Kaʻū News Briefs Thursday, July 12, 2018

Ahalanui Beach Park, inundated with lava yesterday, is marked by the robust ocean entry plume just north of it. 
The beloved warm ponds were subsumed by lava shortly after Kua O Ka Lā Public Charter School, buildings just inland.
 The diffuse plume from the ocean entry at Kapoho is in the background. USGS photo

THE CAMPUS AND HEADQUARTERS FOR KUA O KA LĀ PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL in lower Puna was taken by the volcano yesterday morning, July 11. Also covered with lava is Ahalanui County Beach Park and warm ponds, taken yesterday in the early evening. Susie Osborne, co-founder of the school in 2000, also lost her home. She has moved students to the Boys & Girls Club in Hilo and plans to renovate space at Nani Mau Gardens for additional classrooms. See gofundme.com/relocate-school-displaced-by-lava. Osborne said that one of the weaknesses in the state Charter School system is a lack of any disaster funds.

Keiki performing at the school in March.
Photo from Kua O Ka Lā Facebook

     Makana Kamahele, musician, Hilo radio personality, and emcee of the annual Kaʻū Coffee Festival and many other events in Kaʻū, is a graduate of the school. He gives credit for his work in music to Kua O Ka Lā Hawaiian immersion school, where he started his education in the Hawaiian language. He told Kaʻū News Briefs, a day before the school was lost to the lava, “I just wanna thank Kua O Ka Lā for helping me find my passion – which is music. Through music, I got to do all these other great things. It’s been, for me, an awesome experience. Going to school there and getting more in touch with the culture side, of the area, and the school – and the mission statement of the school (Ke Ala Pono) – it’s just hard to take in that we might lose this school. To see it being on the verge of being taken by Madame Pele; it’s heart breaking, but at the same time, it’s a humbling experience.

Makana Kamahele, playing ʻukulele at
Pāhala Plantation House.
 Photo by Eric Einweller

     “If it wasn’t for Kua O Ka Lā, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be involved in the community out there and here in Hilo. They were successful with everything they do down there – from culture based to academic learning. To me, that’s like THE school to go to.”

     Of “Auntie Susie”, Kamahele said, “She’s a really hard-working person, year after year, looking for and writing grants for the school, and she does a lot.” He said right now, it’s very overwhelming. He said he’s spoken with her about the alternative locations in Hilo for the upcoming school year.

     Kamahele said he was part of the first graduating class, attending Kua O Ka Lā from eight through twelfth grade. His brother also attended, and their mother Noe, who now lives in Kaʻū, was heavily involved with the school, said Kamahele. “The only school I know of in Puna that runs fully by solar,” he said, remarking on how far the school has come in the 18 years since he began there.

     The lava that destroyed the school and nearby ponds now sends a “new, very robust” ocean entry at Ahalanui, said Janet Babb of USGS Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory. The flow front at the ocean is about 3.7 miles wide, she said.

The sign at the school.
Photo from Kua O Ka Lā Facebook

     Mike Zoeller, geologist Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at UH-Hilo, said there was an attempt to retrieve batteries and the monitoring installation HVO stationed at the school, which Tina Neal, Scientist in Charge at HVO, mentioned earlier this week. The retrieval effort, said Zoeller, “was ultimately unsuccessful because the flow moved in too fast and destroyed our monitoring station around the same time as the school was destroyed.” The installation was made up of a seismometer, EPS instrument, infrasound instrument, and the associated solar panels and power system, he said.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

A misty image of the buildings of Kua O Ka Lā,
now forever buried under Pele’s hand.
Photo from Kua O Ka Lā Facebook

SO2 LEVELS FROM THE FISSURES IN LOWER PUNA are now so high, scientists do not have accurate figures. Janet Babb, geologist at USGS Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory, said, “The emissions are high enough so that it presents a real challenge. Our instruments can basically be swamped, and we’re looking at new and different ways to get a measurement of these gasses. But they’re on the order of tens of thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide per day.”

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

OVERFLIGHTS OF KĪLAUEA SUMMIT ARE NOW BEING DONE BY HELICOPTER. Janet Babb, geologist at USGS Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory, said Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, also know as drones, have been used, but were “having difficulty with wind.” Scientists at USGS HVO replaced the drones this week, said Babb, with helicopters equipped with LIDAR, a laser-based system, to build a digital elevation model of the summit. From those models, scientists can study current readings of deformation and changes on the summit collapses, said Babb, and “look for any new cracks that might be developing in the summit area.” Babb said USGS HVO plans to release images when the models are ready, as they have previously.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Halema‘uma‘u and Kīlauea Caldera as seen from USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The video shows roughly one image for every day between April 14 and July 11. Volume of Halema‘uma‘u is now more than seven times larger 
than it was before the onset of this subsidence. USGS video

DAILY DAMAGE AT HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK summit areas continues, said Jessica Ferracane, Public Affairs Officer at HVNP, on day 66 of the partial park closure.

     “Damage continues on a daily basis; we’ve been noticing a lot of sinkholes in the park, as well as on Highway 11,” she said. Additional cracking has been seen by employees of the park on the highway and on trails. Crater Rim Trail, between Kīlauea Military Camp and Jaggar Museum, said Ferracane, has “some pretty significant sinkholes and cracking along the paved part of that trail, in addition to other locations in the park. Park employees are working on trying to get a list going of that damage and collating photography.”

View of the eastern edge of Halema‘uma‘u, two minutes after the July 11,
5:45 a.m., collapse explosion event. Steam is intermixed with minor ash
that imparts a pinkish-brown color to the plume. The energy released
by the event was equivalent to a magnitude-5.3 earthquake. USGS photo

     In response to a question from the press today about who decides whether to close Highway 11 if needed, and who is in charge of that stretch of highway, Ferracane said, “Highway 11, where it runs through Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, is in the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Park Service.” She said Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation does maintenance and repairs, as it did last week with the sinkhole near the golf course.
     Regarding possible closures, Ferracane said, “The ultimate decision is made jointly between HDOT, the park, as well as Civil Defense. Those three agencies are working concurrently right now to determine what should happen if Highway 11 is compromised further.”

Consider yourself one of us! Oliver (Quin Scheetz) and the Artful Dodger
(Hayden Konanui-Tucker) and the rest of the cast invite you to come see
Lionel Bart's Oliver! at UHH Performing Arts Center July 13 - 29,
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30, no matinee July 15th.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

NEW and UPCOMING

Oliver!, a KDEN Production, July 13-29; Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30pm, Sundays 2:30pm. No matinee July 15. Shows moved to UH Hilo Performing Arts Center. Tickets: $20 general, $15 seniors 60+ and students, $12 keiki 12 and under. Tickets available at Kīlauea General Store, Kea‘au Natural Foods, Basically Books, and The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo. Info and reservations: 982-7344, kden73@aol.com.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Kumu Hula Kaho‘okele Crabbe and Halauokalani perform
Hula Kahiko June 21. Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

KUMU HULA KAHO‘OKELE CRABBE AND HALAUOKALANI perform Hula Kahiko on Saturday, June 21, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m, at Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village. The performance is part of a year-round series sponsored by Volcano Art Center, in which hula hālau from across Hawai‘i are invited to perform each month.
     After graduating in 1995 at Puʻupueokapu, Waikane, Oʻahu, with traditional ʻuniki ceremonies under kumu hula Robert Cazimero, Crabbe founded Halauolaokalani in 1999. He is an educator, advocate and “support for our greatest community asset – our beloved keiki o ka ‘āina,” states the event description on volcanoartcenter.org. The description says Crabbe’s moto is “Aloha trumps everything in man’s world because God is love.”
     The performance is presented authentically in an outdoor setting, rain or shine, without electronic amplification. Audience members are encouraged to bring sun/rain gear and sitting mats.
     Volcano Art Center’s Hula Kahiko performances typically take place inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park; however, recent closures have led the center to change locations. These monthly free events are supported in part by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, the County of Hawaiʻi Department of Research and Development, and individual funding from members of the Volcano Art Center’s ʻohana. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org, call 987-7288 or email volcanohula@gmail.com.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

Participate in a hands-on demonstration of "all things hula" with Loke Kanamu and her ‘ohana.
Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

NĀ MEA HULA, CULTURAL DEMONSTRATIONS, WITH LOKE KAMANU & ‘OHANA is held in conjunction with Volcano Art Center’s Hula Kahiko on Saturday, July 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the porch of Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village.
     Volcano Art Center invites the public to join cultural specialist Kamanu and her ‘ohana as they demonstrate “all things hula,” says the event description on volcanoartcenter.org, sharing a “variety of instruments, implements, and lei styles that play an integral role in the life of the hula practitioner.” The demonstration is hands-on and family friendly. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

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.

FRIDAY, JULY 13

Oliver!, a KDEN Production, July 13-29; Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30pm, Sundays 2:30pm. Shows moved to UH Hilo Performing Arts Center. Tickets: $20 general, $15 seniors 60+ and students, $12 keiki 12 and under. Tickets available at Kīlauea General Store, Kea‘au Natural Foods, Basically Books, and The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo. Info and reservations: 982-7344, kden73@aol.com

Exhibit, Birds of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park: The Hawai‘i Nei Invitational Daily, July 13-Aug 4, 9-5pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Free. Opening reception: Fri, July 13, 5-7pm. Artists: John Dawson, Reyn Ojiri, Sarah Koh, Wendy Barske, Maria Macias, Cody Yamaguchi, Ann Guth, and John Mydoock. Art represents endemic bird species. volcanoartcenter.org

2nd Annual Bi-Annual Quilt Show, Quilts In The Forest - Where the Path May Lead, Opening reception: Fri, July 13, 5-7pm. Then daily, Tue-Sat, 10-4pm, through Aug 3, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Free. Workshops and demonstrations planned in conjunction with show. Fia Mattice, 967-8222, quiltshow2018@volcanoartcenter.org. volcanoartcenter.org

SATURDAY, JULY 14

Pancake Breakfast and Raffle, Sat, July 14, 8-11am, Ocean View Community Center. To volunteer, call 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Kāwā Volunteer Day, Sat, July 14, 9:30am, Kāwā. Sign up with James Akau, Nā Mamo o Kāwā, at namamookawa@gmail.com, jakau@nmok.org, or 561-9111. nmok.org

Realms and Divisions of Kahuku, Sat, July 14, 9:30-11:30am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, two-mile, guided hike on Kahuku Unit's newest trail, Pu‘u Kahuku, explores the traditional Hawaiian classification system. Bring snack. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

Zentangle: Ink-Blown ‘Ōhi‘a w/Dina Wood Kageler, Sat, July 14, 10-1pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Celebrating Volcano’s premier rainforest tree, Ke Kumu ‘Ōhi‘a. Loaner pens, pencils and watercolors available. Bring Zentangle supplies, if able. No artistic experience necessary. $30/VAC Member, $35/non-member, plus $10 supply fee. Bring light refreshment to share. Register online, volcanoartcenter.org, or call 967-8222

SUNDAY, JULY 15

Nature and Culture: An Unseverable Relationship, Sun, July 15, 9:30-11:30am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderate guided hike along the Palm Trail, approx. 2 miles. Learn about native plants that play a vital role in Hawaiian culture, and observe the catastrophic change and restoration of the land as it transitions from the 1868 lava flow to deeper soils with more diversity and older flora. Free. nps.gov/HAVO

MONDAY, JULY 16

Discovery Harbour Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Mon, July 16, 5-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18

Ocean View Community Association Board Meeting, Wed, July 18, 12:30pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

THURSDAY, JULY 19

Hawai‘i Disability Legal Services, Thu, July 19, 9-1pm, Ocean View Community Center. ovcahi.org, 939-7033, ovcahawaii@gmail.com

Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka‘ū, Thu, July 19, 6:30pm, United Methodist Church in Nā‘ālehu. Pres. Berkley Yoshida, 747-0197

Thursday Night at the Center: The Joy and Challenges of Native Bird Photography in Hawai’i w/Jack Jeffrey, Thu, July 19, 7-8pm, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Photography and biologist Jeffrey shares his experiences and photos. Free; $5 donation suggested. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

ONGOING

Libraries Rock Summer Reading Program: Hawai‘i State Public Library System, through Saturday, 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.

25th Annual Hawai’i Conservation Conference, Ulu Ka Lāiā I Ke Kumu: From a Strong Foundation Grows an Abundant Future, Tue-Thu, July 24-26, Hawai’i Convention Center, Honolulu. Registration ongoing, $80+. hawaiiconservation.org

Paid Intern sought by The Nature Conservancy, to work from October 2018 through August 2019 with their Hawai‘i Island Terrestrial Program, which has native forest preserves located in Ka‘ū and South Kona. Benefits offered include: a $1,600 monthly living allowance (before taxes); a $5,920 education award towards higher education; health care and childcare benefits (if eligible); and receive an entry-level conservation career experience. Applicants must be at least 17 years old by the program start date, October 2018, and possess or be working towards a high school diploma or equivalent. Applications must also have their own housing and transportation, a drivers license, and be able to pass a criminal history check.
     The internship is offered through Kupu Hawai‘i. Those interested are asked to fill out an online application at kupuhawaii.org under Conservation Leaders Program as soon as possible, as spaces are limited; kupuhawaii.org/conservation. For more, call The Nature Conservancy at 443-5401 or call Kupu Hawai‘i at 808-735-1221.

Disaster Recovery Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekends from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Keaʻau High School Gym. Buses run to and from Keaʻau Armory every 20 minutes and Pāhoa Community Center Shelter every hour; see 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. The Salvation Army continues to operate a distribution center at the Pāhoa Community Center on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. To donate, please coordinate with the Salvation Army at (808) 756-0306.

Find Your Park, invites Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Kamaʻaina and tourist alike are encouraged to experience authentic Hawaiian cultural programs, guided hikes, After Dark events, and more from Ka‘ū to Volcano to Hilo. “While Kīlauea continues to shake the ground and blast ash from its ever-changing summit crater – causing the partial closure of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on May 11 – park rangers continue to enlighten and engage visitors from other locations,” says a release from HVNP staff.
     Rangers offer new and familiar programs – free of charge, with no entry fees – for visitors at the park’s Kahuku Unit, Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, and Mokupāpapa Discovery Center and Prince Kūhio Plaza in Hilo.

Kahuku Unit
     Sneak Peek into next week: July’s Artist in Residence John Ferdico will showcase his multicolored model aircraft and discuss how they are made at the Kahuku Visitor Contact Station, Friday, July 20, at 10 a.m. Supported by the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and the National Parks Arts Foundation.

     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 ʻIke Hana Noʻeau: Experience the Skillful Work Cultural Demonstrations and Activities, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
     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.
     Guided Hikes begin at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday in June and July. Meet the ranger at the welcome tent.
     Coffee Talk, in the Visitor Contact Station is held the last Friday of the month, 9:30-11 a.m.
     Kahuku events are posted to the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku-hikes.htm.
Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus

     Find Park Rangers in Volcano at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus at 19-4074 Old Volcano Rd., in Volcano Village. Rangers are there most days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide talks and answer questions about the current eruption.
     The return of After Dark …near the park at the Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus. Each event will have a different subject matter, TBA.

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center

     Find Park Rangers in downtown Hilo, Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers provide daily eruption updates, and at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., give a talk about all five of Hawai‘i Island’s volcanoes – including Kīlauea. Get NPS Passport Books stamped. Located at 76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo.
Prince Kūhio Plaza

     Find Park Rangers alongside the park’s non-profit partners, Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association, at their brand new mall store.
Grand Naniloa Hotel

     Find Park Rangers 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.

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

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 Rain 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 Sun, Aug 11: 5K, $30/person; 10K, $40/person; and 1/2 Marathon, $45/person. From Aug 13: $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.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our online calendars and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.