Sierra Club News
Environmental Scholars Recognized
Moku Loa Group recently recognized five outstanding students at the Hawaii District Science and Engineering Fair held Hilo, celebrating the 25th anniversary of providing scholarship awards to promising scholars on Hawaii Island. Through these awards, the Sierra Club members hope to encourage students to pursue scientific research in topics related to the Hawaiian environment. The students each received certificates, calendars, and checks for $50.00.
Moku Loa Group provides annual scholarship awards to young scholars who study Hawaii's environment. (l to r) MLG chair Debbie Ward with 2012 scholarship award winners Anne Nakamoto, Kai Garson-Shumway, Kristen Nielsen, Erica Sampaga, and Peter Rygh.
Update on Mauna Kea
by Debbie Ward
The Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) recently handed down a decision regarding the “Comprehensive Management Plan” (CMP) approved by the State Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) in 2009. Sierra Club and other petitioners were very ably represented by Marti Townsend. The court did not agree that approving a management plan triggers the right to a contested case hearing - on the logic that the UH needs additional approval and authority to take any action proposed in the management plan.
While the ICA case was pending, the UH and the TMT Corporation requested a permit from BLNR to construct the massive Thirty Meter Telescope. The BLNRʻs Hearing Officer (HO) is expected to provide a recommendation on the contested case hearing on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) sometime this spring, and BLNR will decide whether to approve or modify the HO's decision.
Running Out of Pigs?
by Cory Harden
Why do hunters fear losing hunting areas to the proposed Pu’u Maka’ala NAR (Natural Area Reserve) at Kulani? 4,000 acres of the NAR will remain open to hunting - plus 60,000 acres of forest reserve nearby. Why do they fear of running out of game? For European mouflon, hunters tend to kill males, leaving the females, who have babies. And feral pigs reproduce so fast that you can remove two out of five from a small enclosed area every year, and never run out of pigs. This is per a local wildlife biologist. It’s well known that pigs, goats, and sheep wreak havoc on native ecosystems and watersheds. And remember that at a July 2010 hearing, eight out of ten people supported the NAR. The evidence points to far more risk of running out of native species than running out of pigs.
Anthony Aalto (Volunteer Award recipient) and Roberta Brashear-Kaulfer
