Monday, June 30th – from HPR2, it’s The Conversation
Delisting Humpback Whales from Endangered Species List: Flip Nicklin
Two petitions are encouraging a federal agency to say it's been a job we'll done and it’s time for the central pacific humpback whale to come off the endangered species list. A petition from Hawaii was filed last year, and one from Alaska was filed earlier this year. Now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that there is enough information for it to consider both petitions. That's not good news according to several conservation groups, even if the Marine Mammal Protection Act remains in place. Flip Nicklin is the co-founder of Whale Trust Maui and joined us by phone today from Alaska.
Intro Music: Long Road Home by Black Square
Outro Music: Endangered Species (Raeo Remix) by Nickodemus
Fukushima Taiko Union Thanks Hawaii for Disaster Relief: Kay Fukumoto
The shadow of recent disaster still hangs over Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, where a tsunami, an earthquake, and the collapse of a nuclear plant drove tens of thousands from their homes in 2011. Hawaii’s people responded with wide-ranging relief efforts, and now taiko drummers from the region are responding with a thank-you concert on Maui. The Fukushima Taiko Union, comprised of over 50 drumming ensembles from the affected region, will present a free Mahalo Concert at Lahaina Jodo Mission on Sunday, and Kay Fukumoto, president of Maui Taiko, was on the line to tell us more about it.
Intro Music: Festival Drums by Satomi Saeki and Michio Miyagi
Outro Music: Taiko Drums by Taiko Japan
World Population Day, Population Issues, and Biological Diversity: Stephanie Feldstein
Maybe this commemorative day doesn't always make it into your calendar, but chances are you feel its effects every day. No one needs to tell you that Hawaii's population is growing, but so is the global population. That’s why for each year since 1989, the UN has designated July 11 as World Population Day. Why then? In 1987, the global population exceeded 5 billion. It's now over 7.1 billion with a large group of folks coming into their reproductive years. Stephanie Feldstein of the Center for Biological Diversity says that ought to make all of us stop and think about population's global impact. She joined us this morning by phone from her office in Michigan.
Intro Music: Concept 9 by Kodomo
Outro Music: Fierce Pit Bosses by Enemies
Ham Radio Operators on Maui: Tom Worthington
Amateur Radio enthusiasts, known as Ham Radio operators, are a worldwide network that functions, for the most part, under the radar. Most of us only notice them when disaster strikes. They form a kind of communications backbone to government when less reliable systems cannot be counted on. Ham radio operators worldwide have been taking place in preparedness exercises recently, and Tom Worthington, president of the Maui Amateur Radio Club, was on the line today to tell us about it.
Intro Music: Stargazer Theme
Outro Music: Ham Radio Blues by Twilight Hotel