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Monday, July 02, 2018

Kaʻū News Briefs Monday, July 2, 2018

For years, Kaʻū Auto Repair  displayed wrecked cars in the Nāʻālehu Independence Day Parade to remind everyone
to avoid drinking and driving on July 4. This year, he celebrated safe sports driving at the track in Hilo. with one
one of his race cars. See message from the Chief of Police below. See more of last Saturday's
parade photos in Tuesday's  Kaʻū News BriefsPhoto by Geneveve Fyvie
MORE OPTIONS FOR NĀʻĀLEHU WASTEWATER TREATMENT SITE are under study by the County of Hawaiʻi. The Environmental Protection Agency gave the county an extension to secure property other than the proposed site next to Nāʻālehu School, which met opposition at community meetings. Sites under consideration include two mauka of Hwy 11 owned by Royal Hawaiian Coffee & Tea, the company that also owns Kaʻū Valley Farms. However, the site would require the extra cost of pumping effluent uphill to the property.
     Another site under consideration is makai of the town, below the rodeo grounds on Kaʻū Mahi land, between the village and the communications tower.
Site 30 is under consideration for the new Nāʻālehu wastewater treatment plant. Site 26 is next to the school
which drew opposition, and sites 31 and 32 would require pumping the effluent uphill.
Map from County of Hawaiʻi
     The county is required to build a new treatment system to replace old gang cesspools in Nāʻālehu, which are illegal. The county took over the cesspools for old sugar plantation housing after the sugar plantation left Kaʻū. However, it would face fines if it doesn't shut down the cesspools.
     In a letter to the EPA, county Environmental Management Director William Kucharski asked for more time to purchase an appropriate site, extending the deadline from June 27 of this year to June 20, 2020. The EPA gave the permission.
Engine H Charlie rolls through Nāʻālehu for Independence Day
Parade. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
      Kucharski wrote that the extension is needed to complete Environmental Assessments and/or
Environmental Impact Statements before acquiring the site. He noted that the county considered 32 locations. Regarding property next to the school, he said, opposition to that location became apparent at community meetings and interviews and two of the four owners chose not to sell the property.
     "While it was reported that there was general agreement with the treatment technology, there was also community opposition to the proposed sit for the Waste Water Treatment Plant," wrote Kucharski.
     According to the letter, the county is moving to determine the feasibility of at least one of the newly considered properties - reportedly, the one below the rodeo grounds. The evaluation includes geotechnical borings, a drainage study, and Phase Environmental Site Assessment.

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Medics and fire department crews joined the Independence Day parade
in Nāʻālehu last Saturday. Photo by Geneveve Fyvie
A JULY 4 SAFETY MESSAGE FROM POLICE CHIEF PAUL FERREIRA warns everyone about drunken driving: "In Hawaiʻi, we love to celebrate the 4th of July with family, friends, food, and fireworks. But all too often the festivities turn tragic on our roads. This iconic American holiday is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to drunk-driving crashes.
     "According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over the 2016 Fourth of July holiday, 6 p.m., July 2 to 5:59 a.m., July 6: 188 people were killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. This is a 28 percent increase from 2015 when there were 146 fatalities.
     "Nearly half of those who died were in a vehicle crash involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .15 or higher – almost twice the legal limit.
Police Chief Paul Ferreira
     "This July 4th, the Hawaiʻi Police Department wants all of us to keep Hawaiʻi free from drunk driving. If you plan on attending a celebration where there is alcohol, make a plan to get home without drinking and driving. If you are planning the party, help your guests plan for a sober ride home. Remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving," wrote the Chief of Police.

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WITNESSES IN WORDS: The Literature of Kīlauea: Early Western Visitors. For eons, witnesses to the workings of Kīlauea have given voice in moʻolelo, oli, mele… in journals, scientific observations, fiction, newspaper articles, essays, letters, poetry, and memoirs.  Accounts vary with era, culture, gender, personality and purpose, yet each view tells us a bit more about Kīlauea, a place that stirs the mind and spirit of every human who encounters these immense forces shaping the planet.
     On Thursday evening, July 12, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Volcano Center’s Niʻaulani Campus in Volcano Village, the words of the first Western visitors to Kīlauea will be brought to life through dramatic readings and reenactments of their encounters with this volcano.
     Among the presenters depicting these 1800's visitors are Mike Nelson, Volcano Art Center Director, reading Rev. William Ellis who, in 1823, was the first Western man to describe Kīlauea.  Pamela Frierson, author of The Burning Island, reminds us of the cultural perspectives these 1800's visitors packed with them. Tom Peek, author of the Volcano-based novel Daughters Of Fire, presents vivid 1840's accounts by evangelist preacher and keen volcano observer, Titus Coan. Jackie Pualani Johnson, well-known for her enactments of women prominent in Hawaiʻi's story, becomes Isabella Bird, telling of her 1873 journey to Kīlauea, and the Volcano Art Center's Fia Mattice reads her translation of Swedish Prince Oscar's journal, in which he describes his 1884 Kīlauea visit, adding this new account to Kīlauea's dramatically unfolding story.
Literature of Kīlauea series begins on Thursday, July 12.
Photo by Jesse Tunison, Volcano Art Center
     The Literature of Kīlauea Program Series was developed months before the current eruptive phase. "In the light of the volcano's current activity, hearing of Kīlauea in its many manifestations becomes even more vivid and essential," says a statement from Volcano Art Center. "Join us for the first program of this series -- a rich and entertaining evening revealing the ever-expanding saga of Kīlauea." The program is free; however, donations are suggested and welcome.
     Volcano Art Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created in 1974 whose mission is to promote, develop and perpetuate the artistic, cultural and environmental heritage of Hawaiʻi through the arts and education.

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Video, https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/movies/movie_174002.html,
of fiery whirlwinds over Fissure 8's lava river, flinging
molten lava dozens of feet. Video from USGS
FIERY WHIRLWINDS THROW LAVA DEBRIS from the lava river in lower Puna, reports Robert Ballard of the National Weather Service. During a press conference today, he said Fissure 8’s lava channel, which flows to the ocean, is creating miniature, short-lived, localized tornadoes of molten lava debris - caused by strong updrafts from the heat of the lava coming into contact with the cooler surrounding air temperature. See the video. Ballard said similar events occur over the laze plume – when the plume is very vigorous, and trade winds have died down – producing short-lived water spouts or weak whirlwinds. He said the occasional lighting produced in the laze plume is likely static discharge, and likely not dangerous outside the plume.
A lava block, called a lava boat, is captured in the lava river
by a USGS photographer. USGS photo
     Heat from lava is also contributing to weather in lower Puna, including rain and much lightning. More than 1,200 lightning strikes were recorded from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in lower Puna. Ballard likened the lava-influenced weather to what happens in the Western part of the mainland during wildfires, with pyrocumulus or pyrocumulonimbus clouds rising high into the atmosphere, today's clouds reaching some 45,000 feet. Ballard said his guess is that the rainfall is “more acidic,” in areas of high SO2.
     Another scene in the lava river are lava blocks, called lava boats. They are large pieces of lava that fall off the channel wall or the Fissure 8 cone, and move toward the ocean in the lava river.

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Video, https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/movies/movie_174003.html,
shows plants in the foreground vigorously shaking, followed by
a slow, thin plume rising from the crater. Video from USGS
VIDEO OF A COLLAPSE EXPLOSION AT KĪLAUEA SUMMIT CAPTURED intense ground shaking and an ash plume on June 30. Brian Shiro, seismologist with USGS HVO, said the ash plume was minor. See video.
     The collapse explosion at the summit at 1:24 a.m. this morning, July 2, produced a plume up to 1,200ft above ground level, with localized shaking equivalent to a 5.3-magnitude earthquake.

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Ocean entry lava still produces a heavy laze plume, while under the
waves, the lava has traveled about .25 miles. Photo from USGS
KAPOHO LAVA DELTA IS MORE THAN 500 ACRES, reports Mike Zoeller of USGS. The geologist at the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at University of Hawaiʻi-Hilo said the delta is expanding slightly both north and south. The lava continues to spread out from the channel into the Vacationland and Kapoho Beach lots, he said.
     Zoeller said some preliminary sonar data from June 27 “suggests that several flow lobes, extending under the ocean, have advanced to depths of abut 100m below sea level – possibly deeper – within 400m (about .25 mi) of the delta edge.” Fissure 22 is spattering up to 80m above the cone there, said Zoeller, and producing a sluggish flow within a few hundred meters of the cone.

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In bright green, the north-south Hwy 130 will open to all
traffic tomorrow at 8 a.m. Map from hawaiicountygis
HIGHWAY 130 REOPENS IN LOWER PUNA TO ALL TRAFFIC, tomorrow, July 3, at 8 a.m., announced Civil Defense this morning. McKenzie State Recreation Area and the new lava flow areas remain closed. Vacation rentals as well as all businesses in the Kalapana area can resume normal operations. Kamaili Road will be open to residents only. Highway 137 will be open from Highway 130 north to Opihikao road. “There is no immediate danger,” Civil Defense said, “but persons in the area are reminded to be on the alert for changing conditions and to monitor Civil Defense messages.”
     Mike Zoeller of USGS confirms scientists have been monitoring SO2 emissions and temperature readings from the cracks along the highway since they formed, and that “no real change has been observed in several weeks.”

See public Ka‘ū events, meetings, entertainment
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 
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TUESDAY, JULY 3
Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Dept. Meeting, Tue, July 3, 4-6pm, July 17, 4:30-6:30pm, Discovery Harbour Community Hall. 929-9576, discoveryharbour.net

Ka‘ū Coffee Growers Meeting, Tue, July 3, 6-8pmhala Community Center.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4
4th of July Parade, Craft Fair, Wed, July 4, 9-1:30pmVolcano Village. Free. Parade starts at Post Office, down Old Volcano Rd, ends at Cooper Center on Wright Rd. Activities, food, and entertainment. Summer musical Oliver! cast, Da Boni and Doug Duo, Da Digital Menehunes, and Christy Lassiter will perform. Silent auction in main room. Leashed dogs allowed. Provided by Cooper Center Council, Volcano Community Association, and Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. To be in parade, download entry form at volcanocommunity.org and email to vcainfo@yahoo.com. Vendors call Tara Holmes, 464-3625 (8-5pm) or email idoaloha@gmail.com. thecoopercenter.org

THURSDAY, JULY 5
Hula Voices w/Kumu Manaiakalani Kalua, Thu, July 5, 5-6pmVolcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Talk story session moderated by Desiree Moana Cruz. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6-7pmOcean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

‘O Ka‘ū Kākou Meeting, Thu, July 5, 6:30pmAspen Centerokaukakou.org

FRIDAY, JULY 6
Spaghetti Dinner, Fri, July 6, 5:30pm, St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Ocean View. Single plate, $8, 2 for $15, family for $20. Tickets available at door. 939-7555, stjudeshawaii.org

Free Community Dance, Fri, July 6 and 13, 7-10pmCooper CenterVolcano Village. Minors allowed with supervision only. Alcohol-free event. Variety of music. Coffee, tea, water, and snacks provided. Free admission; donations appreciated. 967-7800, thecoopercenter.org

SATURDAY, JULY 7
Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund Pā‘ula Cleanup Event w/Ala Kahakai Trails Association and friends, Sat, July 7. Contact in advance for meet up time at Wai‘ōhinu Park. Pending volcanic activity/air quality. Space limited. Free; donations appreciated. kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com, wildhawaii.org

Ka‘ū Roping & Riding Association’s 41st Annual 4th of July Buckle Rodeo, Sat & Sun, July 7 & 8, slack starts 8am, show starts noon, rodeo grounds behind Nā‘ālehu Park. Tickets available at gate, $8/person. Pre-sale tickets available $7/person around town from Rodeo Queen contestants. Ralph or Tammy, 929-8079

Palm Trail, Sat and Sun, July 7 and 29, 9:30-12:30pm, Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Moderately difficult, 2.6-mile loop traverses scenic pastures along an ancient cinder cone, with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. nps.gov/HAVO

Art in the Everyday Community Quilt Project - Assembly Workshop, Sat, July 7, 10-4pmVolcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Visiting Artist Laura Phelps Rogers leads project, with more to come throughout year. A social engagement public work, in which Rogers hopes to construct monumental sculptural quilt built of round wood 5” pieces - each blank and designed by community participants. Pick up blank piece and packet at Volcano Art Center’s Administration Office or at Wailoa Art Center. $10 donation. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

Two Day Oil Painting Workshop w/Vicki Penney-Rohner, Sat-Sun, July 7-8, 10-4pmVolcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus, Volcano Village. Beginners and Intermediate students welcome. Learn to create form using values and light. Class also explores painting water. $90/VAC Member, $100/non-Member. See volcanoartcenter.org for list of supplies needed.

SUNDAY, JULY 8
‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sun, July 8, 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

MONDAY, JULY 9
Air and Space Camp, Science Camps of America, July 9-18, based at Pāhala Plantation Cottages with field trips all around island. For local teens ages 13-17, entering grades 9-12. Topics: Solar system, moon, planets, space exploration, structure of atmosphere, weather, carbon cycle, climate, Hawaiian history and culture, Polynesian voyaging, hiking and camping skills. $2,395 per student, includes ground transportation, meals, etc. Financial Aid available. scicamp.org

Richard Creagan Talk Story, Mon, July 9, 6-9pm, Ocean View Community Center. Current State Representative for District 5 and candidate. He is a Ka‘ū resident, farmer, and a physician. 939-7033

NEW and UPCOMING
Nose to Nose by Vicki Penney-Rohner.
Photo from volcanoartcenter.org
A TWO DAY OIL PAINTING WORKSHOP WITH VICKI PENNEY-ROHNER takes place on Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Volcano Art Center’s Ni‘aulani Campus in Volcano Village. The class welcomes beginners and intermediate students.
     The event description on volcanoartcenter.org states that, through taking the class, students will “let go of those nagging anxieties when using new colors and gain new confidence in your composition.” Adding that by understanding medium and using tools effectively, students will get the results they want, the description claims that this 2-day class will give students a better command of the medium.
     Students learn to mix colors, use different mediums to achieve various effects, and learn to “layer color to bring depth and luminous richness to their work,” says the description. Throughout the two days, students will learn to create form using values and light, and recognize, understand and apply the elements of design and composition to improve their work. Students work with a pallet knife as well as brushes. The lesson also explores painting water. 
Ancient Outrigger by Vicki Penney-Rohner.
Photo from volcanoartcenter.org
     Penney-Rohner has taught art for fifteen years. Her work is in the State of Hawai‘i’s permanent collection, has been featured in magazines and won numerous awards throughout the U.S. She is currently the Artist-in-Residence at the Fairmont Orchid and teaches weekly classes there.
     Students are responsible for bringing their own supplies and are invited to bring unfinished work from previous workshops. A complete supply list can be found online. The class fee is $90 per Volcano Art Center Member or $100 per non-Member. Register online or call 967-8222.

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ONGOING
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; http://www.kupuhawaii.org/conservation/. For more, call The Nature Conservancy at 443-5401 or call Kupu Hawai‘i at 808-735-1221.

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

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.

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. 
     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.
     In the Visitor Contact Station, Coffee Talk, a monthly, casual get together, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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