Kaʻū News Briefs Sunday, September 30, 2018

Moonset over Mauna Loa and Kīlauea Caldera, the sulfur banks illuminated by moonlight. Tina Neal tells
Kaʻū News Briefs of her excitement at the reopening of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
last weekend. See story, below. NPS/Janice Wei photo

HURRICANE WALAKA, THE FIRST CYCLONE TO DEVELOP IN THE CENTRAL PACIFIC since Hurricane Pali and Tropical Storm Ulika in 2016, is threatening Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Walaka - the Hawaiian spelling of Walter, which means "ruler of the army" - was moving west northwest, located southwest of the Islands, at 5 p.m. today, with winds of 75 mph.

Path of Walaka shows it heading north through
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument,
possibly as a major hurricane.
Image from Central Pacific Hurricane Center

     The Central Pacific Hurricane Center predicts that Walaka will become a major hurricane on Monday and remain strong for two to three days, turning to the north by Tuesday and passing over or near Johnston Atoll, where a hurricane warning is in effect.
     "Walaka remains within ideal conditions for strengthening, with high sea surface temperatures, low shear, high ocean heat content, and plenty of deep moisture," reports the Hurricane Center, which also predicts  rapid intensification, exceeding 90 percent, and winds possibly reaching 140 mph. At 5 p.m., Wakala was 860 miles southwest of Honolulu and 630 miles southeast of Johnston Atol.

     One impact on the Hawaiian Islands could be cutting off the tradewinds. Another is a possible track that would cut through Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, as a major hurricane, when Wakala turns north. Central Pacific Hurricane Center warns: "Interests in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument should monitor the progress of Walaka."

     For more on the national monument, see papahanaumokuakea.gov, or visit the interactive Mokupāpapa Discovery Center for Hawaiʻi’s Remote Coral Reefs in downtown Hilo.

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USGS HVO Scientist-in-Charge Tina Neal speaks to a visitor on reopening
day, Sept. 22. Photo by Ann Bosted

TINA NEAL, SCIENTIST-IN-CHARGE OF THE USGS HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES OBSERVATORY, was on hand last weekend to welcome the public back to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and answer questions.

     Neal was thrilled to volunteer alongside HVNP staff, she told Kaʻū News Briefs. She based herself at the view site at the end of the former Crater Rim Drive, which was closed in early 2008 when strong degassing and explosions heralded a lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu. At that time, gas was venting directly below the Crater Overlook.

     On March 19, there was a huge explosive eruption and blocks of rock up to a foot in size were thrown onto the overlook area. Pieces up to an inch in length were found on the Crater Rim Drive. That event, together with sulfur dioxide gas emissions and a high concentration of the dangerous gas on Crater Rim Drive, prompted closing to the public of the drive, the overlook, and the parking lot, a decade ago. A short section of the drive remained open to hikers and cyclists.

A visitor scopes out Halemaʻumaʻu on reopening day.
NPS photo

     The May 2018 eruption of fountaining lava from about 24 fissures in Leilani Estates coincided with a long series of tremors, explosive eruptions and collapses of portions of the Kīlauea caldera floor, as well as collapse of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater. It was these tremors and near-daily collapse explosions - many of which produced an earthquake of equivalent magnitude 5 or more - that caused the park to be closed from May 10 to September 22. In that time, the depth of Halemaʻumaʻu quadrupled and its diameter has more than doubled.

     When hundreds of visitors flocked to the reopening of the park last Saturday, the former

view site of choice, Jaggar Museum, was still closed. Many hiked or biked along the former Crater Rim Drive to Keanakākoʻi Crater to view the transformed Kīlauea Caldera from the south.

     Scars of the months of shaking and subsidence were evident on the paved drive. Some fissures in the road were so large that the Park had installed large metal plates for visitors to use as a foot bridge across the chasms.

Part of Crater Rim Drive, collapsed into Halemaʻumaʻu.
NPS photo

     From the view site, visitors were able to take in the vast changes caused by the movement of magma from beneath Halemaʻumaʻu to the Lower East Rift Zone. To the west, a collapsed section of the Crater Rim Drive, with its center stripe still plainly visible, could be spotted lying hundreds of feet below the edge of the enlarged crater. A visitor set up a telescope trained on the fragment of road, and encouraged other visitors to take a peek.

     Clad in a bright orange USGS shirt, Neal was a magnet for questions and comments. She told The Kaʻū Calendar that she was "thrilled" to be back in the Park, and "excited" to be a small part of the reopening day.

     Neal was well-supplied with charts and photos to explain the science behind the breath-

taking transformation of Halemaʻumaʻu and the surrounding caldera floor. In response to a visitor's question about the volume of magma that was drained from the summit and the volume of lava that was erupted in Puna, Neal was able to consult her fist-full of printed materials to show that, based on initial analysis, the volumes were roughly equal.

Visitors peer out over Steaming Bluffs in the reopened Park.
NPS/Janice Wei photo

     She described the early May tremors at the HVO facility as "very frightening." Over the

course of three months of shaking, the floor and ceiling of her office at HVO was badly damaged - part of the floor dropped several inches. She and other HVO staff had to rapidly pack up their offices and move out. They also boxed the invaluable items accumulated from decades of scientific research that were stored in their huge basement warehouse. These irreplaceable treasures are now mostly stored temporarily in the Federal Building in Hilo. No decision has yet been made as to whether the HVO building will be repaired or where HVO will be housed for the long term.

     Asked about scientific monitoring instrumentation in the field, Neal explained that her team wanted to leave them in place for as long as possible as they were giving valuable data, but in a few cases "we left them out a bit too long" and they were lost in the collapses. One loss proved serendipitous. A GPS that toppled into the crater was able to continue sending radio signals until the line of sight was lost. This helped scientists monitor how fast the floor of the crater was subsiding and how deep the crater was becoming. On average, the floor fell tens of feet during each of the 60 collapse explosions.

     Learn more at volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/hvo.

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THE DASHBOARD FOR THE STATE OF HAWAIʻI – which tracks and provides public overview to more than $450 million in spending on more than 600 projects in 16 departments, with timelines, status and financial breakdowns – won an international award, announced today. Hawaiʻi Department Dashboard went live in January.

      The prize is the Chaucer Digital Innovation Award is for cutting-edge projects. "The State of Hawaiʻi is our first North American winner for their digital strategic roadmap initiative, which was developed to improve the state's IT governance process and promote organizational change using a strategic plan by means of data visualization," said Chris Laslett, CEO of Chaucer. 

     Gov. David Ige praised the state Office of Enterprise Technology Service "for earning this tremendous recognition after implementing this initiative in the beginning of the year. I thank the ETS team and the executive departments for working collaboratively on the Hawaiʻi Department Dashboard."

      Todd Nacapuy, chief information officer for the state, said, "The Hawaiʻi Department Dashboard also provides transparency in government IT spends and makes the data accessible to the public."

Kaʻū Trojans football team. Photo from Kaʻū High Athletics

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KAʻŪ TROJANS FOOTBALL WIN yesterday, 58-28 over Pāhoa, gives the team the #1 seed in the BIIF 8-man Championship. It will be held Saturday, Oct. 20, at 1 p.m., at Pāhala Ball Park.
     "Haʻaheo Kākou ʻO Kaʻū," says the Kaʻū High School Athletics Twitter feed.

     Hosting Pāhoa at Kaʻū, the Trojans were down 6 during the first quarter, which ended with a score of 14-20. The Trojans came back, preventing the Daggars from gaining any points in the second quarter, which finished with Kaʻū 44 and Pāhoa 20. Third quarter ended with Kaʻū 58, Pāhoa 20. While Pāhoa gained 8 points in the fourth, and Kaʻū was scoreless, Kaʻū finished the game with more than twice the points of Pāhoa, final score 58-28.
     The Trojans have one more game, hosting Kohala, before the BIIF semi-finals. See the Fall schedule, below.

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See public Kaʻū events, meetings, entertainment. 

See Kaʻū exercise, meditation, daily, and weekly events. 

Print edition of The Kaʻū Calendar is free to 5,500 mailboxes 

throughout Kaʻū, from Miloliʻi through Volcano, and free on 

stands throughout the district. Read online at kaucalendar.com

and facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KAʻŪ TROJANS FALL SPORTS SCHEDULE

Football:

   Sat, Oct 6, 12pm, host Kohala
   Sat, Oct 13, BIIF Semi-Finals at Kamehameha

   Sat, Oct 20, BIIF Finals - Higher

Girls Volleyball:
   Mon., Oct. 1, 6pm, host HAAS

   Tues, Oct 2, 6pm, @ Kealakehe

   Fri, Oct 5, 6pm, host Keaʻau

   Wed, Oct 10, 6pm, @ Parker

   Fri, Oct 12, 6pm, host St. Joseph

   Mon, Oct 15, BIIF DII Qtr - Higher

   Wed, Oct 17, BIIF DII Semi-Finals @ Kona
   Thu, Oct 18, BIIF DII Finals @ Kona

Cross Country:
   Mon., Oct. 1, 6pm, host HAAS

   Sat, Oct 6, 2pm, @ Kealakehe

   Sat, Oct 13, BYE

   Sat, Oct 20, 9am, BIIF @ HPA

   Sat, Oct 27, 8:30am, HHSAA

NEW and UPCOMING

HULA KAHIKO FEATURING KUMU HULA LIANA LEI‘ILIMA AVEIRO WITH HĀLAU MALANAI is performed Saturday, Oct. 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The event takes place in a one-of-a-kind outdoor setting at the kahua hula (hula platform) near Volcano Arts Center Gallery. The performance is part of a year-round series sponsored by Volcano Art Center that was temporarily moved during the recent park closure.

     Hālau Malanai, under the direction of Kumu Hula Liana Leiʻilima Aveiro, is an offshoot of Hālau Hula Ka Noʻeau. Aveiro studied under Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang for more than 20 years, graduating as a Kumu Hula through traditional uniki ceremony and passage. Their hula genealogy comes from master Kumu Hula Auntie Miki Aiu Lake.

Hālau Malanai perform Hula Kahiko on Saturday, Oct. 13, within
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Photo from volcanoartcenter.org

     The Hālau is located at Konoho Kuahiwi in the uplands of Waimea, with haumana from age 4 to adult women. Hālau Malanai's name was given by Pang and "takes us to one of our core Hula auwana 'Waika.' Located in this area, our Hālau Malanai carries the name of the distinct Breeze that is clean, cool, and refreshing. A breeze that promotes love on many different levels," states the event description on volcanoartcenter.org.
     Hula Kahiko 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. Free; park entrance fees apply. See volcanoartcenter.org.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 1

Ocean View Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon., Oct. 1, 4-6pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2
Hawai‘i County Council Meetings, Tue./Wed., Oct. 2 (Committees)/3 (Council), Hilo, Tue./Wed., Oct. 16 (Committees)/17 (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov.

Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue., Oct. 2, 4-6pm, Oct. 16, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue., Oct. 2, 6-8pm, Pāhala Community Center.

Family Yoga Class, Tue., Oct. 2, 9:30-10:30am, PARENTS, Inc., Nā‘ālehu. Wonderful way to embody connection. 3-12 years old and caregivers. All levels welcome. Wear comfortable clothes, bring a mat, if can, as supplies are limited. Free. 333-3460, lindsey@hawaiiparents.org

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3
Open Mic Night, Wed., Oct. 3, 6-10pm, Kīlauea Military Camp inside Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Call 967-8365 after 4pm to sign-up and for more details. For patrons 21+. Park entrance fees may apply. kilaueamilitarycamp.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4
Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu., Oct. 4, 6-7pm, Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
Annual Oktoberfest Dinner, Fri., Oct. 5, 5pm, St. Jude's Episcopal Church. Tickets: Singles $8, doubles $15, family $20. stjudeshawaii.org, 939-7000

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Fri., Oct. 5, 6:30pm, Aspen Center. okaukakou.org

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6
Hi‘iaka & Pele, Sat., Oct. 6, 9:30-11:30am, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Discover Hawaiian goddesses and the natural phenomena they represent on this free, moderate, one-mile walk. nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes

Kāwā Community Workday, Sat., Oct. 6, Meet 9:30am, Northern Gate, Kāwā. Sign-up w/James Akau, Nā Mamo o Kāwā, namamookawa@gmail.com, jakau@nmok.org, 561-9111. nmok.org

The Art Express, Sat., Oct. 6, 10-3pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. Classes held once monthly. Learn something new or work on a forgotten project. Instructions on oil, acrylic, watercolor, and other mediums. Class size limited to 25. Meliha Corcoran, 319-8989, himeliha@yahoo.com, discoveryharbour.net/art-express

Keiki Science Class, Sat., Oct. 6, 11-noon, Ace Hardware Stores Islandwide, including Nā‘ālehu, 929-9030, and Ocean View, 929-7315. Free. First Sat every month. acehardware.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7
Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Kamilo Point Clean-Up with Hilo Bay Café, Sun., Oct. 7, contact in advance for meet up time at Wai‘ōhinu Park. BYO-4WD vehicle only. Free; donations appreciated. kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com, mattie.hwf@gmail.com, wildhawaii.org

Pu‘u o Lokuana, Sun., Oct. 7, 9:30-11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Short, moderately difficult, 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone. Learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time. Enjoy breathtaking view of lower Ka‘ū. Free. nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes

Volcano Village Health and Safety Fair at the Cooper Center, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7. Healthy food demonstrations and free food tastings, how to make a "go bucket," info on advance directives, free flu vaccinations (conditions apply), free testing for HepC and HIV, and more. Free event, open to the public. Sponsored by the Volcano Community Association.Contact Sher Glass at 967-8553, vcainfo@yahoo.com.

Ham Radio Potluck Picnic, Sun., Oct. 7, noon-2pm, Manukā State Park. Anyone interested in learning about ham radio is welcome to attend. Sponsored by South Point Amateur Radio Club and Amateur Radio Emergency Service. View sites.google.com/site/southpointarc or sites.google.com/view/southhawaiiares/home. Rick Ward, 938-3058

ONGOING
CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union's Nāʻālehu Branch is taking applications for a Member Service Representative. Job description: Serve as a liaison between the member and the Credit Union. Provide a variety of financial services to members including savings, share drafts, and loan transactions, as well as sales of merchandise items: money orders, traveler's checks, postage stamps, etc., in accordance with Credit Union procedures and policies. CU Hawaiʻi offers medical, drug, dental, vision and retirement benefits.
     Mail, hand-deliver, or fax application to: CU Hawaii Federal Credit Union, Attn: Human Resources, 476 Hinano Street, Hilo, HI 96720, Fax (808) 935-7793. Applications can be downloaded online at cuhawaii.com/about-cu/career-opportunities.html

One Lucid Dream: A Retrospective of Art Works by Ken Charon. Exhibit open Mon.-Sat., through Oct. 6, 10-3pm, Volcano Art Center's Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Original paintings, drawings, and other objects. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Volunteers Needed by St. Jude's Episcopal Church for community outreach, especially soup cooks and shower organizers, towel laundry, alter guild, and for the computer lab. Volunteers do not have to be members of the church. "Volunteering for St. Jude's Saturday Shower and Soup ministry is an opportunity to serve God in a powerful way," states St. Jude's. Contact Dave Breskin, 319-8333.

Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool's Temporary Nāʻālehu Location is Kauahaʻao Church in Waiʻōhinu. Meeting days and times remain the same: Mondays and Wednesdays, from 8:45 to 10:45 a.m. Pāhala site program meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., at Pāhala Community Center.
     Tūtū and Me also offers home visits to those with keiki zero to five years old, to aid with parenting tips and strategies, educational resources, and a compassionate, listening ear. Free. Visits last 1.5 hours, two to four times a month, total of 12 visits. Snacks are provided.

     To enroll in either program, fill out enrollment forms found at pidf.org/programs/tutu_and_me/enrollment_forms, or call Linda Bong at 464-9634. Questions: Clark at 929-8571 or eclark@pidfountation.org.

Open Enrollment for Harmony Educational Services through Oct. 15. Partnered with four local public charter schools, offers benefits of homeschooling with resources available to public schools. Interested families can contact Ranya Williams, rwilliams@harmonyed.com or 430-9798. harmonyed.com/hawaii

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