The entries for the 2023 PEPS Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest get better every year – and the two-point difference between 1st and 2nd place, and 1-5 point differences between 3rd through 6th places – speak volumes! Thank you to all those who took time out of your busy schedules to submit these creative masterpieces, and to those who came to enjoy their efforts and vote!

Removing invasive plants and restoring native ones is key to lowering the risk of wildfire in Hawaii, but what might get left out of the conversation is the role of feral goats. Left to their own devices, these voracious animals eat native plants and strip bark from native trees, leave “large swaths of land open for the spread of invasive fire-adapted species, creating a cycle of ever-increasing fires and opportunities for invasive species.”

With so many Hawaiʻi farmers facing challenges that can seem insurmountable, the timing couldnʻt have been better for CTAHR’s Seeds of Wellbeing initiative to host “Mālama the Farmer, Taking Care of Yourself and Each Other” last month.

If you’ve ever wondered why some buildings in Hawaiʻi are eaten alive by termites, while others seem to stand the test of time just fine, it might be due to whether the foundation is wrapped in a Basaltic Termite Barrier. The patented, non-chemical, subterranean, stainless-steel screen that is still in use today was invented by CTAHR entomologist Minoru Tamashiro. 

Presenting his research on hala scale was Mason Russo’s initial, official reason for attending the 2023 Society of Island Biology annual meeting in Lipari, Italy. But the overall experience – being surrounded by like-minded scientists from exotic locales across the globe – was also enlightening and eye-opening for this PhD candidate in the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences.