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Saturday, January 10, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015

Ka`u residents can see one of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer during a guided hike tomorrow. Photo from NPS
MORE VISITORS FROM JAPAN COULD ONCE AGAIN fly directly to Hawai`i Island if the U.S Department of Transportation approves an application by Hawaiian Airlines. 
      Beginning June 1, Hawaiian would provide daily, nonstop service between Tokyo International Airport at Haneda and Kona International Airport. The airline’s action was prompted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision last
 month to review the public interest served by Delta Air Lines’ Seattle-Tokyo route after Delta reduced its frequency from daily to seasonal.
      In its application, Hawaiian urges the DOT to reallocate Delta’s Haneda frequency based on market data, noting that Hawaiian’s Honolulu-Tokyo service has been “by far the most, if not only, successful route” of the four Haneda slot pairs granted to U.S. carriers in 2010.
      Japan Airlines previously offered direct flights to Kona but ceased in October 2010 during bankruptcy reorganization after serving the market for 14 years.
      Hawaiian calculates that the new service will provide an additional 39,000 visitors directly to Kona each year, generating 1,151 new jobs, $65 million in new direct spending and $117 million in total new sales.


      Hawaiian is asking for public support for this route in winning the right to provide this service. Residents can sign a petition in support of the application as well as use key arguments to write letters to U.S. DOT
 Secretary Anthony Foxx. See http://action.hawaiianair.com/site/PageServer for more information.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

AS PART OF THE SIXTH ANNUAL Volcano Awareness Month on Hawai`i Island, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists, given the ongoing lava flow in lower Puna, are discussing HVO’s response to lava flows in the weekly issue of Volcano Watch. The topic is particularly poignant, since 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of lava flows inundating the Kalapana community. The scientists will discuss how HVO responds to threatening lava flows, how that response has changed over the past 25 years and how information is communicated to the public.
In May 1990, a television crew interviews then HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tom Wright
as lava flows burn vegetation in the background and inundate Kalapana. Such
interviews are now heavily supplemented by the Internet. Photo from HVO
      “Those of you following the June 27th lava flow are aware that the most current information is posted online, with maps, photos and daily updates on both the HVO and Hawai`i County Civil Defense websites,” the article states. “In addition, Civil Defense messages are broadcast on the radio several times each day, and HVO’s Kilauea daily update is available as a recorded telephone message at 967-8862. Civil Defense and HVO also hold near-daily media briefings to assist local newspapers, online news sources and television news media (local and national) in their efforts to keep the public informed of the current lava flow activity.
      “The County of Hawai`i has also hosted near-weekly meetings in Pahoa, enabling government and non-government agencies to provide general updates to a group audience and then interact one-on-one with the public to answer individual questions. People unable to attend these meetings can direct questions to HVO and Civil Defense via phone or email.
      “Diverse approaches to communication allow the public to receive information through a variety of means. Some people rely on the Internet, while others prefer newspapers or favor the community meetings. Not all of these resources were available in 1990 — there was no Internet and no 24-hour news cycle. How, then, was information conveyed to the public during the lava flow crisis in Kalapana?
      “Some of the tools and methods used today were pioneered decades ago, most notably the community meetings, which were employed in 1955 during a Kilauea East Rift Zone eruption and again in 1990. As lava approached Kalapana 25 years ago, Civil Defense and HVO held frequent community meetings (sometimes several per week!) at Kalapana’s Harry K. Brown Park (until it was destroyed by lava) and then in Pahoa.
      “During the height of the crisis, HVO geologists were also on site to track lava flow activity and answer questions from residents. Maps were updated by hand and posted at the park so that people could see the extent and direction of the flows. Because large-scale plotters were not available at the time, maps for use in other locations had to be copied in Hilo as blueprints before being displayed.
      “In 1990, newspaper, television and radio reports were the most effective means of providing information to large numbers of people, so a vital duty of HVO scientists was to update the activity for the press. Islandwide and beyond, the public eagerly sought reports and maps of the eruption to keep up with the changes.
      “The biggest game-changer since 1990 is the development of the Internet, through which detailed information, such as maps and photographs from HVO and Civil Defense, can be quickly transmitted. In addition, island residents have created their own online forums to discuss and distribute information — for instance, the Puna message boards and various Facebook and Twitter accounts — many of which alert the community when new data are available.
      “For many people, important sources of information are maps that show the location of current lava flow activity in relation to nearby communities. Next week, we'll examine how the creation of those maps can be aided by satellite data.”
      Volcano Awareness Month is a joint effort of HVO in cooperation with Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, University of Hawai`i at Hilo and Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense. For the complete schedule of events and more information about each talk, see HVO’s website at hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Kamehameha Schools Hawai`i is accepting applications for its summer
Explorations Series and summer school. Photo from ksbe.edu
APPLICATIONS FOR EXPLORATIONS SERIES: Halau Kupukupu Innovations Academy and summer school at Kamehameha Schools’ Hawai`i campus are now available. All summer program applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered to KS by Feb. 14. 
       Explorations Series is comprised of three different summer boarding programs: Ho`omaka`ika`i, Ho`olauna and Kiulia I Ka Pono. Each weeklong program targets specific grade levels and offers hands-on opportunities for haumana, with activities and huaka`i designed to cultivate an understanding of Hawaiian cultural traditions and knowledge.
      Programs take place in a variety of locations throughout Hawai`i. The series is open to students who are currently in grades five through eight who are not enrolled in a Kamehameha Schools campus program. Students from Hawai`i, the continental United States and throughout the world are eligible to apply and attend these programs.
      Call 808-534-8272, email hcbe@ksbe.edu or visit http://apps.ksbe.edu/hcbe for more information on the Explorations Series.
      KS summer school programs are offered for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Summer school offers a number of enriching program options to keep students engaged in learning throughout the year.
      For high school students, summer school is also an opportunity to earn credits and better prepare for the upcoming school year. KS Hawai`i campus is taking a new approach to summer learning this year with its Halau Kupukupu Innovations Academy. This summer, new and innovative courses at all levels have been developed to challenge keiki and `opio with rigorous and authentic culture-based STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and math) curriculum. Halau Kupukupu is intended to maximize the opportunities of summer and pilot new curricular design which bridges KS regional and community resources. The course catalog highlights all of the new course offerings. Visit hawaii.ksbe.edu and click on the summer school link for more information.
      To apply for any of these summer programs, applications and additional information can be downloaded at ksbe.edu/admissions or call 808-842-8800 to request a mailed application. Applications are also available and can be turned in to KS Resource Centers. Visit http://apps.ksbe.edu/resourcecenters/ to find the nearest location.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL’S soccer and basketball teams are finishing up a busy week today. Soccer team travels to Kealakehe for a match at 3 p.m., and girls basketball teams host Hilo at 6 p.m. 
      On Thursday, the soccer team lost to Kona 6-0. Originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 4, the match had to be re-scheduled due to road closures and strong winds.
      Yesterday, Waiakea boys basketball teams came to Ka`u and overcame both home teams. Junior Varsity 
score was 48-37,
 with Jacob Flores as high scorer with 14
 points.
 
Brian Gascon’s 16 points contributed to Varsity’s 42 points, but Waiakea scores 76.
      Kealakehe also won against the Trojan boys basketball teams on Tuesday, with a JV score of 27-57 and a Varsity score of 27-75.
      Girls basketball teams traveled to Kohala Wednesday, where both teams lost – JV 22-51 and Varsity 44-63.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.  

PALM TRAIL HIKE AT KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes national Park tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is a moderately difficult 2.6-mile loop trail that provides one of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer.

DURING THEIR SUNDAY WALK IN THE PARK tomorrow from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park meet at Kilauea Visitor Center to explore Sulfur Banks and `Ilahi Trails. Non-members may join the group in order to attend. Call 985-7373 to sign up.

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