Ka`u News Briefs May 27, 2012

Japan industry and government are partnering with government, educational institutions and utilities for Smart Grids
development in Hawai`i, starting with Maui.

JAPAN AND HAWAI`I could become partners in figuring out the best and most efficient course for Pacific islands to become more energy independent. During a meeting this weekend in Okinawa, Japan, representatives of island nations discussed solar, wind and geothermal as future energy sources. They planned creation of “energy road maps, energy-efficient technology and private-sector involvement,” reports a story in this morning’s Honolulu Star Advertiser.
      Japan was described at the meeting as already the most energy-efficient country, with vast engineering and planning experience to help islands solve the problem. Participating were Hawai`i, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
      Star Advertiser reporter Allison Schaefers interviewed Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, who has been working on the energy partnership. Schatz said that “Hawai`i and Japan are both overly dependent on foreign oil, and that’s why we are working together on clean energy projects…. We’ve got tremendous momentum because we feel the urgency.”
      Schatz said Japan is already working to install a Smart Grid project on Maui. The phase one, $37 million project partnered Hawai`i with Japan’s New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization, Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Hitachi Corp.
      Colton Ching, vice president of system operation and planning for Hawaiian Electric Co., told the Star Advertiser that his company met with Okinawa Electric several times in the last year regarding renewable resources, including solar and wind.
      “Hawai`i and Okinawa are similar in that we have small island electric grids and have a common goal of reducing our dependence on imported oil and increasing our use of renewable energy,” Ching said in an email to the Star-Advertiser. “We hope to continue this exchange on information going forward.”
      An Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo will be held Aug. 13 - 15 in Honolulu at the Hawai`i Convention Center. See www.asiapacificcleanenergy.com.

Small Hive Beetles are making their way across Hawai`i.
Photo from Department of Agriculture

BEE DISEASE should be reported immediately to the state Department of Agriculture to help save the $4 million honey and queen bee industries and to protect some 70 percent of Hawai`i food crops depending on bee pollination. 

      Already under attack by the varroa mite, beekeepers were notified Friday that small hive beetles, Aethina tumida, have spread to all the inhabited Hawaiian Islands except for Lana`i and Ni`ihau. Three days ago, the ag department confirmed the presence of small hive beetles on Kaua`i - about two years after their first detection on this island at Panaewa in April 2010.
       Department of Agriculture scientists said they are particularly concerned about potentially infected hive material being moved from one location to another, further spreading the pest. They issued an official Pest Alert for the beetle in January.
      Hawai`i residents, especially beekeepers, are reminded by the ag department that transporting bees or used beekeeping equipment between islands is prohibited by law without obtaining Department of Agriculture permits and prior inspection.

Small Hive Beetle larvae & adults eat through honeycomb.
Photo from Department of Agriculture

      Small hive beetle adults are about four to five millimeters in length. When young, they are yellowish-brown in color, turning brownish, then to black at maturity. They feed on most anything inside a beehive, including honey, pollen, wax, as well as honeybee eggs and larvae. As they feed, they tunnel through the hive, damaging or destroying the honeycomb and contaminating the honey. They can also spend their entire life outside the hive, living on local fruit.
      Symptoms of infestation include discolored honey, an odor of decaying oranges, and fermentation and frothiness in the honey. Heavy infestations may cause honeybee colonies to abandon hives.
      Small Hive Beetles are native to sub-Saharan Africa and were first detected in the U.S. in South Carolina in 1996 and Florida in 1998, as they spread to states in the South and Midwest, then on to California.
      Small Hive Beetles are pests under international regulation for queen bee export, and there is a concern some countries may restrict importation of queen bees from Hawai`i.
      Besides being honey producers, bees are critical pollinators for melons, watermelons, cucumbers, squash, lychee, mango, macadamia, coffee, eggplant, avocado, guava, herbs and some flowering plants such as sunflowers. Beekeepers who notice any suspicious beetles or larvae inside bee colonies are urged to contact the ag department immediately at hdoa.ppc@hawaii.gov or by calling 808-973-9525.
      To view the Pest Alert, go to: http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/npa-1/NPA-SHB%201-12.pdf.

THE HAWAI`I TEACHERS UNION’S VOTE to approve its state contract is being called into question by Civil Beat, which wants to know how many members voted. Hawai`i State Teachers Association president Wil Okabe said the vote was 66 percent for the contract and 34 percent against it, but is yet to release the numbers, Civil Beat reported. Postings by HSTA members on its website call for publicizing the numbers. A re-vote on the contract negotiated between the union and the state was approved last week after the union rejected the same contract in January.
      Gov. Neil Abercrombie has called the contract no longer valid, but HSTA will go to the bargaining table with the teacher-approved contract in hand. Okabe notified U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in hopes that progress with the state and teacher relationship will save a $75 million Race to the Top Grant for which Hawai`i is on probation. For that grant, the federal DOE has asked for more teacher accountability in terms of student progress.

Don Nitsche Photo from bougainvillea-
bedandbreakfast.com

PROVIDING POTABLE WATER FOR OCEAN VIEW is still in progress, and Don Nitsche, a longtime activist for securing a well for the community, said yesterday that he hopes it is finished before he exits this world. He is over 80 years of age and has been working on securing water for Ocean View for more than 20 years, including marching in front of the State Capitol and decades of lobbying the Legislature. Nitsche said the latest holdup is waiting for testing of potable water from the new well and consideration of whether the pump already installed is large enough to accommodate daily demand. He said there are also issues with the access road off Hwy 11. The county promised water by June, but has yet to announce a date. 

IWAO YONEMITSU, Toku Nakano and Tsuneki Omija are Congressional Gold Medal recipients from Ka`u who will be honored along with other Gold Medal recipients of Hawai`i Island at Kilauea Military Camp’s Memorial Day ceremony and buffet tomorrow. Yonemitsu and Nakano will attend the ceremony that begins at 3 p.m. on KMC’s front lawn. Keynote speaker is state Rep. Jerry Chang, and guest speaker is Major Darrin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary. The buffet at Crater Rim Café from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. is $14.25 for adults and $8 for children.

Kaimana Klein paints at a previous
Creativity Day. Photo from KSA

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to Summer Creations two weeks from tomorrow. Ka`u School of the Arts presents the event on Monday, June 11, King Kamehameha Day, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Guided art activities include macrame with Alma Gorali, stitchery dolls with Kepi Davis, poetrix with Jym Duncan, traditional Pacific Island dances with Betina Wajar, batik with Terri Chapot, clay miniatures with Bobbie Beebe, metal intaglio with Suzshi Lang, acrylics on textile with Iris Bishoff and more. The event is free, and some activities may have a modest materials fee.

      KSA aims to introduce and practice Aloha, `Ohana, Ho`olaulima, Lokahi, Malama and Kokua in an active art setting and provide a safe, encouraging environment for creativity within the community.

      Call Theresa at 938-9767 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. 

Ka`u News Briefs May 26, 2012

A baby Pseudorca, a false killer whale, in Hawaiian waters. Photo by Robin Baird, courtesy of cascadiaresearch.org

THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL went to federal court this week to put Pseudorca, the false killer whale, on the Endangered Species list. The false killer whale is rare, with an estimated population of under 200 remaining in Hawaiian waters. It is known to be somewhat friendly, even offering to share its own fish catch with other marine animals, divers, snorkelers and fishermen. Its face is also known to appear to be smiling.

False killer whale grabs mahi for dinner. Pseudorca has been known
to offer its catch to people.  Photo by Dan McSweeney courtesy of
cascadiaresearch.org

       Scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service recommended early last year that the false killer whale be listed as an Endangered Species. Fisheries, however, is yet to make a final decision, leading to the suit.
      According to a report by Associated Press reporter Audrey McAvoy, Michael Jasny, a senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, calls listing Pseudorca a “no-brainer…. It represents our best chance to save them. Saving them could go a long way toward preserving the remarkable marine oasis of which they are a part,” he said.
      Listing them as an Endangered Species is expected to encourage Hawai`i’s longline fishing fleet to take more care. The AP story says that before new rules recently changed the types of hooks allowed, the fleet “was accidentally killing or seriously injuring an average of 7.4 false killer whales each year. This exceeds the 2.5 per year that the fishery could kill or seriously harm without affecting the population’s ability to survive.”

Kalaekilohana hosting the recent Ka`u Coffee Festival dinner. Photo by Julia Neal

KALAEKILOHANA WOULD BECOME A LODGE with approval of a special permit application by the Windward Planning Commission. The application asks that a permit for the four-bedroom bed and breakfast establishment and certified kitchen facility allow expansion into a five-bedroom lodge with a certified kitchen that will also offer meals to registered guests and accommodate small community and private events once a month. The property is located in Kama`oa Haven Subdivision on the east side of South Point Road about one mile from Mamalahoa Hwy. Kenny Joyce and S. Kilohana Domingo are owners, and the application goes before the Planning Commission on Thursday, June 7 at its meeting at Council Chambers in Hilo at 9 a.m.

COMMENTS ON THE KA`U FOREST RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN’S Draft Environmental Impact Statement are due June 22. Copies are available at Na`alehu and Pahala Libraries as well as online. The plan would be implemented over a 15-year time frame. To help preserve native species, it includes options for fencing portions of the 61,641 acre Ka`u Forest Reserve mostly in the upper elevations. The plan would provide trails for hunters and hikers. 

      The reserve is located between 2,000 and 7,000 feet in altitude above the villages of Pahala, Na`alehu and Wai`ohinu. It has some of the most pristine native Hawaiian forest in all of the Islands and is managed by the state Department of Fish & Wildlife. The agency is tasked to protect, manage, restore and monitor the natural resources of the Ka`u Forest Reserve. The reserve was established on Aug. 2, 1906 to protect the forest on the lower slopes of Mauna Loa, with particular regard to the water supply of the agricultural lands of Ka`u. The reserve is bordered by lands of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Kamehameha Schools, The Nature Conservancy and private property owners, as well as state land leased to farmers and ranchers.
      Managing the reserve is not new. DOFAW maintains roads for public access, removes wild cattle from the forest, surveys birds and other wildlife, re-introduces native plants into the reserve and removes weeds. One of the options in the Draft EA is to re-introduce the native Hawaiian Crow, the `Alala, into the wild within the Ka`u Forest Reserve.
      To read the Draft EA, see http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.

Blueberries grow well in Hawai`i.
 Photo by Randall Hamasaki/UH

Tea grown at Volcano Winery.
Photo from Volcano Winery

A BLUEBERRY & TEA FIELD DAY on Friday, June 8 is open to coffee farmers enrolled in the University of Hawai`i’s Risk Management School on Saturday, June 9. Blueberry & Tea will be held at the UH Volcano Research station and Volcano Winery from noon to 4:30 p.m. with hosts Andrew Kawabata, Randy T. Hamasaki, Andrea Kawabata and Dr. Stuart T. Nakamoto. Participants will see blueberry trials studying effects of pot size on yield, blueberry varieties and pruning methods. They will also visit tea plantings and be introduced to tea research being conducted at CTAHR.

      At Volcano Winery, see how local ingredients such as tea are used in winemaking. There will be a chance for tasting and to walk through their tea fields. To make reservations, call Perci at 887-6183 or email proque@hawaii.edu. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis with wait list after reaching maximum enrollment.
      Enrollment in the Risk Management School at Old Pahala Clubhouse on Saturday, June 9 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. is available to coffee farmers by registering by May 31. Call Perci at 887-6183.

Toku Nakano (left) and Iwao Yonemitsu celebrated before going to
to Washington, D.C. to receive their Congressional Gold Medals.
Photo by Julia Neal

CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL recipients of Hawai`i Island, including Iwao Yonemitsu, Toku Nakano and Tsuneki Omija , from Ka`u, will be honored at Kilauea Military Camp’s Memorial Day ceremony and buffet on Monday. Yonemitsu and Nakano will attend the ceremony that begins at 3 p.m. on KMC’s front lawn. Keynote speaker is state Rep. Jerry Chang, and guest speaker is Major Darrin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary. The Memorial Day Buffet is 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Crater Rim Café - $14.25 for adults and $8 for children. 

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND sponsors its third annual beach cleanup at Manuka Natural Area Reserve next Saturday. Volunteers should be able hikers wearing sturdy shoes and bring bag lunches, water bottle, snacks and sun and wind protection. Sign up with Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

SUMMER CREATIONS takes place on the grounds and lanai of Pahala Plantation House at the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets this coming King Kamehameha Day. The June 11 public art event is from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch is included. Local artists will guide attendees through processes to
create their own art pieces in diverse media such as batik, quilting, weaving, macrame, painting and drawing. All ages are welcome. This event is free, although some classes may have a modest materials fee. Secondary goals are to introduce and practice Aloha, `Ohana, Ho`olaulima, Lokahi, Malama and Kokua in an active art setting and to provide a safe, encouraging environment for creativity within community. Ka`u School of the Arts is a nonprofit charity organization 501(c)(3) that sponsors this and a rainbow of other art opportunities for the people of Ka`u. See more at www.kauarts.org.
      For more information, contact Theresa Lyon 938-9767.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 25, 2012

Axis deer hunting is popular on Maui. Hunters say they help reduce the size of the herds that ravage nature and agriculture. Bringing the deer to the Big Island, however, is illegal.     Photo from mauideerhunting.com

SPECULATION ON HOW AXIS DEER made it to Ka`u and other places on the Big Island is spreading internationally, along with the issue of balancing hunting with wildlife conservation. 

      The Associated Press released a story this week, reporting “tracks along the southern coast indicate deer were pushed into the ocean from a boat and forced to paddle ashore” – to Ka`u. The story also repeats speculation that someone lifted axis deer to North Kohala by helicopter. It notes that Maui, where deer have been a plentiful pest for years, is only 30 miles away from the north end of Big Island. However, “deer can swim, but not very far.”
      “Whether they arrived by air or sea, wildlife managers want to eradicate them to avoid a repeat of the destruction seen on other islands where they ate through vineyards, avocado farms and forests where endangered species live,” says the story by AP reporter Audrey Macavoy.
      She writes that “officials estimate that there are 100 deer on the northern and southern ends of the Big Island,” and “deer population is growing 20 per cent to 30 per cent per year in Hawai`i because there aren’t any natural predators — except for humans.”  

      The story reviews deer history, interviewing Steven Hess, wildlife biologist with U.S. Geological Survey. The AP reports that deer “first came to Hawai`i in the 1860s as a gift from Hong Kong to the monarch who ruled at the time, King Kamehameha V. They were first taken to Moloka`i Island. In the 1950s, some deer were taken to Maui as part of post-World War II efforts to introduce mammals to different places and increase hunting opportunities for veterans…. Biologists believed they could improve the environment by introducing species that didn’t naturally exist.” However, “the experiment has had devastating, unforeseen consequences in Hawai`i, where plants and animals evolved in isolation over millions of years and lack natural defenses against introduced species.”

In April, a Big Island Invasive Species Committee hunter killed its first
axis deer on Big Island - above South Point. Photo from BIISC

      Macavoy also interviewed Palikapu Dedman, president of Pele Defense Fund, and says the group “led a successful legal fight in the 1990s to win Native Hawaiians access to private land for hunting.” The story says the Pele Defense Fund “is now rallying hunters together for a class action lawsuit against the state to stop its efforts to eradicate game animals and fence off land.” It quotes Dedman: “They go in and kill all the pigs and everything else. Then you eliminated the hunter. I think the hunter has been ignored, and it’s the state’s responsibility to look out for them, too.”
      The Nature Conservancy, which has large tracts of land in Ka`u, has a different view. The AP interviewed Sam Ohu Gon III, TNC’s senior scientist and cultural adviser in Hawai`i. The story says, “Deer could threaten Big Island plants that are important for the environment and Hawaiian culture. Among those are the uhiuhi tree, which has a hard wood ancient Hawaiians favored for making weapons and tools, and the ohelo berry, which is used to make jam and is sacred to Pele, the goddess of volcanoes.”
      Macavoy writes: “The threat to the Big Island’s native ecosystems is particularly serious as half the island still has native vegetation — a high ratio compared with other Hawaiian islands.”
       She quotes TNC’s Gon saying, “It cannot be a free-for-all of hunting everywhere you want and the hell with everything else. Because what would that result in? That just spirals us down into less and less of what makes Hawai`i unique.”

Hawaiian Airlines predicts increased tourism this summer.

INCREASED TOURISM this summer is predicted by Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaiian is upping the number of Neighbor Island flights from 179 to 184 per day. Total seating available across the airline’s schedule will increase by 28 percent over last summer’s scheduling. 

      Direct flights on Hawaiian from New York begin June 4. United Airlines launches direct flights from Washington, D.C. to Hawai`i on June 8.

KUMU LEILEHUA YUEN and Manu Josiah present a narrated demonstration of the preparation, protocol and offering of traditional hula and chant at the hula platform in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Hands-on cultural demonstrations take place at Volcano Art Center Gallery from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Donations are welcome, and park entrance fees apply.

FREE SQUARE DANCING lessons are given tomorrow and every Saturday at 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Open to all ages. Call Lucy at 895-4212 for more information.

Jerry Chang

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP will host a Memorial Day ceremony and buffet on Monday. The ceremony will honor all Congressional Gold Medal recipients of Hawai`i, including Iwao Yonemitsu and Toku Nakano from Ka`u. It begins at 3 p.m. on KMC’s front lawn. Keynote speaker is state Rep. Jerry Chang. Guest speaker is Major Darin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary. The Memorial Day Buffet is 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Crater Rim Café - $14.25 for adults and $8 for children. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.