Paula Dobbyn Journalist Profile

Articles

Hawaiian Knowledge And Western Science: A Recipe For Reef Recovery?

Dec 31, 2024 | civilbeat.org | Paula Dobbyn

Kahaluʻu Bay on the Big Island has become a focal point for blending science, tourist education and cultural know-how. So far, hopeful signs abound. A daughter of the Big Island’s Kailua-Kona region, Cindi Punihaole remembers when the ocean was teeming with life. “My father taught me how to throw a net,” recalled Punihaole, now 74. “The sea was our ice box.”Punihaole left the Big Island for college on the mainland and did not move home again for 30 years, until her aging parents needed her.
Hawaii's Love Affair With Cesspools Is Ruining Its Reefs

Nov 20, 2024 | civilbeat.org | Paula Dobbyn

Reefs are paying the price for new housing developments — and state marine protection alone can’t stop human waste from speeding up their demise. A coral reef at the base of a Big Island lava field is one of Hawaii’s healthiest — and most at risk. It’s located off Milolii, considered the state’s last fishing village and home to Native Hawaiians since the first millennium.
Half Of All Coral Reefs Are Dead. A Maui 'Super Reef' Offers Hope.

Oct 31, 2024 | civilbeat.org | Paula Dobbyn

Olowalu reef may be an example of how to survive climate change disaster — just 4 miles from the epicenter of the August 2023 Maui fire. Maui artist Michiko Smith grew up in Lahaina. After a deadly wildfire leveled much of her coastal town and destroyed her apartment, Smith took stock and decided to reprioritize her life. The 30-year-old continues to make art from marine debris, mainly “ghost nets” cast adrift from fishing vessels.
Illegal Pesticide Sales At Hawaii Daiso Stores Prompt Record Fine

Oct 11, 2024 | civilbeat.org | Paula Dobbyn

The EPA, in one of the largest-ever federal settlements of its kind, also cited mislabeled cockroach and fly catchers. A retailer with stores in Hilo, Pearl City, Piikoi and downtown Honolulu has agreed to pay $314,747 for selling 23 types of unregistered pesticides following a joint federal-state investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a news release Thursday.
Illegal Pesticide Sales At Hawaii Daiso Stores Prompt Record Fine

Oct 11, 2024 | flipboard.com | Paula Dobbyn

Crime 17 hours ago Hurricane exposed brutal murder of Texas mom-of-two who mocked husband's bedroom performance The Mirror US - Michael Moran, Michael Moran • 17h The tragic tale of Crystal McDowell, a mother-of-two whose life was claimed by her envious ex-husband's actions, might have remained unsolved – if … Housing 1 day ago Mayor Signs Bill Allowing “Accessory Dwelling Units” In Hawaiʻi County bigislandvideonews.com - Big Island Video News • 1d HILO, Hawaiʻi - County Council Bill 123 aims...
No more Wastewater In the ocean, Maui residents say

Oct 10, 2024 | azdailysun.com | Paula Dobbyn

Treated wastewater should be used to irrigate golf course and resorts, not pumped into the ground where it flows into the ocean and damages coral reefs, fish and other aquatic life, according to Maui residents opposed to a new wastewater discharge permit. The residents turned out at a hearing last week on the draft pollution discharge permit, issued by the state Department of Health, that would allow a Lahaina wastewater reclamation plant to keep injecting treated wastewater into the ground.
Hawaii water

Oct 10, 2024 | azdailysun.com | Paula Dobbyn

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Maui Water Quality: No More Wastewater In The Ocean, Locals Say

Oct 10, 2024 | civilbeat.org | Paula Dobbyn

A draft permit would allow the practice to continue of injecting wastewater into the ground close to the ocean. Those who testified at a recent hearing said it’s destroying coral reefs. Treated wastewater should be used to irrigate golf course and resorts, not pumped into the ground where it flows into the ocean and damages coral reefs, fish and other aquatic life, according to Maui residents opposed to a new wastewater discharge permit.
Maui Fire Chief Gives Detailed Defense Of Firefighters Battling Lahaina Blaze

Oct 3, 2024 | civilbeat.org | Paula Dobbyn

Firefighters stayed at the blaze for more than five hours – and couldn’t have predicted the deadly rekindling that afternoon, Fire Chief Brad Ventura said. Maui firefighters heroically stayed on scene of the morning blaze in Lahaina for five and a half hours after putting it out, county Fire Chief Brad Ventura said during a press conference Wednesday in Wailuku.
Maui County Debates A Return To Using Pesticides At Parks, Golf Course

Oct 1, 2024 | civilbeat.org | Paula Dobbyn

Parks officials say a 3-year old ban on the chemicals has been tough to implement. Maui County parks officials are seeking an exemption from a ban on the use of pesticides and herbicides passed by the County Council three years ago. The push for the exemption comes at the same time the county has been funding programs aimed at promoting reef-friendly alternatives, including organic products and landscaping methods.