DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
This is Hanauma Bay. There was a Hanauma Bay commemoration ceremony at Hanauma Bay Visitor Center Lookout that celebrated the Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve’s designation as the State’s first Marine Life Conservation District.
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Hawaii is celebrating 50 years of efforts to protect the marine environment at Hanauma Bay. Keep in mind: Mother Nature spent 40,000 years getting that environment in shape for protection, to begin with.
The crater-ringed reef is showing its age but it still thrills visitors and residents to don a mask and snorkel to have a close encounter with colorful fish. Most kamaaina have favorite memories of a day there — former President Barack Obama among them.
A great video lesson bank is at hbep.seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/hanauma-geology, if you can’t spare the time for another visit.
In a crosswalk? Don’t look at your phone
Pedestrians on Oahu can still talk on their cellphone while crossing a city street or highway — whether they should is another matter — but texting or using other electronic devices in a crosswalk is now illegal and fines apply.
Anyone caught looking at a hand-held screen of some sort, such as a computer tablet or video gaming device, while in a crosswalk can get cited under the new ordinance, dubbed “the Distracted Walking Law.” Those who cannot take the short screen-time break most likely deserve to be slapped with a fine, starting at $15.