 |
| All supporters of Ka`u agriculture are invited to Ka`u Farm Bureau's annual potluck meeting today at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie |
THE GREAT CRACK is listed as an item in the Green Book, the federal budget for 2015 proposed by Pres. Barack Obama and the administration. The 1,900-acre purchase by the National Park System would include the Great Crack lands between Pahala and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The acquisition effort is supported by a national organization called the Partnership for the National Trail System, which is comprised of numerous nonprofit groups. The trail advocates have made the Great Crack purchase one of their priorities, and Ala Kahakai Trail Association board member Kalani Souza and Ala Kahakai archaeologist Rick Gmirkin attended the Partnership for the National Trail System and American Hiking Society’s annual Washington, D.C. event in February called Hike the Hill.
 |
| The Great Crack Photo courtesy of NASA |
Negotiations have been on and off for more than 15 years between Ken Fujiyama, who owns the parcel under his Hawai`i Outdoor Tours company, and the National Park Service.
 |
| Ala Kahakai Trail near Punalu`u. Photo by Barbara A. Schaefer |
Approximately half of Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail is located in Ka`u and lands extending to the east border of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Ala Kahakai is a trail network of cultural and historical significance, traversing through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and more than 200 ahupua`a. Aric Arakaki is the superintendent of Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, which was established by Congress in 2000. The system’s mission is to work with landowners and communities to conserve surviving elements of the ancient ala loa, historic trails that developed on or parallel to the traditional routes post-contact (1778). It also includes more recent pathways and roads that created links between these ancient and historic segments. Trails run lateral to the shoreline within the trail corridor and mauka-makai. Ala Kahakai runs from Puna side of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park into Ka`u, along the coast, across the Great Crack, continuing below Pahala and Na`alehu and around Ka Lae, South Point, and up the west coast of Ka`u, through South Kona, Kona, North Kona and Kohala to Upolu Point. The comprehensive management plan can be read online at nps.gov/alka/parkmgmt/upload/ALKA_CMP_low-resolution.pdf.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
LAWMAKERS FROM HAWAI`I ARE GETTING SUPPORT from those in Alaska and U.S. territories in asking the U.S. government for relief from the Jones Act, which allows only ships made in the United States and flying the country’s flags to deliver goods between U.S. ports.
Because of the act, ships carrying goods from China, for example, are not permitted to stop in Hawai`i on their way to mainland ports. After being unloaded there, the goods must then be shipped to Hawai`i, driving up costs.
“All of our areas are specifically impacted by the Jones Act,” said Hawai`i state Sen. Sam Slom in an Associated Press story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. “It is now known that the Hawaiian cost of living, primarily because of our additional shipping cost and because of the Jones Act, are now 49 percent higher than the U.S. mainland. And this is becoming unbearable. It’s difficult for individuals. It’s difficult for families. It’s difficult for small businesses as well.”
LAWMAKERS FROM HAWAI`I ARE GETTING SUPPORT from those in Alaska and U.S. territories in asking the U.S. government for relief from the Jones Act, which allows only ships made in the United States and flying the country’s flags to deliver goods between U.S. ports.
Because of the act, ships carrying goods from China, for example, are not permitted to stop in Hawai`i on their way to mainland ports. After being unloaded there, the goods must then be shipped to Hawai`i, driving up costs.
“All of our areas are specifically impacted by the Jones Act,” said Hawai`i state Sen. Sam Slom in an Associated Press story in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. “It is now known that the Hawaiian cost of living, primarily because of our additional shipping cost and because of the Jones Act, are now 49 percent higher than the U.S. mainland. And this is becoming unbearable. It’s difficult for individuals. It’s difficult for families. It’s difficult for small businesses as well.”
 |
| Rep. Richard Creagan |
The Puerto Rico Senate passed a resolution calling for an investigation of the economic impact of the Jones Act, Puerto Rico Sen. Rossana Lopez Leon said.
Alaska state Sen. Fred Dyson said, “The general population is utterly ignorant of either the Jones Act or its implications for us. We have a job to do to explain what the savings would be.”
Both houses of the Hawai`i Legislature have introduced resolutions calling for limited exemption from the Jones Act by the U.S. Congress. Along with Sen. Slom’s resolutions, Ka`u’s Rep. Richard Creagan was among a group who introduced HR 113 and HCR 153, which note that the Act “disproportionately imposes an economic burden on and adversely affects Hawai`i.”
The resolutions also refute the claim that the Jones Act is necessary to national defense or effective in protecting the U.S. shipbuilding industry. According to the AP story, the American Maritime Partnership, a coalition that represents vessel owners and operators, unions, equipment yards and vendors, says the Jones Act is critical for economic and security reasons. It says the domestic maritime industry is responsible for nearly 500,000 jobs and more than $100 billion in annual economic output.
See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Alaska state Sen. Fred Dyson said, “The general population is utterly ignorant of either the Jones Act or its implications for us. We have a job to do to explain what the savings would be.”
Both houses of the Hawai`i Legislature have introduced resolutions calling for limited exemption from the Jones Act by the U.S. Congress. Along with Sen. Slom’s resolutions, Ka`u’s Rep. Richard Creagan was among a group who introduced HR 113 and HCR 153, which note that the Act “disproportionately imposes an economic burden on and adversely affects Hawai`i.”
The resolutions also refute the claim that the Jones Act is necessary to national defense or effective in protecting the U.S. shipbuilding industry. According to the AP story, the American Maritime Partnership, a coalition that represents vessel owners and operators, unions, equipment yards and vendors, says the Jones Act is critical for economic and security reasons. It says the domestic maritime industry is responsible for nearly 500,000 jobs and more than $100 billion in annual economic output.
See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I PUBLIC ACCESS, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission invites Ka`u residents to propose properties that should be purchased and preserved for open space.
THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I PUBLIC ACCESS, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission invites Ka`u residents to propose properties that should be purchased and preserved for open space.
 |
| Hawai`i County used PONC funds, among others, to purchase Kawa. Photo by Julia Neal |
Suggestions are due by June 30 and may be included in the commission’s annual prioritized list and report to the mayor.
Commissioners review suggestions and consider the significant factors of each property, such as historic and culturally important features; opportunities for outdoor recreation and education; public access to beaches or mountains; preservation of forests, beaches, coastal areas and natural beauty; protection of natural resources and watershed lands; potential partners for management; and the general benefits to the public.
Potential acquisitions are then prioritized and listed in a report that is sent to the mayor at the end of each year. The mayor then forwards his recommendations to Hawai`i County Council, which adopts resolutions to authorize property purchases.
Past open space purchases total 1,249 acres, including Kawa oceanfront parcels. PONC funds are derived from two percent of Hawai`i County’s annual real property tax revenues. The county has also been able to obtain more than $7.5 million in matching funds and donations from other sources to help purchase open space properties. A maintenance fund has also been established to maintain properties that are acquired with PONC funds.
Forms to suggest properties can be downloaded from the County of Hawai`i website, hawaiicounty.gov/boards-and-commissions, or obtained at 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1101 in Hilo.
For further information, contact Alexandra Kelepolo, of County of Hawai`i Property Management Division, at 961-8069.
Commissioners review suggestions and consider the significant factors of each property, such as historic and culturally important features; opportunities for outdoor recreation and education; public access to beaches or mountains; preservation of forests, beaches, coastal areas and natural beauty; protection of natural resources and watershed lands; potential partners for management; and the general benefits to the public.
Potential acquisitions are then prioritized and listed in a report that is sent to the mayor at the end of each year. The mayor then forwards his recommendations to Hawai`i County Council, which adopts resolutions to authorize property purchases.
Past open space purchases total 1,249 acres, including Kawa oceanfront parcels. PONC funds are derived from two percent of Hawai`i County’s annual real property tax revenues. The county has also been able to obtain more than $7.5 million in matching funds and donations from other sources to help purchase open space properties. A maintenance fund has also been established to maintain properties that are acquired with PONC funds.
Forms to suggest properties can be downloaded from the County of Hawai`i website, hawaiicounty.gov/boards-and-commissions, or obtained at 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1101 in Hilo.
For further information, contact Alexandra Kelepolo, of County of Hawai`i Property Management Division, at 961-8069.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
KA`U FARM BUREAU’S ANNUAL MEETING takes place today at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. The public is invited to the potluck event. Membership in the Farm Bureau is not required.
Speakers are state Agriculture Department chief Scott Enright and county Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth.
For more information, call current Ka`u Farm Bureau president Chris Manfredi at 929-9550.
KA`U GROWN COFFEE AND MACADAMIA NUTS will be celebrated at the grand opening of Big Island Trading Company tomorrow in Hilo from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is located at 1672 Kamehameha Ave., just around the corner from Hwy 11 and Ken’s House of Pancakes. The location is a former Volvo dealership with two buildings, one for retail and one with a coffee shop and lots of outdoor seating. Owned by a hui led by Ed Olson, the business features products from Ka`u Coffee Mill, Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co., which sources much of its macadamia from Ka`u, OK Farms and other local sources. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The company logo was designed here in Ka`u by Local Productions and Tanya Ibarra.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
 |
| Kumu hula Manaiakalani Kalua Photo from geocities.ws |
AKAUNU HULA ENSEMBLE with kumu hula Manaiakalani Kalua presents a hula kahiko informance tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. on the hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free; park entrance fees apply.
DIGITAL SUBMISSIONS FOR HAWAI`I PHOTO EXPO 2014 are due this Sunday, March 16. The expo takes place at Wailoa Center in Hilo from June 7 to June 25.
See hawaiiphotoexpo.com for fees, prizes, rules and entry forms.
FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK celebrate their first annual St. Patrick’s Day Eve BBQ Fundraiser at the Hilo Coffee Mill in Mountain View Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tickets are $45 for BBQ and entertainment, or $50 for the above and one beer or wine.
For tickets, call 985-7373, see fhvnp.org or purchase at the door.
IN SPORTS, KA`U HIGH BOYS basketball players made the all-league team for Division II. Players nominated were Larry-Dan Al-Navarro, Alexis Alejo, Kehei Serrao and Brian Gascon.
Ka`u High boys volleyball teams won their matches playing Hawai`i Preparatory Academy Thursday night at home. Junior Varsity scores were 25-21, 14-25, 15-9. The Varsity team won in three straight sets, with scores 25-22, 25-15, 25-21. The next games for the Trojans will be at home Monday, Mar. 17, facing Pahoa. Junior Varsity game starts at 6 p.m.
SEE THE MARCH ISSUE of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper online at kaucalendar.com.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
