The floors of Koke’e Lodge were shaking in early November, as a crowd gathered in the mountains for the third annual Kauai Old Time Gathering, an event that boasted string bands from all over the country.
Dancers packed into the lodge in the evenings, practicing new steps and musicians wove through the rug-cutting to join jam sessions scattered all over the grounds.
Continue reading “Kauai Old Time Gathering”
Understanding fertility is paramount to understanding the real status of the endangered Hawaiian monk seals, researchers say. And new research out of Scotland could help inform ongoing projects in Hawaii.
Led by the Seal Mammal Research Unit at the University of St. Andrews, the newly released study was done on two populations of gray seals in the United Kingdom, one near North Rona and one at the Isle of May.
Basically, it helped fill in missing data on breeding patterns by tracking body-mass changes in captured pup-and-mother pairs.
Continue reading “Internationally studying seals”
Strong wetland management on Kauai has led to a preserved population of pureblood Koloa maoli ducks, according to new research.
These little brown ducks are unique in that they only exist in Hawaii, but the ducks have been crossbreeding with introduced or feral mallard ducks, resulting in hybrids on Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Hawaii Island.
Kim Uyehara, a biologist who works with the ducks at the Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex, was worried the Koloa ducks on Kauai were starting to intermingle as well.
So she teamed up with Caitlin Wells, postdoctoral fellow and researcher at Colorado State University, to investigate. Recently, the duo published a study using two decades of research and detailing their findings — that the population is still pure.
Continue reading “Kauai’s Koloa going strong”
Kauai’s multi-use path, Ke Ala Hele Makalae, is being threatened by coastal erosion, triggering community concern and some government action.
In the area in front of Pono Kai Resort in Kapaa, the ocean is creeping closer and closer, eating away the shoreline and creating sharp drop-offs just feet away from the path that is popular for seaside walks and bike rides.
Now, caution tape and orange cones block off that area next to the path, courtesy of the County of Kauai, which is working with the state on a sand-replenishment project in the area.
Continue reading “Shoreline creeps closer”
Haena State Park played host to the Hawaii House of Representatives finance committee in November, the first time members have returned since 2017.
They made sure to take in the whole experience, traveling via the new North Shore Shuttle and walking the new boardwalk through the taro lo’i with visitors and hikers gearing up for a Napali Coast adventure.
Committee Chair, Rep. Sylvia Luke, summed it up in one word.
“Speechless,” she said, walking on the new boardwalk to Ke’e Beach. “I’m speechless. In 2017 we were overwhelmed with the number of cars parked and the number of people using the beach.
“It was an unpleasant experience coming here, we stood right here, feeling sad for the community and the culture. Now, it’s peaceful and tranquil.”
Continue reading “New way to explore Ha’ena”