November 16, 2016 - Volume 31, Issue 45
The
Molokai Dispatch T h e i s l a n d ’s n e w s s o u r c e s i n c e 198 5
Prevent a Rabbit Invasion
Running Under the
Moon
By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor
D
Rabbits Continued pg. 5
Photo by Catherine Cluett Pactol
By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor
D
onning white shirts and glow sticks, community members ran and walked for a cause last Saturday night, getting showed in colorful powders along with way. The Moon Glow Run, held in the moonlight on a track around the Heart of Alo-
ha Church's Kualapu`u property, raised funds for the church's planned worship pavilion. The church is nearing its goal of $170,000, having raised $132,700 so far. The pavilion will be located at the church's property in Kualapu`u and will be used for church services, community events and cultural activities.
A Debt of Gratitude
This Week’s
Dispatch Photo by Catherine Cluett
omesticated rabbits on Molokai that have escaped or been released have been reported around the island and pose a dangerous threat to the ecosystem if not controlled, according to local natural resource managers. "There are confirmed sightings in a widespread area," said Butch Haase, executive director of the Molokai Land Trust (MLT). "They could cause devastating ecological and economic impacts like nothing we've seen before." Haase said MLT staff found a rabbit in one of its fenced restoration sites in the Mokio Preserve near Ilio Point. "The rabbit had been browsing the endangered ohai plants within the fenced site to the point of killing many of the plants," he said, adding the animal was large and mostly white. "The rabbit was captured and removed, but there have been other sightings across central and west Molokai." Rabbits have also been reported near Hale O Lono, Kaluakoi, Kalae, Ho`olehua, Kaunakakai and Kawela. Natural resource managers on Molokai are urging rabbit owners to use caution when raising the animals to ensure they don't escape. According to Hawaii state law, rabbits are required to be housed off the ground. Violations are subject to a fine up to $100 or up to six months prison sentence. In addition, environmental leaders caution residents not to release rabbits that may no longer be wanted as pets, and warn of dire consequences for the island if the wild population increases. With no predators in Hawaii, rabbits in the wild go unchecked. "Reaching breeding maturity at five to six months of age, rabbits can have a litter of five to 12 'kits' and become pregnant again within a few days of giving birth," wrote Lissa Fox of the Maui Invasive Species Committee. "Here in the tropics they can breed all year round, meaning one doe can have up to 12 litters a year. That’s 144 rabbits per year from one pair alone." That exponential population growth is exactly what happened in several examples of rabbit occurrences here in Hawaii. On Laysan in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, rabbits devastated the landscape after a sea captain innocently brought rabbits there in the late 1800s. The animals turned the island into a barren wasteland, and through environmental degradation, contributed to the extinction of several endemic bird species, as well as about two dozen plant species. The rabbits were removed from the small
Election Results
Photo by Catherine Cluett Pactol
By Catherine Cluett Pactol | Editor
K
aunakakai School students, along with dozens of residents, honored Molokai service members at last Friday's Veterans Day program in Kaunakakai. Organized by the Molokai
Veterans Caring for Veterans, the observation included a student performance, release of colored pigeons, and words from Councilwoman Stacy Helm Crivello, Rep. Lynn DeCoite and other speakers.
Pottery Show and Sale
Veterans Continued pg. 5
Why we fly with Makani Kai “It’s easier to get to,” says Paula, “especially if you use a walker.” A former front desk clerk for Hotel Molokai and Pau Hana Inn, Paula says her insurance pays for trips on Ohana but, “When it’s on our own, we fly with Makani Kai.” And Charles? Well, he wasn’t actually born on Molokai: he was sent here to live with his grandmother when he was three because his mom wanted to hide him from her soon-to-be-ex-husband. “They told my aunties and uncles…the whole family… not to let my dad know where I was,” says Charles. He was nine by the time he and his mom were reunited. “I like Makani Kai because there’s no standing in line.”
From topside Molokai to Honolulu or Kahului
$50 online fare, every seat, every flight, every day. MakaniKaiAir.com | (808) 834-1111
The
Molokai Dispatch
P.O. Box 482219 Kaunakakai, HI 96748
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Paula and Charles Murray Molokai Born & Raised
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