Molokai charter school students name Hawaiian monk seal - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Second-grade students from Kualapuʻu Charter School have given a Hawaiian monk seal born on Molokai a special name: Kepuhinui, which means “the great one of Kepuhi Beach.”

The name was gifted to the 1-year-old, male seal, previously known as L4, on May 27, according to the nonprofit, Hawaii Marine Animal Response.

Kepuhinui was born on Molokai during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, and did not get tags attached to his hind flippers, the usual protocol for young monk seals.

The students were able to get together after a year of remote learning to name the seal, with nearly 20 Hawaiian language immersion students participating in a “haku inoa,” or name weaving exercise that takes environmental, geographical, astronomical, and cultural information into account.

After several talk-story discussions, the students gravitated toward a popular nearby beach, Kepuhi, which is frequented by seals, visitors, surfers, fishers, and local families. The students then added “nui,” which connotes an individual with a regal or meaningful presence.

Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species, with a population of only about 1,400 remaining in the wild. They are protected by both state and federal laws, and are Hawaii’s official state mammal.

HMAR worked with Molokai-based curriculum developer Maile Naehu of Ka Hale Hoaka, and in collaboration with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources in the naming process, with the goal of sharing the history, biology, and cultural importance of Hawaiian monk seals.

The kids that named Kepuhinui are now part of his “circle of protectors,” said kumu Loke Han, a teacher at Kualapu‘u Charter School, and they share a special bond.

“When our kids get to name one of these rare animals, they elevate visibility for how unique each of these seals are,” said Todd Yamashita, Molokai operations manager for HMAR in a news release. “I want our kids to know that this is their seal, that it’s Hawaiian like them, and something they can feel good about. Our kids already understand and practice kuleana (responsibility), so it’s cool to reflect back to them that they already play an active role in conservation and community building.”

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Chip seal work set to take place in two Genesee County communities - MLive.com

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(Joel Bissell, MLive.com)Joel Bissell file photo | For MLive.com

FLINT, MI -- The Genesee County Road Commission has announced that the 2021 Chip Seal Program will continue starting Tuesday, July 27.

The following roads will be affected:

1. Elms Road (between Corunna Road and Lennon Road), in Flint Township, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
2. Elms Road (from Swartz Creek city limit to Maple Road), in Flint Township, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
3. Morrish Road (from Swartz Creek city limit to Grand Blanc Road) in Gaines Township, from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Open lanes of traffic will be flagged through the construction zone and traffic may be temporarily detoured on some roadways. Motorists are advised to seek an alternate route.

Read more on MLive:

Jersey Mike’s in Davison Township set to open this week

Judge orders return of Shiawassee COVID-19 hazard pay until new public vote

Shiawassee County commissioners give themselves $65K in COVID-19 hazard pay

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NOAA: Fishing Net Entanglement Likely Caused Death of Hawaiian Monk Seal 'Mele' - Hawaiipublicradio

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Entanglement in fishing gear likely caused the drowning death of the 1-year-old Hawaiian monk seal RM90, also known as Mele, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers determined.

"It's a hard thing to talk about because she was a special seal and a seal that a lot of us really invested a lot of time and energy into," said Dr. Michelle Barbieri, head of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program at NOAA.

Mele was found dead in waters off the windward side of Oʻahu on May 24. There were no indications of foul play.

After much discussion and analysis, Barbieri said researchers think Mele "probably drowned from entanglement." Before she died, she was found with a fishing hook in her cheek.

"While the hook did not directly cause her death, it is possible that it rendered her more susceptible to entanglement — she had already been entangled and disentangled in the month prior to her death," NOAA wrote in a press release.

Barbieri said a 2019 study found that drowning in lay nets is one of the top causes of death among monk seals in the main Hawaiian Islands — a problem that continues to limit population growth. Lay nets are laid out and left in the water for an extended period of time to catch fish before being brought back in.

"In many cases, we suspect that these are nets that are being fished illegally, that legally fished nets we would hope would mitigate that threat substantially. We really are concerned about this threat," she said. "Unfortunately, for RM 90 (Mele), it means that not only did we lose her to the population, but we also lose the reproductive potential that she had for the species and the pups that she would have given birth to."

Hawaii Marine Animal Response

RM90 exploring on the beach around naupaka.

Because shore-based lay nets are usually left unattended, seals will come to the net to find fish caught inside, said Ryan Jenkinson, head of the Protected Species Program at the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Though any net left unattended for more than a few hours is in violation, Jenkinson said.

"The best way to avoid this kind of thing is if you're lay net fishing, to be with the net at all times," he said. "If you're around and you see a seal, you can either pull on the net or yell at the seal, it'll be spooked by you."

Recent viral videos of visitors touching Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles have sparked public outcry and a demand for more environmental education.

"From the perspective of the state, you can't follow every person who arrives in the Hawaiian Islands and monitor all of their activities. A lot of what we can do is ask the general public to keep their eyes out, and to increase our education and outreach," he said.

"Monk seals are part of the culture. They're part of everyday life here. You don't disrespect them, you don't go up and touch them. You keep a safe distance and just be stoked that you get to see these animals. They're rare," Jenkinson told Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

A new music video by local rap group Angry Locals also sent a strong message to visitors to discourage them from harassing Hawaiʻi’s endangered and federally protected marine wildlife.

This segment aired on The Conversation on July 23, 2021.

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Spear gun slaying of Kostis, beloved Mediterranean monk seal, sparks outrage on Greek island - The Washington Post

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Kostis, a Mediterranean monk seal, was a playful creature, beloved by residents of and visitors to the Greek island of Alonissos. He could be spotted from the island’s shores, striking poses for the cameras or sunning himself on boats in the port.

But over the weekend, the friendly seal was found “deliberately killed” at “close range” by a spear gun, according to the Athens-based organization MOm, which aims to study and protect monk seals. The news sparked ire across the island and prompted Greek authorities to launch an investigation into Kostis’s killing.

“Unfortunately, yet again, it is proven that human wickedness and stupidity have no limits!” read a statement a statement from MOm. The organization offered a reward of more than $21,000 to anyone who reports information or evidence to the authorities investigating the seal’s death.

Alonissos is part of the National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades, the largest marine protected area in Europe, where the Mediterranean monk seal is guarded under Greek law.

Named after the fisherman who rescued him as a pup from Cyclone Zorbas in 2018, Kostis was one of no more than 700 of his kind left in the world, according to the Marine Mammal Commission. MOm rehabilitated and cared for the young seal for five months after his rescue before releasing him back into the Aegean Sea.

His death is part of a larger trend: In fewer than two years, 19 Mediterranean monk seals have been found dead in the Greek seas, according to Anastasia Miliou, scientific director at the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation and Greek ambassador to the European Union for sustainable maritime policy issues.

Miliou said that while Kostis lived in a protected region, “there is very poor enforcement of these protection measures.”

“It is widely known that there is tolerance for spear gun fishing, along with many other prohibited activities, in this region,” she said, which “creates a general atmosphere of disregard and disrespect for the laws in place.”

His past rehabilitation by humans and subsequent notoriety as the “mascot” of the island could also have put him at greater risk because he was so comfortable around people, Miliou said.

“If the rehabilitation and reintroduction process had followed a different approach, this seal would not have been exposed to as many humans and boats and close interactions as Kostis was.”

On Facebook, dozens of people mourned his death and demanded accountability.

“How sad I am … Only sadness,” wrote one user.

“Give the harshest punishment to those who did the act so that we can finally learn to respect the value of life,” wrote another.

“The more I see this creature, my anger grows,” another comment said.

MOm said its members were grieving the news, as were the “residents and visitors of Alonnisos who had the luck to admire ‘Kostis’ from close by.”

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Outrage in Greece at killing of Kostis, a rare Monk seal rescued by fishermen - WHBL News

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By Phoebe Fronista

ATHENS (Reuters) – An orphaned Monk seal known as Kostis which had become a local celebrity in Greece after being rescued by fishermen three years ago has been found harpooned from close range, prompting outrage by conservationists and demands to find his killer.

MOm, the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, a non-profit group that works to protect the endangered species, said Kostis had been deliberately killed in the waters near Alonnisos, in the northern Sporades islands.

“The coastguard alerted us and we immediately went there, and unfortunately confirmed that the animal was dead,” MOm President Panagiotis Dendrinos told Reuters.

He said the seal’s body had been pierced by a long harpoon of more than a metre in length which appeared to have been fired downwards, possibly from on board a boat and he said it appeared very unlikely to have been an accident.

“Everything points to this being done on purpose. The way the animal was hit, the weapon used,” he said.

“It is a terrible and sad event, it has greatly saddened and enraged us, and not only us, but also the majority of residents and visitors of Alonnisos island, who knew Kostis, this seal that hung around the port,” he said.

Alonissos, home to one of the last remaining colonies of Monk seals in the Mediterranean, had taken Kostis to its heart after he was rescued by fishermen as a baby in 2018, apparently orphaned after a storm that washed him away to the island of Folegandros.

Helped by local people, he was looked after at MOm’s rescue centre on Alonnisos and sent back into the wild at the age of 3-4 months, becoming a much-loved mascot for the island.

“We hope that the culprit is found, because this is a criminal act, it is not only an immoral act, it is also illegal,” Dendrinos said.

Monk seals, once found across the Mediterranean, are considered among the world’s most threatened species and only a few hundred are thought to remain in the Aegean or off the Atlantic coast of Mauritania in northwestern Africa.

The local prosecutor has ordered an investigation.

(Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

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What you should know about greenwashing of ESG investments, and how to avoid it - MarketWatch

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This article is reprinted by permission from NerdWallet. This article provides information for educational purposes. NerdWallet does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend specific investments, including stocks, securities or cryptocurrencies.

“All natural,” “eco-friendly” and “green” — we’ve seen it all before. Food, home goods and clothing companies have all jumped on the sustainable bandwagon, and it’s not just because of their undying devotion to the environment.

According to the 2019 Accenture Chemicals Global Consumer Sustainability Survey, more than half of consumers surveyed would pay more for sustainable (meaning recyclable or reusable) products. Turns out, there’s good money in going green.

But not every company is genuine in its pursuits of a cleaner planet or more equitable society. And making false or misleading claims about “greenness” can affect investor trust.

What is greenwashing?

Greenwashing is a misrepresentation of a product, service or investment, making something appear to be more sustainable than it actually is. Greenwashing includes eggs labeled “farm fresh,” clothing marketed as “eco-friendly” and investments labeled “green” when those claims are either exaggerated or cannot be substantiated.

“Greenwashing is virtue signaling,” says Lina Khan, a senior sustainability specialist for Gensler, an architectural firm. “Ensuring that your product or service is good from an environmental and sustainability standpoint is so valued by society, but some organizations feel the need to advertise more than what they’re actually doing.”

Learn more: Buyer beware: What’s really in your ‘earth-friendly’ ESG fund?

How greenwashing affects investments

Environmental, social and governance criteria are at the heart of ESG investing, which has grown significantly in popularity over the last several years. ESG criteria are factors that measure an investment’s sustainability. Unfortunately, with the rise of consumer and investor interest in ESG comes the rise in greenwashing.

This can lead some businesses, such as oil companies, to be included in funds that investors may not have expected. Critics have called ESG and other forms of sustainable investing marketing ploys or scams, noting that sustainability is just a trend that companies are trying to capitalize on.

One reason why greenwashing has been able to slip through the cracks when it comes to investment securities is that there are numerous ESG data providers. And because multiple companies offer ESG evaluations, it can be difficult to know which one to trust.

The Biden administration has even called for better guidelines and standardization around ESG investments. In a May executive order, the president requested that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh review previous rulings about the inclusion of ESG funds in workplace retirement plans such as 401(k)s.

The Climate Group is a nonprofit that helps companies commit to and follow through on environmental initiatives. When asked about how greenwashing impacts consumer trust, Vartan Badalian, the Climate Group’s EV100 program manager for North America, says it’s not good for anyone.

“It’s not helping the planet or any businesses. It puts more distrust out there for consumers and investors,” Badalian says.

Greenwashed investments, or investments not being what they claim, was the biggest concern for 44% of investors when it came to ESG investing, according to recent research from Quilter, a U.K.-based wealth management service. This was followed by worries about ESG investment fees and costs (42%) and ESG investment performance (38%).

And while ESG has its critics, it also has its champions who note that any level of commitment a company is willing to make toward sustainability is better than none.

How you can avoid greenwashing

The field of sustainable investing is still relatively new, and while industrywide standardization may still be a long time coming, there are ways to increase the green in your portfolio (and hopefully your wallet).

Khan encourages consumers and investors to do the legwork when it comes to learning about a company’s sustainability policies.

“Follow the breadcrumbs,” Khan says. “Look at reports, look at third-party verification and do a little bit of your own homework to go beyond the tag lines of ‘sustainability’ and ‘green.’”

You might like: These 3 smart ESG investing tips can have a powerful impact on your portfolio and the planet

ESG funds usually publish impact reports, allowing investors to see the real-world changes their investment dollars are making. A fund’s prospectus will also show the individual companies that fund invests in, so you can see exactly where your dollars are going.

For investors who don’t have the time or desire to dive into the nitty-gritty of their investment holdings, several robo-advisors offer automated ESG investment portfolios.

If you’d like professional help, you can also work with a financial advisor who has a chartered SRI counselor certification, which is a designation program designed to teach best practices for socially responsible investing.

Also read: If you support green energy, you should buy utilities and oil stocks — here’s why

And because of the increased interest in sustainability, there is an increase in accountability. Badalian, of the Climate Group, said he sees this increase in interest, and an increase in corporate promises, as motivating factors for companies to abandon greenwashing and keep their word.

“As climate-related social opinions get stronger, companies will have nowhere to run,” he says. “And with more aggressive policies and political opinions, you’ll see companies that were once slow to move become more aggressive with their policies, and they will have to follow through because they are putting clear timelines on climate commitments.”

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Alana Benson writes for NerdWallet. Email: abenson@nerdwallet.com.

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