Endangered bat at center of fight about wind farm ADVERTISING Endangered bat at center of fight about wind farm HONOLULU (AP) — An endangered native Hawaiian bat is at the center of a fight about a proposed wind farm on
Endangered bat at center of fight about wind farm
HONOLULU (AP) — An endangered native Hawaiian bat is at the center of a fight about a proposed wind farm on Oahu.
Residents attended a contested case hearing Monday for developer Na Pua Makani Power Partners’ project in Kahuku, on Oahu’s North Shore.
Na Pua Makani seeks a permit that would allow the project to harm or kill certain threatened and endangered species, including 51 Hawaiian hoary bats, within a 21-year period.
“We do not support something that will harm or kill, especially something of cultural significance to us, and we do not support the desecration of our community and our way of life,” said Kahuku resident Charlotte Kamauoha.
The facility would include eight or nine wind turbines. A company spokesman said the wind turbine generators used in the project will be 500 to 600 feet tall.
The developer also needs approval of its Habitat Conservation Plan, which must show a net recovery benefit to the affected species. The company created mitigation plans for the bat and other endangered species.
“The $4.6 million that’s been budgeted for mitigation includes habitat restoration, research and the ongoing physical monitoring at the project,” said Mike Cutbirth, a Na Pua Makani spokesman.
The company said the wind farm project will stabilize electricity rates and create new jobs.
There is also a $2 million benefit fund for the Kahuku community.
Man charged in robbery of visitor in Waikiki
HONOLULU (TNS) — A 37-year-old man was charged with allegedly robbing a Japanese visitor in Waikiki.
Gabriel M. Stan was charged Tuesday with first-degree robbery. His bail was set at $50,000.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday, police said a suspect later identified as Stan approached the visitor, 19, and brandished an unspecified dangerous instrument while trying to take the woman’s bag.
The victim was dragged as she held onto her property, causing abrasions to her knees.
Police located Stan just after 1 a.m. Tuesday in Waikiki and arrested him. The victim’s bag was recovered nearby.
Stan has a criminal record of felony assault and open lewdness, a petty misdemeanor.
Girl, 7, seriously injured in fall from trail in Hana
HANA, Maui (TNS) — A 7-year-old girl was flown to a hospital after she fell off a ledge trail at Kaihalulu Beach in Hana, Maui.
At about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, fire rescue crews responded to a report of a child who fell about 12 feet from a ledge that leads to the beach known as Red Sand Beach.
The child from La Baule, France, is vacationing on Maui with her parents.
Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto of the Maui Fire Department said the girl fell, struck her head on rocks and lost consciousness.
She regained consciousness shortly afterward.
Fire rescue and paramedics arrived and treated the child’s injuries before her father carried her to an ambulance on Uakea Road.
She was transported to Hana Airport and flown by helicopter to Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku, Maui, in serious but stable condition.
