land for landscaping and pest control often end up in the ocean,”  explains Meredith Beeson, Project and Research Coordinator at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “Once these chemicals make their way into aquatic environments, they harm coral reefs by hindering their ability to feed and reproduce.”

“In order to protect our oceans, this chemical runoff needs to be reduced (or ideally stopped) from reaching the ocean,” says Beeson. “The solution is organic land management.”

According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics by David Pimentel, less than 0.1% of pesticides applied for pest control reach their target pests. Thus, more than 99.9% of pesticides used move into the environment where they adversely affect public health and beneficial biota, and contaminate soil, water, and atmosphere of the ecosystem.

Problems caused by landscaping chemicals and synthetic fertilizers entering the marine environment include:
• Tumor-causing diseases in turtles, as documented by the University of Hawaii, Manoa by Celia Smith and Walter Zimmermann.
• Creation of dead zones through the process of eutrophication, as documented by InTeGrate in “Managing Runoff to Reduce the Dead Zone.”
• Degradation of coral reefs, leading to economic impacts, as documented by University of Hawaii, Manoa in “Economic Value of Hawaii’s Nearshore Reefs.”
• Death of zooxanthelle (coral symbiont) which leads to coral bleaching, as documented by the Marine Pollution Bulletin by C.M. Shaw, J. Brodie, and J.F. Mueller.
• Potential human health impacts through chemical exposure, as documented by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

“Whether you have a small yard or run a large-scale farm, organic land management can help protect Maui’s coral reefs and aquatic organisms” says Beeson. “Another benefit of organic landscaping is that it ultimately allows the land to sustain itself without large amounts of human intervention, saving time, energy and money in the long run.”

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council has created a webpage at https://www.mauireefs.org/what-we-do/pesticides/ with resources to help land managers, owners and landscapers obtain more information on organic land management. These resources focus on common issues found in Maui County.

 

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council staff members Meredith Beeson and Grace Sliver examine landscaping plants and discuss organic land care methods as part of our new Pesticide Education Program. 

Public invited to free Zoom presentation about unique collaboration of 7 environmental projects funded by Maui CARES

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Program provided employment for more than 70 Maui and Molokai residents

“It’s like Maui County’s own version of the Civilian Conservation Corps”

KIHEI, HI – 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.