South Maui Water Quality – What You Can do

On September 10, 2009 Robin Knox spoke at the monthly SMS meeting about South Maui water quality and how we can have a hand in designing and creating the South Maui Watershed.

Robin Knox is an environmental scientist with more than 25 years experience in Clean Water regulation and pollution control. She specializes in developing water quality-based pollution controls that protect aquatic resources from man-made sources of pollution.

View Robin’s slide show.

Maalaea Bay’s once-vibrant reefs suffer decline at an alarming rate

The best place to see vibrant coral reefs in Maalaea may be at the Maui Ocean Center. The popular aquarium displays an abundant range of marine life that no longer exists in the adjacent bay, which has experienced a total collapse of its underwater ecosystem in recent years, due largely to human impacts.

[read full Maui News article]

Next Meeting—SOUTH MAUI WATER QUALITY: What You Can Do

Thursday, September 10th
6:00 p.m. Potluck Pupus and talkstory
6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Presentations
Kihei Charter School

South Maui Sustainability is sponsoring the second in a series of community meetings which address South Maui water issues. Previously we examined water quantity. This presentation will introduce water quality concerns and how the South Maui community can have a hand in designing and creating the South Maui Watershed.

Speakers include:
Robin Knox is an environmental scientist with more than 25 years experience in Clean Water regulation and pollution control. She specializes in developing water quality-based pollution controls that protect aquatic resources from man-made sources of pollution.

*Kihei Charter School location:
300 Ohukai Rd # 213
Directions: Coming from south Kihei, take the Pi’ilani Hwy toward the Mokulele. Turn right (mauka) onto Ohukai Road. Take your second right. Go straight to the very end and turn left around the building. Turn left into the next bay. KCS is located on the right. Coming from north of Kihei, turn left (mauka) onto Ohukai Road and follow the directions as above from Ohukai Road. Look for the blue and yellow signs.

Click map to enlarge.

Photo by Peter Liu Photography, peterliuphoto.com.

International Costal Clean-up Day

Saturday, September 19th
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

The SMS Reef Sustainability Committee is joining forces with Community Workday, Maui Reef Fund, Hawaii Wildlife Fund, Surfrider, and Stableroad.com. to collect litter and debris from roadsides and shorelines in an island-wide clean-up. Besides being an eyesore, litter ends up in the ocean and is detrimental to our reefs in many ways.

For volunteer information, email us at CoastalCleanup@SouthMauiSustainability.org

Ocean Health News

• From pristine reefs to coral wastelands—In Hawaii, climate change’s impact is raising alarms. Honolulu Advertiser, July 25, 2009
As our activities on land and in water increasingly impact the health of our reefs, The Advertiser launches a year-long, in depth examination of Hawai’i’s coral reef system.

• Governments trying to reel in ‘ocean sprawl’: CNN.com, July 15, 2009

Global Climate Change and Shoreline Changes for Maui—Zoe Norcross Nu’u

Click picture to view video.

Zoe is a coastal geologist who has been doing studies on Maui for the UH Extension program. On July 8, 2009, she shared a very dramatic presentation with the Rotary Club of Kihei/Wailea. She detailed the steady rise of the world’s oceans and how they affect Hawaii, what the future affects are likely to be and what needs to be done, sooner better than later, to prepare and prevent catastrophic effects on Maui. The main areas we need to manage are Coastal Development, Relocation of important infrastructure including at least one power plant and the water purification plant, and studies need to be funded to determine how run off will affect Maui and groundwater resources and how Maui will manage its beaches.