Our photojournalists found color wherever they went this week.
The dramatic discoloration of the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge is a tourist magnet, but does it signal a more serious environmental shift? The centerpiece of Honolulu’s Christmas spectacle makes the journey from the North Shore, and Lahaina residents take to the beaches of West Maui to highlight their ongoing challenges. The 22nd National Native Hawaiian Convention relocates to Maui to uplift local voices and boost local businesses. It’s another week of Shootz!
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been monitoring the mysteriously pink water at Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge since Oct. 30. Initial analysis suggests that a single-celled organism halobacteria could be the culprit for the water’s neon hue. (Brittany Lyte/Civil Beat/2023)A sign at the boardwalk over the Kealia Pond offers an explanation of why the water is pink, as photographed on Monday. “The outlet channel is experiencing a bloom of Halobacteria, an organism adapted to survive in extreme conditions including very high salinity. As this is an entirely new occurrence at the refuge, we submitted samples to our partners at the University of Hawaii to learn more about this organism and whether we should pursue remediation,” it says. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023)A Cook pine donated by North Shore Stables began its journey to Honolulu Hale on Monday. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023)Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, right, assists workers as they unload and place the Cook pine tree that was donated by North Shore Stables to serve as this year’s Honolulu Christmas Tree at Honolulu Hale. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023)Members of the public continue to man a section of beach in front of Whalers Village shopping Center, as shown here on Monday, to bring attention to the plight of Lahaina residents who lost everything including their homes, in the devastating fires. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023)Lahaina residents north of this Pioneer Mill Co. Office and mauka of the smokestack return to their homes Monday in Lahaina. U’i Kahue-Cabanting, not shown, says their neighborhood suffered much loss of life during the Aug. 8 fire. One block away, the kapuna home Hale Mahaolu Eono once stood. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)Police crime scene tape marks an area at the Hawaii State Hospital Tuesday in Honolulu. A 29-year-old nurse was stabbed to death at the hospital. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu opens the second day of the 22nd Native Hawaiian Convention Wednesday at the Maui Arts and Culture Center in Kahului. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)Ululani Beirne of Kahana Valley listens intently during the 22nd Annual Native Hawaiian Convention Wednesday at the Maui Arts and Culture Center in Kahului. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)A rainbow presides over the 22nd Native Hawaiian Convention Wednesday at the Maui Arts and Culture Center in Kahului. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)
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