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Thursday, January 12, 2017

Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017

OHA is a new co-trustee of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, with ten islands and atolls
and 583,000 square miles of ocean waters.  
It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Photo from UNESCO
OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS is the new co-trustee of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.  Gov. David Ige announced today that OHA, the State of Hawai`i,  and the U.S. Secretaries of Interior and Commerce have signed an updated Memorandum of Agreement adding OHA as a co-trustee. 
“This historic action rightfully places the Native Hawaiian voice at
the highest levels of decision making for this culturally and
spiritually significant wahi pana (sacred place) and will help
 advance our people’s understanding of the deep connection of
 our entire paeʻaina (archipelago)," said Kamana`opon Crabb,
OHA's CEO. Photo from UNESCO
     Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest, contiguous, fully protected conservation area in the U.S. and encompasses 583,000 square miles of ocean waters, including ten islands and atolls in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Papahānaumokuākea is rich in history and cultural significance. In 2010, UNESCO inscribed the area as the nation’s first mixed (natural and cultural) World Heritage Site. The Big Island hosts a Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument visitor center in Hilo.
      The refuge is managed by a partnership of co-trustee agencies: the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the Interior Department's Fish & Wildlife Service; the state Department of Land & Natural Resources and Office of Hawaiian Affairs. OHA has been one of seven collaborating agencies for Papahānaumokuākea, including NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and National Marine Fisheries Service; the Fish & Wildlife Service’s Ecological Services & Refuges, and the DLNR Divisions of Aquatic Resources & Forestry and Wildlife. 
     Said the Governor, “Honoring, respecting and perpetuating the Native Hawaiian culture and sustainability are among my administration’s top priorities. OHA has participated in the decision making process since the monument was first designated by President Bush more than ten years ago, and previously, when the area was managed as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. The monument is world renowned for both its natural and cultural attributes and OHA’s co-trustee role will ensure the protection of Native Hawaiian cultural features and provide a critical cultural sensitivity to every decision that is made to protect this unique place.”
     DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said, “We fully support and embrace OHA as a co-trustee of the monument. It is impossible to separate decisions about nature from cultural considerations. OHA’s elevated voice and input will inform management actions on a broad scale.” 
     U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said: "Over the past ten years, we have forged a strong partnership with the State of Hawai‘i and we look forward to collaborating with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on our continued efforts to preserve this unique environment."
"Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is of great cultural significance to the Native Hawaiian community and houses important marine ecosystems that the Department of Commerce is committed to protecting for future generations," said Dept. of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. Photo from UNESCO
     U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said, “The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems on the planet and a sacred place for the Native Hawaiian community. By including OHA as a co-trustee for Papahānaumokuākea, we are highlighting not only the protection of natural treasures like the pristine coral reefs and deep sea marine habitats, but also the significant cultural and historic resources of the area that will be preserved for current and future generations.”
     OHA Chair Rowena Akana said, “We thank President Barack Obama and our partners and supporters for making this a reality. Since our community’s first involvement in the management of these kūpuna island more than a decade ago, the goal has been to get Native Hawaiians a seat at the decision-making table. We understand the challenges ahead and are firmly committed to fulfilling our kuleana to this place and our beneficiaries.” 
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to one of the most diverse and
threatened ecosystems on the planet and a sacred place for the Native Hawaiian
 community," said Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell. Photo from UNESCO
     Kamana`opono Crabbe, OHA’s chief executive officer, said: “This historic action rightfully places the Native Hawaiian voice at the highest levels of decision making for this culturally and spiritually significant wahi pana (sacred place) and will help advance our people’s understanding of the deep connection of our entire paeʻaina (archipelago). We look forward to serving in our new role, in partnership with our co-trustees, to develop and implement a resource management structure that integrates the best of conventional science and traditional practices. We hope that Papahānaumokuākea will demonstrate to the world that integrating science and indigenous knowledge is the best management model to sustain our fragile global environment.”
     OHA is a constitutionally established body, set as a separate state entity independent of the executive branch of the State of Hawai‘i. Its primary responsibility is representing the interests of the Native Hawaiian community, including in the monument, through the perpetuation of Hawaiian cultural resources. This includes the customary and traditional rights and practices of Native Hawaiians that are exercised for subsistence, cultural and religious purposes under the Hawai‘i Constitution.
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HOSPITALS, HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES AND NONPROFITS are bracing for changes in health care delivery as the new Congress and President-elect Donald Trump and his team proceed with their attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. According to a news release today from the Democration Party:
Sen. Mazie Hirono posted a Make America Sick Again
poster on her Facebook page.
     "Late last night, at around 1 a.m. ET, Senate Republicans voted to move forward with repealing the Affordable Care Act with no plan to replace it. They also blocked Democratic attempts to protect important provisions like ensuring coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and letting young people stay on their parents' insurance."
     Sen Mazie Hirono said that Medicare and Medicaid are also involved: "Last night, Senate Republicans voted to deprive 30 million people of health care to #MakeAmeriocaSickAgain.  Going against protocol, which allows for saying only "yes" or "no" during the roll call vote, Hirono stated: "On behalf of the 200,000 Hawai`i seniors who depend on Medicare, I voted no."
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A VOTE AGAINST SEN. JEFF SESSION'S bid to become U.S. Attorney General is what Sen. Mazie Hirono plans. Hirono, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said today: “Over the past two months, I’ve heard from hundreds of my constituents and a number of prominent civil rights organizations – including a number who testified yesterday – on this issue. I will vote against the nomination of Jeff Sessions to serve as Attorney General because I am deeply concerned about how he would use his prosecutorial discretion to uphold voting rights, protect civil rights, and protect a woman’s right to choose.

   "I’ve served with Jeff Sessions throughout my time in the Senate and respect him as a colleague. But I have deep concerns about how Sen. Sessions would use his prosecutorial discretion as Attorney General to address a number of critical issues. During his confirmation hearing, I pressed Sen. Sessions for a commitment to vigorously protect every citizen’s right to vote, particularly with regard to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act – which safeguards Americans from discriminatory voting laws.He did not give me a satisfactory answer that he would scrutinize voting laws for discriminatory effect.
     "I also asked Sen. Sessions whether he would honor the Department of Justice’s consent decrees that address police misconduct and enhance accountability. Sen. Sessions did not adequately assure me that his Department would uphold these agreements without revisiting or renegotiating these agreements.
     "I pressed Sen. Sessions for a commitment to defend Roe v. Wade in federal court and to enforce laws that guarantee the constitutionally-protected right to choose. Senator Sessions did not disavow his past comments that Roe v. Wade was one of the worst Supreme Court cases ever decided. Should the Supreme Court be presented with a case that provides them the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade, I asked him what he would direct his Solicitor General to do. He said this was hypothetical and didn’t respond."
A header gets a goal for Kyle Calumpit. Photo by Pam Taylor
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KA`U HIGH TROJANS CONTINUE TO WIN IN SOCCER, taking Pahoa on its home turf on Tuesday. Final score was Ka`u 2 and Pahoa nothing. Kyle Calumpit socred the first point during the second half with a header and Trevor Taylor scored the second goal for Ka`u with just under eight minutes remaining in the game. Trojan goalie Ryan Ah Yee earns the shut out accolade.
     Head Coach is Crystalee Mandaguit.
     
Trevor Taylor scored the second and final goal when
Ka`u beat Pahoa on Tuesday. Photo by Pam Taylor

ART LOVERS AND GARDEN ENTHUSIASTS will come together for the first annual Banyan Drive Art Stroll on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. Sponsored by Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens, it will be held on Banyan Drive in Hilo.
     The main feature is a juried art exhibit of local art on the theme Celebrate Lili’uokalani - The Queen and her legacy."There will be other Art exhibits, demonstrations, entertainment, and pupus at five venues on Banyan Drive.
     It has attracted more than 70 works of art in several media and 90 photographic images for a calendar competition, many of which will be displayed at four locations on Banyan Drive.
      This year 2017 marks the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of construction on the famed Japanese gardens, named for Queen Lili`uokalani, who gifted the first five. Today the gardens cover about 25 acres.
      “This is the first event of 2017, kicking off a three-year centennial celebration,” said Friends of Lili`uokalani Gardens President K.T. Cannon-Eger. “Construction began on the gardens in the fall of 1917, continued through 1918, and the
gardens were opened to the public in 1919.”
      The event is free and open to the public. It includes plein air painting and gyotaku (fish printing) demonstrations, live entertainment and exhibits of 85 works by local artists. Most of the art will be available for sale. It will be held in several venues in and near Lili`uokalani Gardens. Complimentary art stroll maps are available at Banyan Gallery, 71 Banyan Drive.
      “We really appreciate the time, effort, and expertise that it takes to create a beautiful work of art,” said Bonnie Sol of the Banyan Drive Art Stroll committee. “The great number of entries challenged the jurors of both the Banyan Drive Art Stroll and photographers’ calendar contest.”
      Art works created by Christine Ahia, Vivian Ursula Bratton, K.T. Cannon-Eger, Ken Charon, Faith Cloud, Alaina deHavillan, Yumi Doi, Bill Eger, Mary Goodrich, Bonnie Sol Hahn, Christa Kadarvsman, Alan Lakritz, Marilyn Montgomery, Valentina Montoya, Patti Pease-Johnson, Jeffrey Pietrzak, Diane Renchler, Kornelius Schorle, Sunny Seal-LaPlante, Sakiko Shinkai, Diane Thornton, Robert Weiss, and William Wingert  gardens were opened to the public in 1919.”
   The event is free and open to the public. It includes plein air painting and gyotaku (fish printing) demonstrations, live entertainment and exhibits of 85 works by local artists. Most of the art will be available for sale. It will be held in several venues in and near Lili`uokalani Gardens. Complimentary art stroll maps are available at Banyan Gallery, 71 Banyan Drive.
      “We really appreciate the time, effort, and expertise that it takes to create a beautiful work of art,” said Bonnie Sol of the Banyan Drive Art Stroll committee. “The great number of entries challenged the jurors of both the Banyan Drive Art Stroll and photographers’ calendar contest.”
      Art works created by Christine Ahia, Vivian Ursula Bratton, K.T. Cannon-Eger, Ken Charon, Faith Cloud, Alaina deHavillan, Yumi Doi, Bill Eger, Mary Goodrich, Bonnie Sol Hahn, Christa Kadarvsman, Alan Lakritz, Marilyn Montgomery, Valentina Montoya, Patti Pease-Johnson, Jeffrey Pietrzak, Diane Renchler, Kornelius Schorle, Sunny Seal-LaPlante, Sakiko Shinkai, Diane Thornton, Robert Weiss, and William Wingert  
will be displayed in the Palm Room of the Grand Naniloa Hotel, a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at 93 Banyan Drive. Members of the public are invited to vote for one of these art works. The piece that attracts the most votes will win the “People’s Choice Award”.
     Art by Rose Adare, Alan Fine, Carol Froysland, Peter Heineman, Vijay Karai, Kristen Luning, Maria Macias, Peggy McKinsey, Sakiko Shinkai, and William Wingert will be displayed in the Wai `Oli Lounge at Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel at 71 Banyan Drive.
    Photographs by Paul Miyasaki, K.T. Cannon Eger, Kornelius Schorle, Steve Godzsak, Alan Lakritz, Kenneth Jackson, Toby Hazel, Debra L Newbery, Steve Pollard, Alan Lakritz, Kenneth Jackson, Valerie A. Victorine and Vernon L. Enriques will be displayed at the Banyan Gallery at 71 Banyan Drive.
      For further information on this and other events scheduled to celebrate the centennial of Lili`uokalani Gardens, contact K.T. Cannon-Eger of Friends of Lili’uokalani Gardens at kteger@hawaii.rr.com or telephone (808) 895-8130.
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THE NEW TELEHEALTH KIOSK FOR KA`U WILL BE UNVEILED FRIDAY, Jan. 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ka`u Rural Health Community Association, Inc.'s buiilding in Pahala. The public is invited to check out telemedicine available at the Ka`u Resource and Distance Learning Center at 96-3126 Pauhala Street. The kiosk is cosponsored by HMSA, KRHCAI and American Well.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST, Saturday, Jan. 14, 8 a.m. - 11. a.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033.

BIRTH OF KAHUKU hike, Saturday, Jan. 14 hike from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Free.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY will be celebrated in Kona and Hilo. In Kona, the 36th Anniversary Birthday Commemoration of the civil rights leader will be Sunday, Jan. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Old Kona Airport Beach Park, Makaeo Pavillion. Art, songs, music by local schools and the community will be featured. In Hilo, it will take place Monday, Jan. 16 at the recently rernovated Mo`oheau Bandstand from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with performers, speakers and artists commemorating MLK.