Kaʻū News Briefs Saturday, June 23, 2018

From shaded to open forests and scattered trees, to bare lava, the Kamehameha Schools land that is largely in
Kaʻū mauka of Kapapala and Volcano has become a dedicated safe harbor for endangered species.
Photo from DLNR

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS WILL CONTINUE TO PROTECT 32,207 ACRES ON THE SLOPES OF MAUNA LOA. The land, including Kīlauea-Keauhou forest, is home to 32 federally endangered species. Kamehameha Schools signed the safe harbor agreement Friday with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The safe harbor contract is for 50 years, the largest of its kind in the nation. Three parties will cooperate in managing the habitats for the endangered species on the property near Volcano Village.

Gov. David Ige and representatives of Kamehameha Schools, the DLNR,
and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service agree to cooperate in managing
32,207 acres for 32 endangered species. Photo from Gov. David Ige

     Gov. David Ige held a ceremony in his office Friday to celebrate the commitment. He said, “This Safe Harbor Agreement encourages landowners to improve their habitat and restore their forests for endangered species to flourish. It establishes a baseline for existing levels of endangered species, allowing landowners to adopt more environmentally friendly land management practices without penalizing them if endangered species move into the area. I thank Kamehameha Schools for leading the way for Hawai‘i landowners to restore native landscapes.”
     Kamehameha Schools Ecologist Nāmaka Whitehead said that Hawaiians are Hawaiians because of the ‘āina. “Healthy, functioning native ecosystems are the foundation of Hawaiian cultural identity and well-being. Stewarding our ʻāina to be more resilient ensures that future generations will continue to have a relationship with the native species and ecological processes that make us who we are. I Hawaiʻi no nā Hawaiʻi i ka ʻāina. Our ʻāina, Hawaiʻi, is what makes us Hawaiian.”

The endangered Hawaiian hoary bat lives in the safe harbor forests. Listen to its sounds at SoundsHawaiian.
Photo and sounds from David Kuhn

     DLNR Chair Suzanne Case remarked, “This pact allows Kamehameha Schools to make landscape changes that improve the current ranges of the species, increase their populations, and reestablish wild populations. Just as important, the agreement will reduce habitat fragmentation and connect a network of protected and managed state, federal, and private lands within the south-central region of
Hawaiʻi Island.”

A few of the 32 endangered species that live in the new safe harbor
 lands, to be managed by Kamehameha Schools, state Department of 
Land & Natural Resources, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife. 
Photos from Kamehameha Schools 

     Three Mountain Alliance coordinator Colleen Cole said, “We are excited about finalization of this important Safe Harbor Agreement. Three Mountain Alliance Members, including Kamehameha Schools, have worked together for decades to protect and manage the native ecosystems of this area which encompasses tens of thousands of acres, all managed for conservation of our natural resources. This agreement ensures the hard work of the partnership will continue long
into the future.”
     The seven endangered animal species are: akepa and ‘akiapola‘au (two species of Hawaiian honeycreeper), ‘io (Hawaiian hawk), nene (Hawaiian goose), ‘alalā (Hawaiian crow), and ‘ope‘ape‘a (Hawaiian hoary bat). The threatened ‘i‘iwi (scarlet honeycreeper) is also included in the agreement, along with 25 endangered plant species.

The save harbor near Volcano and up Mauna Loa includes bare 
lava (red), forest with closed canopy (dark green), forest with open 
canopy (light green), scattered trees (mustard) and very scattered 
trees (yellow). Map from Kamehameha Schools

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HOW MAUNA LOA WENT FROM ADVISORY ALERT TO NORMAL is explained in Volcano Watch this week, written by U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and colleagues:

     For more than six months, earthquakes at Mauna Loa have diminished and deformation has slowed, indicating that the volcano is no longer at an elevated level of unrest. Yesterday, June 21, HVO lowered the alert level from Advisory to Normal, and lowered the color code from Yellow to Green. This means Mauna Loa is now considered to be at a normal, background level of activity. More information about alert levels is available at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/about_alerts.html.

     The previous alert level and color code were raised three years ago, in response to an increasing trend in earthquakes and ground deformation. Beginning in 2013, earthquakes became more frequent at Mauna Loa and were clustered mostly in the uppermost Southwest Rift Zone, summit area, and west flank. By mid-2014, continuously recording GPS stations and satellite interferometry (InSAR) were showing outward motion of the volcano – an indication that magma was filling the shallow reservoirs beneath the caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone.

     For the next several years, HVO seismic stations continued to record variable, but overall elevated, rates of shallow, small-magnitude earthquakes beneath Mauna Loa's summit, upper Southwest Rift Zone, and west flank. During that same time period, ground deformation was consistent with input of magma into the volcano's shallow magma storage system.

     When it became clear that the heightened level of activity was persisting, HVO raised the alert level and color code of Mauna Loa to Advisory/Yellow in September 2015. It was noted at the time that the increase in alert level did not mean that an eruption was imminent or that progression to an eruption was certain. Indeed, this episode of unrest lasted several years without progressing to an eruption, similar to a period of unrest from 2004 to 2009.

     Starting in late 2017 and continuing to present, seismicity and deformation rates have declined to levels observed before 2014. Given the months-long decrease in activity, HVO lowered Mauna Loa from Advisory/Yellow to Normal/Green.

View of cinder cones in the Northeast Rift Zone near the summit of 

Mauna Loa. View to the north-northeast with Mauna Kea in the 

background. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843, most recently 

erupting in 1975 and 1984. Photo from Matt Patrick, USGS

     Declaring the end of unrest is often difficult. Activity can wax and wane at volcanoes, and observatories make an effort not to switch between advisory levels without careful consideration of data trends. Periods of unrest that do not lead to an eruption are fairly common at Mauna Loa. Between 2004 and 2009, for example, the volcano went through a period of increased activity that eventually slowed. Mauna Loa may again start to show signs of unrest, at which point HVO may raise the alert and color code levels again.

     Scientists expect that future eruptions at Mauna Loa will be preceded by increases in seismicity and deformation as magma makes its way to the surface to erupt. Changes in technology and experience gained in monitoring Kīlauea have resulted in dramatic improvements in the monitoring network since the most recent eruption of Mauna Loa in 1984. These include enhanced seismic instrumentation, a dense GPS network, and the use of space-based techniques such as InSAR. This allows HVO to track the small signs of unrest in ways not possible in the past. If anything were to happen at Mauna Loa, HVO scientists would know as soon as possible, through daily checks of geophysical data and automated alarms, despite having their current focus mainly on the eruptions at Kīlauea.

     Many people have wondered what affect the current activity at Kīlauea has had on neighboring Mauna Loa. The M6.9 earthquake on May 4 was caused by slip of the south flank of Kīlauea toward the ocean. This large earthquake pulled the ground surface all over the island of Hawaiʻi, including Mauna Loa, slightly to the southeast, with areas closest to the earthquake epicenter moving the most. Further, the rapid deflation of magma reservoirs beneath Kīlauea’s summit is currently pulling the ground towards that area and this slow motion is evident at GPS stations on Mauna Loa, especially on its southeast flank. None of the activity on Kīlauea has had any discernible effect on Mauna Loa’s magmatic system.

Aerial view, looking to the northwest, shows Pu‘u
Pohaku‘ohanalei on Mauna Loa. This cone is near the
1984 fissure on the volcano's Northeast Rift Zone. USGS photo

     Given Mauna Loa’s active past, residents should still be prepared for when Mauna Loa does erupt next. Information for readying our island community for whatever Mauna Loa has in store can be found at volcanoes.usgs.gov/vhp/
preparedness.html.

     Visit the HVO website hvo.wr.usgs.gov for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea daily eruption updates and other volcano status reports, current volcano photos, recent earthquakes, and more; call (808) 967-8862 for a Kīlauea summary update; email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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OCEAN VIEW CELLULAR SERVICE AND AIR QUALITY REPORTING ARE BACK UP for most people in the HOVE/Ranchos area. Most reports of no cellular service in the Ocean View area stopped around Friday mid-day. Air quality reporting was also up again by Friday.

     No official reports – just chatting on Facebook Ocean View HOVE Community Bulletin Board & Watch Group (you must be a member to read or comment) or in public – have an explanation for the loss of service or the resumption of service. Some people reported getting cellular service back as early as Tuesday afternoon. Some people report service is still intermittent. Some say the restoration of service is because surrounding towers are picking up the slack.

     The theft of equipment from the “Reef” tower in Ocean View was supposed to be responsible for the outage, but at the time The Kaʻū Calendar reported on it, there was no official response or ETA on fixing the issue. The 100-foot tall “Reef” tower will eventually be replaced with a higher-tech 150-foot high tower, per an article on insidetowers.com, https://insidetowers.com/new-tower-to-be-built-in-hawaiian-ocean-view-estates/.

     According to Verizon and AT&T customer service personnel on Thursday, there was no outage reported; other residents who called into those or other cellular phone carriers between Tuesday morning and Friday mid-day were told the same.

EPA site shows most of Hawaiʻi Island to have good air today. Map from EPA

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AIR QUALITY IN KAʻŪ today, June 23, was blue (good), reports the EPA site. Two sensors – one just southwest of Halemaʻumaʻu, one right next to Fissure 8 – are orange (caution). All other sensors around the island are either blue or not working.

     SO2 levels, hiso2index.info, report green all over the island all day. Both Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park sensors have been down since early on June 21.

     Air QualityIndex, as of 4 p.m., reports Pāhala at 38 (green), Ocean View at 87 (yellow), and Kona at 70 (yellow). Hilo and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park sensors not reporting.

     Hawaiʻi Volcano Observatory reports that a collapse/explosion event occurred at approximately 4:34 p.m. The energy released from the event is equivalent to a magnitude 5.3 on the Richter scale and resulted in a small ash plume, barely visible on the webcam.

     Civil Defense reports total homes destroyed is 637, and the area covered by lava is 6,144 acres.

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment. 

See Ka‘ū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events. 

Print edition of The Ka‘ū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes 

throughout Ka‘ū, from Miloli‘i through Volcano, and free on 

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com 
and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 24
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, Jun 24, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, and many forms of ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/HAVO

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Exploring Your Senses, Tue, Jun 26, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 18-22. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, Jun 26, 11:30-1pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

HOVE Road Maintenance Monthly Meeting, Tue, Jun 26, 10am, RMC Office in Ocean View. hoveroad.com, 929-9910

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27

Kōkua Kupuna Project, Wed, Jun 27, 9-11am, St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Seniors 60 years and older encouraged to attend, ask questions, and inquire about services offered through Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i - referral required from Hawai‘i County Office of Aging at 961-8626 for free legal services. Under 60, call 1-800-499-4302. More info: tahisha.despontes@legalaidhawaii.org, 329-3910 ext. 925. legalaidhawaii.org

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Kona Vet Center visits to Ocean View Community Center are Suspended until further notice. Veterans may call 329-0574 for VA benefit information. ovcahi.org

Ka‘ū Community Children's Council, Thu, Jun 28, 12:30-1:30pm, Punalu‘u Bake Shop. Monthly meeting provides local forum for all community members to come together as equal partners to discuss and positively affect multiple systems' issues for the benefit of all students, families, and communities. Chad Domingo, text 808-381-2584, domingoc1975@yahoo.com

Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, Thu, Jun 28, 4-6pm, Cooper Center, Volcano Village. Free community dinner for all. Additional packaged goods to take home for those in need. Donations and volunteers encouraged. 967-7800

FRIDAY, JUNE 29

Coffee Talk, Fri, Jun 29, 9:30-11am, Kahuku Park, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Join park rangers in informal conversation on a variety of topics. Ka‘ū coffee, tea, and pastries available for purchase. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

Mystery Bag Game, Fri, Jun 29, 2-3pm, Kahuku Park, H.O.V.E. For ages 6-12 years. Register Jun 25-29. Teresa Anderson, 929-9113, hawaiicounty.gov/pr-recreation

SATURDAY, JUNE 30

Nā‘ālehu Independence Day Parade, Sat, Jun 30, Hwy 11, Nā‘ālehu. Sign-ups open. Call Debra McIntosh, 929-9872.

Birds of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: The Hawaiʻi Nei Invitational Exhibition, Daily, Jun 30-Aug 12, 9-5pm, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Hale Hoʻomana at 19-4074 Old Volcano Road. Special opening reception with 8 participating artists held Sat, Jun 30, 5-7pm, Free. volcanoartcenter.org

Soft Pastel Still Life w/Patti Pease Johnson, Sat, Jun 30, 9-noon, Volcano Art Center's Niʻaulani Campus, Hale Hoʻomana at 19-4074 Old Volcano Road. $45/VAC Member, $50/non-Member, plus $10 supply fee. Beginner and intermediate artists welcome. volcanoartcenter.org, 967-8222

Grow Me the Money: Record-Keeping Principles and Best Practices for farmers and food producers, Sat, Jun 30, 3-6pm, Kaʻū District Gym. Free; registration required. Contact Megan Blazak, 887-6411, or koha.la/growmoney

Imua Puna, Sat, June 30, 3-10pm, 16-111 Opukahala St, Keaʻau. $5 suggested donation; evacuees enter and eat free. Food and drink to ourchase. Live entertainment. “Share your manaʻo at a multi-band music-dance concert to malama and kokua those displaced by Tutu Pele's journey to the ocean.” See facebook.com/kevin.carpenter84/videos/10212545972867861/

NEW and UPCOMING

IMUA PUNA, A FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT PUNA residents affected by the eruption, starts at 3 p.m. on Sat, June 30, and goes ‘til 10pm, at 16-111 Opukahala St, Keaʻau. A minimum $5 suggested “love” donation is requested per person at the door. Evacuees enter and eat for free. Food and drinks available to purchase. No outside drinks allowed. Door prizes and “Plenty Aloha” are offered at the event.

     Music entertainment will be switch up hourly, starting at 3 p.m.: JPGS, Body N Soul, Girls’ Night Out, DD & the High Rollers, Terrapin Station, Soultown, and Lightning Harry Dupio (Na Hoku Winner). Special guests: Unity & the Band of Angels, and Tina Baugh Garber.

     Sponsored by Puna Community Medical Center, Island Naturals Market & Deli, Laulima Pahoa, Ochidland Neighbors, Mainstreet Pahoa Association, and community volunteers.

     “Share your manaʻo at a multi-band music-dance concert to malama and kokua those displaced by Tutu Pele's journey to the ocean,” says the poster. See Facebook.

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REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR 25TH ANNUAL HAWAI‘I CONSERVATION CONFERENCE, Ulu Ka Lāiā I Ke Kumu: From a Strong Foundation Grows an Abundant Future, which takes place Friday through Sunday, July 24 to 26, at the Hawai‘i Convention Center in Honolulu.
     “The Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference allows a diverse group of scientists, policymakers, conservation practitioners, educators, students and community members from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific to converge and discuss conservation. It’s a time to connect, share and inspire, all with the common goal of caring for our natural resources,” says the event description.
     Several registration options are available, from one to three days and with discounts given to students, groups, small non-profits, and K-12 educators; prices range starts at $50. To register, and for more details, visit hawaiiconservation.org/conference/2018-register/.

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ONGOING

Tropic Care 2018 - providing medical, dental, and eye care for any community member, free of charge, whether they have insurance or not - lasts through June 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Keaʻau High School gym. First come-first served. Bring any current prescriptions or eye glasses. Long waits are expected; bring water and snacks. Free breakfast and lunch provided to those aged 3 to 18, Monday thru Friday. Food carts may be on site for purchases throughout the event. Questions can be directed to the public health nurse at 808-974-6035, or Adria Maderios, Vice Principal of Keaʻau High School, at 313-3333.

Disaster Recovery Center, jointly operated by Hawaiʻi County, the State of Hawaiʻi, and FEMA, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Keaʻau High School Gym. Buses run from 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. to and from Keaʻau Armory every 20 minutes and Pāhoa Community Center Shelter every hour. See the full bus schedule on the Civil Defense Website at HawaiiCounty.gov/Active-Alerts. For a list of the information applicants need to bring to the DRC, or to register online, go to DisasterAssistance.gov. 

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park invites kamaʻaina and tourist alike to visit the Kahuku Unit. There are no entry fees, and all programs are free of charge. In addition to regularly scheduled Guided Hikes and the monthly Coffee Talk, Kahuku Unit has added daily Ranger Talks, and cultural demonstrations and activities on weekends.

     Visitor Contact Station hosts Ike Hana Noe ʻAu, Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, at 12:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July, made possible by Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association. Make a Mini Feather Kahili, Sun, June 24.

     Visitor Contact Station hosts Ranger Talks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

     Artist in Residence Talk, in the Visitor Center on Fri, June 22, at 10 a.m.
     Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent. Sun, June 24: ͑Ōhi͑a Lehua.

     In the Visitor Contact Station, Coffee Talk, a monthly, casual get together, is held the last Friday of the month. On June 29 at 9:30 a.m., Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund will present Removing Trash, Restoring Habitat.

     Join in the Cultural Festival, Pu ͑uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, in Hōnaunau, Sun, June 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

     See the Kahuku Unit Rangers,The Kahuku Cowgirls, in the Na ͑alehu 4th of July Parade Sat, June 30, beginning at 10 a.m.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will take sign-ups in Kaʻū, through June 29.

     In Nā’ālehu, it will take place at the Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council office, back of Senior Center, Wed-Fri, 8-1pm, 929-9263.
     In Ocean View, it will take place at Ocean View Community Center, Mon and Tue, 8-4:30pm.
     In Pāhala, it will take place at the Edmund Olson Trust Office, Tue and Wed, 8:30-12:30pm. See more for eligibility requirements and application.

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through July 14, statewide and online. Register and log reading at librarieshawaii.beanstack.org or at a local library. Free. Reading rewards, activities, and programs for children, teens, and adults. 2018 participants have a chance to win a Roundtrip for four to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies.

Park Rangers invite the public to downtown Hilo to learn about the volcanic activity, to get their NPS Passport Book stamped, and to experience the Hawaiian cultural connection to volcanoes. Rangers are providing programs at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center at 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Tuesday through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
     Two Park Rangers are stationed at the Grand Naniloa Hotel in downtown Hilo, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., every Sunday and Monday, in the Willie K Crown Room - as long as nothing else is scheduled in the space. The rangers will be doing daily talks at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. about the eruption. They will show the park film that is normally available to visitors to see at the Kilauea Visitor’s Center at the Summit, Born of Fire, Born in the Sea, every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Sign Up for the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade, to be held June 30. If interested, call Debra McIntosh at 929-9872.

Tūtū and Me Offers Home Visits to those with keiki zero to five years old: home visits to aid with helpful parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate listening ear. Home visits are free, last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, for a total of 12 visits, and snacks are provided. For info and to register, call Linda Bong 464-9634.

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Calls For More Volunteers for the Saturday community outreach. Especially needed are cooks for the soup served to those in need, and organizers for the hot showers. "Volunteering for St. Jude's Saturday Shower and Soup ministry is an opportunity to serve God in a powerful way," states St. Jude's April newsletter. Volunteer by contacting Dave Breskin at 319-8333.

Volcano Forest Runs Registration Open through Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Half marathon $85, 10K $45, 5K $30. Registration increases August 1: half marathon to $95, 10K to $55, and 5K to $35. Race is run from Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village on Saturday, August 18.

5th annual Ka‘ū Coffee Trail Run registration open. Race day Sat, Sept 22, 7 a.m.; begins and ends at Ka‘ū Coffee Mill. Register online before Mon, July 9: 5K, $25/person; 10K, $35/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From July 9 to Aug 11: $30/person, $40/person, and $45/person, respectively. From Aug 13 to Sept 20: $35/person, $45/person, and $55/person. Race day registration ends Sat, Sept 22, at 6:30 a.m. Event organizers, ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou; start location, Ka‘ū Coffee Mill.

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