Ka‘ū News Briefs, Monday, December 16, 2019

Waikapuna will be preserved for future generations. Photo from PONC 

WAIKAPUNA IS CONSERVED, with final documents recorded for the 2,317 acres in Kāhilipalinui and Kāhilipali‘iki ahupua‘a, Ka‘ū Moku. The sale and acquisition was announced today by the
Ala Kahakai Trail Association, which holds title; the state of Department of Land and Natural Resources' Legacy Land Conservation Program, which helped to fund the purchase; land owner Ka‘ū Mahi LLC; and The Trust Public Land, which negotiated the sale.
     County of Hawai‘i's Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation (PONC) Program granted $4 million; Legacy Land granted $2 million.
     While the land is owned by Ala Kahakai Trail Association, a perpetual conservation easement is owned by the County, restricting the land to agricultural and cultural preservation uses. This is the first conservation easement purchased by the County under the PONC program.

     Said Keoni Fox, Director, Ala Kahakai Trail Association, "This purchase conserves over 2.3 miles of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail or ala loa, the ancient fishing village of Waikapuna, and hundreds of intact pre-contact Native Hawaiian cultural sites. This land holds special meaning for Native Hawaiians as it is the place where noted Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui spent her summers as a child, and where she learned the traditions and knowledge that formed the basis of her book, The Polynesian Family System in Ka‘ū.
     As the new steward of the land, Ala Kahakai Trail Association can "preserve both our ancient history and the paniolo heritage of ranching in Ka‘ū. We look forward to working closely with Ka‘ū families to mālama this special ‘āina and cultural legacy for future generations."
     Landowner Kaʻū Mahi, LLC sold the property for $6 million, while donating approximately $1.3 million in value. "We want to thank the landowner Ka’ū Mahi, LLC, for being patient and working closely with us on this conservation purchase. We could not have conserved this agricultural and cultural treasure for the people of Hawai‘i without the landowner's generosity and flexibility," said Lea Hong, Hawaiian Islands State Director, The Trust for Public Land.

     Said Byron Levkulich, Board Member, Kaʻū Mahi, LLC, the seller of the land, "We are humbled to have been part of this community effort to conserve these special lands."

     Suzanne Case, Chair of the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, said that, in addition to protecting important cultural sites and scenic portions of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, the property also includes sea cliffs and caves that are nesting areas for seabirds like the Noio, Hawaiian black noddy. "Waikapuna has it all – cultural significance and incredible coastal natural resources. We are pleased that the Legacy Land Conservation Program contributed to the preservation of this land. The Legacy Program has created a tremendous legacy for Hawai‘i in its nearly 15 years."

     The statement said, "The Kaʻū community has been working decades to protect their beloved 80 mile coast to honor their kūpuna and empower future generations to perpetuate their rural, subsistence lifestyle. The Waikapuna purchase is the first among five conservation projects to close, including Kawala (conservation easement only), Manakaʻa Fishing Village, Kiolaka‘a, and Kaunamano, which are pending. All five projects would conserve over 6,000 acres of coastline, cultural sites, and pasture land, and connect over 10 miles of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail."

     The County of Hawai‘i's Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund is used to acquire land or easements for public outdoor recreation and education, including mauka/makai access, historic or culturally important areas and sites, natural resource, significant habitat or eco-systems, forests, beaches, coastal areas, natural beauty, agricultural lands, and watersheds. Learn more at hawaiicounty.gov/departments/finance/property-management.

     The Legacy Land Conservation Program provides grants to community organizations and government agencies that strive to purchase and protect land that shelters exceptional, unique, threatened, and endangered resources. Learn more at dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/llcp.

     The Ala Kahakai Trail Association helps to connect the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail to the community and ensures that Hawaiian values and principles are acknowledged and practiced. See alakahakaitrail.org.
     The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. See tpl.org/hawaii.

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Hikers at Kahuku Unit. Photo from NPS

KAHUAKU UNIT WILL STAY OPEN FIVE DAYS A WEEK, according to an announcement from Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's. The current schedule, open Wednesday through Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., was announced to change, starting in January, to Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., last week. The Park gave no reason for not keeping to the change.

     The schedule, increased from three days a week, was established to serve visitors during the Kīlauea eruption and summit collapse of 2018, which closed the main part of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park for 134 days. Entrance to Kahuku will remain free. Post-eruption recovery in the Park's Kīlauea section continues as more trails and features are repaired and reopen to the public. Ranger-led hikes, special programs, trail descriptions, and a map of Kahuku are featured on the park website, nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/kahuku.htm.

     The Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is located on the mauka (inland) side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5. Kahuku is located in beautiful Ka‘ū, and is about a 50-minute drive south of the Park's main entrance. Sturdy footwear, water, rain gear, sun protection, and a snack are recommended for all hikes.

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Little fire ants. NPS photo

LITTLE FIRE ANTS TREATMENT at Steam Vents parking lot in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park means the parking lot will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 8 a.m. to noon. Only the Steam Vents parking lot and the trail from the parking lot to Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff) will be closed; Wahinekapu and Crater Rim Trail will remain open. If it rains, a backup date is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 19 at the same time.

     LFA detections have decreased by at least 99 percent at Steam Vents since the Park began treating the area in February. In 2018, LFA were abundant and readily observed on vegetation and along the edge of the parking lot. In September, park pest control workers found LFA on just .1 percent of bait stations. 

     Pest control workers will treat Steam Vents every four to six weeks and the park will announce the temporary closures in news releases, on the park website, nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes, and via social media. The goal is to completely exterminate the ants from the area. Visitors can help by checking their gear and vehicles for LFA before coming to the park.

     This will be the eighth treatment cycle at Steam Vents. For more information on LFA, how to control them and how to prevent spreading them, visit littlefireants.com. 

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A WIND ADVISORY is set for Kaʻū and most of Hawaiʻi Island through tomorrow night at 8 p.m., state forecasts. Moderate to breezy trade winds are expected return to more moderate speeds on Wednesday and Thursday. Cool and windy weather conditions are forecast from Thursday night into next weekend. Trade wind showers are expected to run through Saturday, favoring windward and mountain slopes in the overnight to early morning time periods.

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 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.

See monthly and weekly Kaʻū and Volcano Events, Meetings, Entertainment, Exercise, and Meditation at kaucalendar.com.

2019-2020 Kaʻū Winter Sports Schedule

Girls Basketball

Tue., Jan. 7 @Kohala

Boys Basketball

Wed., Dec. 18 host Keaʻau

Sat., Dec. 21 @St. Joseph

Sat., Dec. 28 host Kohala

Fri., Jan. 3 host HPA

Sat., Jan. 4 host Pāhoa

Wrestling

Sat., Jan. 4 @Waiakea

Soccer

Wed., Dec. 18, @Keaʻau

Sat., Dec. 21 Boys host Christian Liberty, 3pm

Mon., Dec. 23 Boys host Kohala, 3pm

Sat., Jan. 4 Girls host Honokaʻa, 3pm

Mon., Jan. 6 @HPA

Swimming

Sat., Jan. 4 @Kamehameha

UPCOMING

TUESDAY, DEC. 17

Hawai‘i County Council Mtgs., Tuesday, Dec. 17 (Committees), Wednesday, Dec. 18, (Council), Kona. Ka‘ū residents can participate via videoconferencing at Nā‘ālehu State Office Building. Agendas at hawaiicounty.gov.

Cultural Understanding Through Art & the Environment: Ti Leaf Lei Making with Jelena Clay, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. Pre-registration required; class size limited. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

After Dark in the Park: Holiday Concert, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 7-8p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Acclaimed Hawai‘i musician and recording artist Randy Lorenzo and upcoming vocalist Jennie Kaneshiro. Free; park entrance fees apply. 985-6011, nps.gov/havo

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18

Ocean View Community Association Board of Directors Mtg., Wednesday, Dec. 18, 12:30-1:30p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

Family Reading Night, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 6-7p.m.,Nā‘ālehu Elementary School Cafeteria. Family reading time plus make and take activities; snacks provided.

THURSDAY, DEC. 19

Volcano Friends Feeding Friends, Thursday, Dec. 19, 4-6p.m., 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, thecoopercenter.org

Nāʻālehu School Family Reading Night, Thursday, Dec. 19, 6-7p.m., Ocean View Community Center. Family reading, make & take activities, and snacks provided. Free. 939-7033, ovcahi.org

FRIDAY, DEC. 20

Dances of Universal Peace, Friday, Dec. 20, 6-7:30p.m., Methodist Church hall, across from Nā‘ālehu Post Office. Fun, easy to learn dances from many traditions evoking peace. Donations welcome. No registration necessary. 939-9461, hualaniom2@yahoo.com

SATURDAY, DEC. 21

Free Haircut Day, Saturday, Dec. 21, 9a.m.-1p.m., St. Jude's Episcopal Church. Kady and Drew Foster. 12 slots available. Also, Free Shower Day and The Big Island Giving Tree hand out clothes and items like razors and toothbrushes. 939-7000, stjudeshawaii.org

Nature & Culture, Saturday, Dec. 21, 9:30-11:30a.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderate hike, approx. 2 miles. nps.gov/havo

Zentangle - Inspired Art Pop-Up Exhibit & Reception, Saturday, Dec. 21, 10a.m., Volcano Art Center. Meet the artists and discover art created using the Zentangle method. Bring friends, art, and a light pupu to share. Make and take home a Zentangle Inspired ornament. Door prizes. No registration required. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

SUNDAY, DEC. 22

Ka‘ū Community Cleanup, Sunday, Dec. 22. Space available. BYO-4WD also welcome. R.S.V.P. in advance to 769-7629, mattieHWF@gmail.com, or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com. wildhawaii.org

Palm Trail, Sunday, Dec. 22, 9:30-12:30p.m., Kahuku Unit, HVNP. Free, moderately difficult hike - 2.6 mile loop. nps.gov/havo

MONDAY, DEC. 23

Cultural Understanding Through Art & the Environment: Kapa Aloha ‘Āina, the fabric of Hawai‘i with Puakea Forester, Monday, Dec. 23, 11a.m.-1p.m., Volcano Art Center. Pre-registration required; class size limited. $10 per person supply fee. 967-8222, volcanoartcenter.org

ONGOING

Christmas in the Country featuring 20th Annual Invitational Wreath Exhibit, daily, through Dec. 31, Volcano Art Center Gallery. Free; park entrance fees apply. 967-7565, volcanoartcenter.org

T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball League: Ocean View Team - Mondays and Wednesdays, Kahuku Park. Nā‘ālehu Team - Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nā‘ālehu Park. Pāhala Team (seeking coaches) - attend Nā‘ālehu practice. T-Ball, 3:30-4:30pm, ages 5-6. Coach Pitch, 4:30-6p.m., ages 7-8. Programs take place through April 16. Wear cleats or tennis shoes, bring a glove if possible. Extras gloves available for use. All skills and genders welcome. $35 per teammate. See Ka‘ū Youth Baseball on Facebook. Josh or Elizabeth Crook, 345-0511

Tūtū & Me Home Visiting Program is a free service to Pāhala families with keiki, birth to five years old. This caregiver support program offers those taking care of young keiki "a compassionate listening ear, helpful parenting tips and strategies, fun and exciting activities, and wonderful educational resources" from Tūtū & Me Traveling Preschool. Home visits are one hour in length, two to four times per month, for 12 to 15 visits. Snacks are provided. See pidfoundation.org or call 808-938-1088.

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