Author: jessicaelse

Author and award-winning journalist Jessica Else currently works as the environment reporter on the island of Kauai and enjoys writing about sustainability projects, endangered animals, health and wellness, festivals and food, and outdoor adventuring.

crumbling coastlines

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.

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New way to explore Ha’ena

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.”

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Good pig, Bad pig

New research out of the University of Hawaii supports the state’s work to eradicate invasive and prevalent feral pigs, but also shows ways in which watersheds can benefit from the animals.

UH announced the publishing of two studies Friday, both looking at bacteria and invertebrate colonies in soil from Volcanoes National Park and Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve.

One study reported direct benefits to soil bacterial communities when feral pigs were removed from the area of study. The other reported a benefit to having the pigs in the ecosystem, showing earthworms and ground beetles were positively associated with sites rooted by feral pigs.

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Southwest’s First Flight

Passengers throw shakas on the first Southwest flight from Kauai to Oahu.

Passengers cheered as the first Southwest Airlines flight out of Lihue landed in Honolulu on November 10, marking the beginning of the carrier’s flights to and from Kauai.

The long-awaited flight 1083 wasn’t full, which provided extra space for passengers in the already roomy cabin. Festivity was in the air during the 25-minute flight.

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Hawaii’s Coral Pledge

 Hawaii has announced it’s newest tool in protecting coral reefs — a six-step pledge that aims to educate visitors and residents about real actions they can take to help preserve the reefs. Tour companies and others in the visitor industry are already signing the pledge — and the public can, too at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/coral-pledge/

Straightforwardly named, “The Coral Pledge”, the document highlights these six action points:

• Let Fish Protect Reefs
• Corals Like Their Space
• Stand on the Sand
• Use Reef-Safe Sunscreen
• Contain Any Chemicals
• Anchor Away from Reefs

As Hawaii simmers in warmer-than usual ocean temperatures, experts monitoring the expected coral bleaching said in early November that it’s not as severe as was predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in September.

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