Hawaii
Public invited to provide feedback about ecosystem restoration study of Kahalu‘u Bay? – West Hawaii Today
Hawaii Island residents are invited to discuss how best to preserve the fragile coral ecosystems of Kahalu‘u Bay.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Kohala Center’s Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center, will hold a public meeting on Thursday, Dec. 12, to discuss an ongoing study that will investigate methods to restore the bay’s marine environment, which has become degraded due to human impact and changing weather patterns caused by climate change.
The study — called the Kahalu‘u Bay Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Study — will determine the factors that are contributing the bay’s ecological degradation and recommend measures that can mitigate the damage, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
“The bay itself, it’s such a beautiful place,” said Cindi Punihaole, director of the Kahalu‘u Bay Education Center. “But it has a lot of stressors, especially because of climate change. We’re dealing with sea level rise, high surf, tides … and there’s sewage, cesspools along Ali‘i Drive, that we need to address.”
The bay, located about five miles south of Kailua-Kona village, is attractive to tourists, divers and fishers thanks to its coral reef ecosystem, but is also particularly susceptible to climate-related impacts. In 2015, marine heatwaves caused a catastrophic mass coral bleaching event in West Hawaii, leading to the death of about 90% of the area’s population of cauliflower coral.
An Army Corps fact sheet about the study notes that, during storms, runoff deposits sediment from the shore onto the coral reef, smothering the corals and other marine life that lives there, and inhibiting photosynthesis. Storm runoff also brings toxins and heavy metals from the nearby parking lot into the water.
“But we also see hope here,” Punihaole said. “We asked Parks and Recreation in 2018 to close the bay for coral spawning, and they allowed it.”
Each year since 2018, the bay has been closed in tandem with the coral’s natural spawning cycle, allowing the species to reproduce undisturbed — to great results.
Punihaole said there were six viable coral heads in the bay after the mass bleaching in 2015. Today, she said, there are about 47,000 living coral heads in Kahalu‘u.
Despite this rebound, Punihaole said other help for the bay has been slow to come. She said it has taken years to bring county and federal leaders together to develop the restoration study.
Parks and Recreation spokesman Thatcher Moats said via email the study will cost $1.02 million, split evenly between the Army Corps and the county. The study is underway, but an estimate for its completion could not be confirmed Wednesday.
Punihaole said next week’s meeting is important to gather the community’s mana‘o about the importance of the area and what should and should not be considered for any plans to address its problems.
She said the education center’s public outreach has significantly contributed to the bay’s improvement, explaining that “about 99%” of visitors to the bay want to be respectful toward the reef and are willing to change their behaviors when asked.
In addition to soliciting public feedback, the meeting also will provide additional background information and answer questions about the study.
The meeting will take place 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at the West Hawaii Civic Center in Kailua-Kona. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Virtual attendance will be possible at tinyurl.com/4a229hr6.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Hawaii
Healthier Hawaii: How to protect your hearing; head and neck warning signs you shouldn’t ignore
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – You may have received new earbuds or headphones during the holidays. But there are a few things you keep in mind when it comes to protecting your hearing.
Dr. Ross Shockley, an otolaryngologist with Wilcox Medical Center and Kaua‘i Medical Clinic, offers the following tips for hearing, as well as head and neck health.
Head and neck cancers
Many people are not familiar with head or neck cancers. What causes it and when should someone see a doctor?
- Traditionally, head and neck cancers were mostly associated with longtime smokers and drinkers. Now, more cases are tied to human papillomavirus (HPV), even in nonsmokers and drinkers. HPV is the same virus that can lead to cervical cancer in women. It is common and can have no symptoms.
- If you have throat pain, pain when swallowing that doesn’t go away, or a mass in your neck that feels firm and isn’t moving, don’t wait. See your doctor.
- Head and neck cancers can be treated, no matter the cause, if caught early.
How to prevent hearing loss
More young adults, in their early 20s, are experiencing hearing loss. Can hearing loss be reversed?
- Hearing loss can’t be reversed. Once ringing in ears starts, that can be permanent.
- Wear appropriate hearing protection when using power tools or firing weapons.
- You can find ear protection that blocks out sound for about $15. Protection that covers the whole ear are better than earplugs.
How do you know if music or movies are too loud?
- Don’t turn anything up to the maximum.
- You want the volume to be at the lowest level where you can still hear and understand.
- If there is background noise, don’t crank up the volume all the way to fight it. Use noise-cancelling headphones or go somewhere quieter.
Dangers of cleaning your ears
You may feel the urge to clean your ears. Shockley says do less, or even nothing at all.
- Our ears clean themselves. As new skin grows, it takes wax with it out of your ear.
- When you clean your ears, you’re interrupting that natural cleaning process.
- You can also put yourself at risk for external ear infections – or make your ears itch more.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
Hawaii Grown: Few isle players in College Football Playoff final four | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii Island police are renewing their request for the public’s assistance in locating 82-year-old Jacquelyn Glenn of Kailua-Kona, who was reported missing by her family.
Police said she is considered endangered due to her age.
Glenn was last seen on Friday, Dec. 5, around 6:37 a.m., on the 75-200 block of Nani Kailua Dr. in Kailua-Kona.
She was wearing a peach-colored shirt, blue denim jeans, and black tennis shoes. She reportedly mentioned going to Hilo with friends, but did not say when she planned to return.
She is described as 5′6″, 125 Ibs, with curly grey hair and brown eyes.
Police ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jacquelyn Glenn to call the Hawaii Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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