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Tour helicopter crashes across the state like this one in Kaʻū in June of 2022 are connected to the
FAA's proposed new operating manual for tour operators in Hawai‘i. FAA asks the public to weigh in.
Photo from NTSB
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THE FAA PROPOSES NEW AIR TOUR SAFETY PROCEDURES. The Federal Aviation Administration is giving the public 30 days to weigh in on plans to replace a 15-year-old air tour operator manual for Hawai‘i next Spring. See the draft at
https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/afs_ac/AC_136-B048_Coord_Copy.pdf The National Transportation Safety Board and members of the public called for tougher regulations following a slew of crashes across the state. The proposed rules call for taking additional precautions to
avoid flying into bad weather and flying too low. FAA already requires tour operators to fly at 1,500 feet unless they have permission to go lower. See Special Operating Rules for Air Tour Operators in Hawai‘i at
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-G/part-136/appendix-Appendix%20A%20to%20Part%20136.
The new regulations would establish tougher qualifications including mandating that each tour operator develop a safety plan to prove the aircraft and crew can safely descend below 1,500 feet. The plan would involve pilot training, aircraft equipment and other qualifications.
“This process will help prevent situations where pilots encounter poor visibility and become disoriented,” said David Boulter, the FAA’s Acting Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety.
The FAA also encourages Hawai‘i air tour operators to adopt
Safety Management Systems while the agency works on a
rule that would mandate these programs.
Additionally, all operators must follow the provisions of
Air Tour Management Plans for Hawai‘i National Parks, says the statement from FAA.
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REPORT MARINE DEBRIS, URGES THE STATE DIVISION OF AQUATIC RESOURCES. In a recent message, DAR states, "Marine pollution is a very significant threat to marine life in the ocean. Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing nets can ruin essential habitats like coral reefs, as well as entangle marine life such as turtles and humpback whales. The Protected Species Program with the Division of Aquatic Resources would like to remind everyone to utilize its statewide marine debris hotline and reporting website." Link to the DLNR marine debris response and removal reporting form:
https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dobor/reportmarinedebrishawaii/. Hotline number is 833-4-Da-Nets or 833-432-6387.
DAR reports an uptick in foreign and domestic fish aggregating devices, or “FADs”, adrift in nearshore
waters and washing up along Hawai‘i's coasts. FADs can be made from a variety of natural or manufactured materials including bamboo, plastic pipes, mesh nets or lines, and buoys. FADs are deployed both legally and illegally by fishers and the fishing industry in various parts of the world’s oceans to attract schools of fish with these floating debris objects.
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund has maintained a marine debris hotline for Hawaiʻi Island for more than a decade and has supported the 4DA-Nets hotline since 2021. "Ka‘ū resident Jodie Rosam of Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, said, “we have received multiple calls and DLNR marine debris reports about offshore and coastal marine debris items, including two drifting FADs, one lost state FAD, one large net bundle, and one call about a debris pile related to a recent abandoned sailboat grounding.”
The Marine Debris Rapid Response Hotline is meant for the rapid removal of abandoned fishing nets and fishing lines that can entangle and harm Hawaiʻi’s endangered wildlife and coral reefs. The goal of this hotline is to remove the debris before an animal can be entangled and before the net washes back out to sea, which can impact human and wildlife safety alike.
DAR states that it encourages beachgoers "to immediately report hazardous nets and marine debris to the hotline at (833-4-DA-NETS) or the
website. You can upload photos and include as much information on the website as possible, which is very helpful in reporting large or hazardous marine debris. Once a report is received, a rapid response team removes the nets as quickly as possible, before they drift back into the open ocean."
The DAR Protected Species Program along with several nonprofit partners and the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation work together to remove marine debris from Hawaiʻi’s near-shore reefs and shorelines as soon as possible.
DOBOR receptacles in most of its harbors are used for discarded monofilament fishing lines/nets. DOBOR works with many partner agencies, providing drop-off locations near its boat ramps for collected marine debris. DOBOR also contracts with vendors to perform in-water salvage of large marine debris,
including shipping containers, grounded and derelict vessels, etc. It is continuously working to create rules to reduce the impact of marine debris. The DOBOR website hosts the Marine Debris Report Form that aids the marine debris community in locating and tracking net masses and large debris within our ocean waters.
DAR’s Protected Species Program contracts with partner agencies on Oʻahu – The Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response as well as on Hawaiʻi Island for both shoreline marine debris removal with the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and in-water fishing line and lead debris removal with Ocean Defenders Alliance.
One form of marine debris Hawaiʻi has been experiencing an uptick in is the amount of foreign and do
On the Island of Hawaiʻi, Ocean Defenders Alliance partners with Kona Honu Divers and Kohala Divers to do monthly or bimonthly cleanups of their established dive sites, and there are regular cleanups of Heʻeia Pier and Honokōhau Harbor which, in the last year-and-a-half, has resulted in 450 toxic automobile tires being hauled out, amongst tons of other debris.
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KAʻŪ'S NATIVE PLANT OF THE MONTH IS ‘ŌHELO KAI,
Lycium sandwicense. The monthly column by Jody Rosam with illustration by Joan Yoshioka is called Lāʻau Letters: Native Plants of Kaʻū and explores Kaʻū’s native plants and their moʻolelo (stories), uses, preferred habitats, and opportunities to adopt them for stewardship. The author and artist say that this column and illustration seek to encourage making new plant friends and to reunite with others.
Description: Summer is in full swing, so come on a huakaʻi to the coast and meet my friend, ʻōhelo kai. This short (or prostrate) shrub is indigenous to Hawaiʻi, and also grows on Rapa Nui, Rapa, Mangareva, and Tonga. ʻŌhelo kai is among the few native species in the Solanaceae (or Nightshade) family, and is a cousin to our native ʻaiea and pōpolo. It has cute, bright green succulent leaves, woody light gray stems, and adorable white, pink, or even blue tubular four-petaled flowers, which tend to bloom frequently in the spring and summer. In the later parts of the year, the flowers give way to bright red ripe fruits which contain many small, flat seeds which remain viable (in the refrigerator) for about five years. ʻŌhelo kai is sometimes misidentified as the non-native pickleweed, but can be distinguished from it by its solitary flower and red fruit. I should also note that ʻōhelo kai shares a name with a mauka plant friend, ʻōhelo (
Vaccinium reticulatum), which produces delicious red, yellow, or orange berries (a nēnē favorite), but these two species are part of entirely different families (ʻōhelo is in the Ericaceae family, a close relative to blueberries).
ʻŌhelo Kai (
Lycium sandwicense). Illustration by Joan Yoshioka
Uses: Unlike many Solanaceae, the tiny tomato-like fruits of ʻōhelo kai are not poisonous, and can be eaten. They pack a salty punch, and make a nice addition to some fresh poke (and you might as well add in some ʻākulikuli leaves, too!). The fruits were also strung together with kaunaʻoa to make a gorgeously colorful coastal lei.
Habitat: ʻŌhelo kai can be found on all of the main Hawaiian islands on dry, coastal sites (at less than 150 feet elevation receiving little annual rainfall). They can be found on cinder, sand, coral, and rocky substrates and although they are drought-tolerant (and actually prefer drought conditions rather than very wet ones), they are a main component around anchialine pools (though you will not find them submerged like you would ʻākulikuli). You can find ʻōhelo kai sparsely scattered along the coast of most (if not all) of the ahupuaʻa across Kaʻū moku, from Manukā to Keauhou.
Growing and Purchasing: The best way to grow ʻōhelo kai is to collect a few ripe fruits and separate the pulp from the seeds, allow the seeds to air dry, and then mimic their natural growing conditions (they do great in beach sand or coral rubble, or in a perlite and black cinder mix). Rather than planting the seeds in the media, sow them on the surface and give them a gentle watering. Keep the pots out of full sun and water them lightly every day while they are germinating (which should take about a week or so). Once they begin to sprout, be sure to cut back on your watering regime because the seedlings are susceptible to root-rotting fungi. Within a few months, your homegrown ʻōhelo kai will be ready to plant in a sunny space, and you likely will only need to water it weekly. Remember, plants love having friends around, so consider planting your ʻōhelo kai with its coastal buddies like hinahina, naio papa, ʻilima, maiapilo, pāʻū o Hiʻiaka, and naupaka for a full coastal experience in your own garden.
About the artist: Joan Yoshioka says she is a conservationist at heart and has dedicated her life to preserving the native plants and animals of Hawaiʻi through her work with federal, state, and private organizations over the past 30+ years. She describes herself as an outdoor-lovin’ optimist, biologist/botanist, and habitual creator of art stuff. She says the key to our most fundamental and truest part of ourselves is found in nature and she constantly draws on it for inspiration.
About the author: Jodie Rosam says she has a deep love for native plants and a passion for exploration, with over 15 years of experience working in the restoration of Hawaiʻi’s forests. As a mother and an educator, she says the next generation has the power to lead the world to a sustainable future and is committed to teaching her children (and others) from a place-based perspective.
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