Mālama Mokupuni: Caring for Our Island Environment — A Rare Night Visitor: ‘A‘o, the Newell’s Shearwater
By Rachel Laderman The strange, croaking-squawking calls started in August. Was it a sick chicken? A keiki’s squeaky toy? A lost donkey? I asked neighbors, I did a web search. I stayed up to listen closely: it had to be…
Uncle Tilo Teaches Water is Life
By Stefan Verbano “The quality of your water is a direct link to the quality of your health.” This is scribbled on a chalkboard hanging in the window of Todd and Archer’s shop in Pāhoa. It’s their business motto, and…
The Night Lava Returned to Halema‘uma‘u Crater
By Stefan Verbano Bruce Miller and Ed Clapp headed to the crater overlook that fateful December night to stargaze and celebrate the solstice. A cold, wet mist hung in the mountain air, surrounding them. They approached the volcano’s rim as…
Welcome to the Lava Zone
By Brittany P. Anderson It’s hard to forget that day—May 3, 2018. The ground shook and cracked open, slowly blanketing land and homes, smothering dreams and spitting out steam. Then, the molten orange lava burst free, weaving a path of…
Rat Lungworm Disease: Optimism Comes with Education
By Stefan Verbano Inside garden hoses, along the walls of rain catchment tanks, between the folds of lettuce leaves, the slugs and snails slither. Although they look just like their harmless mainland cousins, these Hawaiian gastropods harbor a strange and…
Mālama Mokupuni—Caring for Our Island Environment: Mauna Loa Observatory’s Keeling Curve Reveals Carbon Dioxide Rise to the World
By Rachel Laderman For more than 60 years, at a station perched at 11,000 feet on Mauna Loa, researchers have been meticulously collecting data that has changed our relationship to the earth. Based on their work, we have learned that…
To Seek Far: ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center Reaches Out to Students of All Ages
By Stefan Verbano “So, what’s one way we can tell the age of a volcano?” Punawai Rice asks the audience of fourth graders seated before him. No hands shoot up. “Well think about this: how can we tell one volcano…
Empowering Women and Girls to Reach Their Highest Potential: American Association of University Women
By Karen Rose In 1776, future first lady Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John, then a member of the Continental Congress, “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we will be determined to foment a…
Mālama Mokupuni–Caring for Our Island Environment: Telling the Story of the Archipelago
By Rachel Laderman When the 6.9 earthquake rocked Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 4, 2018, it seriously damaged park buildings and infrastructure. The park had to close until the volcanic action settled down, reopening on September 22. During those…
The Cultivating Life: Agroforestry Expert Craig Elevitch
By Brittany P. Anderson A cool breeze runs through the dense forests of Hōlualoa, perched on the slope of Hualālai Volcano in North Kona. Here, the woods are brimming with avocado, ‘ulu (breadfruit), macadamia nut, coffee, and fruit trees. Once…
Where are the Whales? Humpback Whale Sightings are on the Decline
By Karen Rose The Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum said that in the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught. Researchers at the National…
Diving into the World at Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center
By Brittany P. Anderson The constant low hum of bubbling water provides a soothing soundtrack to the work taking place at the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resource Center in Hiloʻs harbor area, Keaukaha, on the east side of Hawai‘i Island.…
Fire and Ice: Kumu Dane Kaohelani Silva’s Life of Spirit and Service to Health
By David Bruce Leonard, L.Ac. As the late afternoon sun warmed his back and shoulders, the chiropractor, acupuncturist, and teacher of Long Life Lomilomi walked briskly across his garden, following a well-worn path between tall ‘ōhi‘a trees bedecked with scarlet…
Messages to Mars: Artist Jon Lomberg Sends Relics from Today for Civilizations Tomorrow
By Jon Lomberg NASA landed the Curiosity rover on Mars last August to begin a two-year study on Mars at Gale Crater, near the Martian equator. The crater has features that were formed by water long ago, so it is a…
W. M. Keck Observatory: Seeking Answers to the Greatest Questions About Our Universe
By Jon Lomberg Ask any astronomer to short-list the world’s best telescopes and W. M. Keck Observatory’s twin instruments on Mauna Kea will be at the top of everyone’s list. The combination of a perfect site, generous funding, and cutting-edge…
Mālama Honua—Care for the Earth: The Worldwide Voyage of the Hōkūle‘a and the Hikianalia
By Keith Nealy It is no surprise to the majority of people in the world that our planet is suffering from climate change; the depletion of natural resources; the degradation of our land, sea and air—conflicts that result from overconsumption…
2012 Transit of Venus: Hawai‘i Island Best Place to See a Rare Astronomical Event
By Jon Lomberg June 5, 2012 On June 5, 2012, the Earth, Sun, and the planet Venus will briefly line up, and Venus will slowly move across the Sun’s face, like a tiny eclipse. This is in fact the rarest…
Navigating the Universe from Mauna Kea: Science and Sensitivity
By Marya Mann On the astronomical clock, our sun isn’t very old. Estimated by scientists to be 4.5 billion years young, the mighty sun helped spawn the early Earth. Out of light, action and inter-planetary collisions – or collaborations —…
Let There Be Light! There’s Power in Photovoltaics
By Mike Moore It’s been said that the amount of sunlight that hits the Earth’s surface in one hour is enough to power the entire world for a year. Given that within the next 25 years our world’s energy demands…
The Galactic Interpretations of Jon Lomberg in Flowers and Other Media
By Marya Mann Not bigger, however, than galactic, multi-media artist Jon Lomberg can imagine. He has made his living conjuring the scope of the heavens for Earth-centric people like me, who realize the enormity of our galaxy—100,000 light-years across—and feel…
