Island Issues

Island Issues stories published in Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine.

climate change issues

Living with Climate Change

A warming planet is raising sea levels around the globe. How can we adapt to keep living near the coast?
maui axis deer

Fair Game

Axis deer destroy crops and endanger native species. Beleaguered farmers, ranchers and conservationists are taking aim at the problem.
EVA smart grid Maui

Maui EVA & the Smart Grid

The Maui Electric Vehicle Alliance is working to jump start an electric car revolution on the island, helping the environment and gas prices.
biofuel maui

Biofuel Battles

Advocates say biofuels could save big agriculture in the Islands, and reduce Hawaii’s unsustainable dependence on imported oil. Are we willing to pay the price?
Haleakala telescope debate

Eyes on the House of the Sun

Plans to build the world’s largest solar telescope on the summit of Haleakala have set two very different ways of seeing at odds.
akaka bill

The Akaka Bill

In the U.S., Hawaiians are the only native people not recognized as an indigenous nation. Why do some Hawaiians oppose the bill that would grant them autonomy?

Plant Warriors

Maui Cultural Lands (MCL), a nonprofit dedicated to the reforestation of native flora, leads a weekly expedition up to Hana‘ula on the slopes of Mauna Kahalawai (the West Maui Mountains); planting, watering, weeding and clearing invasive foliage.
Hawaiian grammy winners

Discordant Notes

Hawaiian musicians face long odds at the Grammys since all are lumped in one musical category: folk music.
maui beach business

Drawing Lines in the Sand

Maui’s population is growing. The number of beach parks is not. As pressure mounts, activity companies say the County has left them stranded.

Na Wai ‘Eha

Farmers, environmentalists, and the pressures of development vie for Wailuku's contested streams.
Haleakala silverword

Managing the Mountain

Haleakala National Park’s newest superintendent tackles traffic on the summit.

Short-term Aloha

Transient vacation rentals, long a quiet part of the Maui tourism industry, are a noisy new controversy.
pineapple

Eat Here Now

On an island where 90 percent of our food is imported, sustainability starts with eating locally.
Honolua

Saving Honolua

A fragile area on Maui’s northwestern shore faces an uncertain future. . . .
kalo

GMO Kalo? Get an Educated Opinion

Use these helpful resources to learn more about the GMO kalo (taro) controversy.
superferry

Will It Float?

Is the Hawai‘i Superferry a boon for interisland travelers, or a boondoggle threatening Maui’s way of life?
turtles

A Growing Concern

Monitoring the Mysterious Disease that Threatens Hawai‘i's Green Sea Turtles.
power plants

Power Plants?

Maui's beleaguered agriculture may provide a green answer to the island's future energy needs.
ocean nets

Tangled Net

Learn the rules behind the proposed ban.

Save the Shaka

Beyond the “shaka,” that friendly thumb-and-pinkie hand waggle that says “hello” in a uniquely local fashio, is an intangible spirit defines these islands.
clark foam

How to Duckdive a Tsunami

Half a year after an industry wipeout, Maui’s surfboard shapers come up for air.
maui small boat harbors

Harboring Doubts and Dreams Part II

Raising Wake at Maui’s Small-Boat Harbors
Hawaii superferry

Harboring Doubts and Dreams

No vacancy: Maui’s commercial harbor hits max occupancy.