Kaʻū News Briefs, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023

Long lines can mean long waits to see the fire in Kīlauea Crater. NPS Photo

RECORD BREAKING CROWDS CONTINUE TO ARRIVE A THE SUMMIT OF KILAUEA VOLCANO, with the new eruption. Hawai'i Volcanoes National. Park issued a new statement Monday, reemphasizing good planning before going there.

   "November to January is the busiest part of the year at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the most recent eruption at Kīlauea is drawing large crowds. Parking areas at popular destinations, like Devastation, Uēkahuna, and Kīlauea Visitor Center begin filling up before sunset, and remain full for many hours. Do not plan to arrive at the park between 6 pm or 9 pm unless you are prepared to spend a lot more time waiting for an available parking spot and walking much further to your viewing destination." The Park offers these tips:

    Know before you go. Visit the park website for eruption updates, alerts, what to do, and more before you arrive. Download the free National Park Service app to help explore the park.

Hawai'i Volcanoes posted these images regarding visiting the volcanic eruption.

    Be flexible. Sunset and the evening hours between 6 pm and 9 pm are the most crowded, creating lines of traffic waiting for parking spots, lines at facilities, and packed overlooks. The best time to visit is after 9 pm through the late evening to sunrise. Your park is open 24 hours a day.
    Be respectful. Kīlauea is a sacred and cherished landscape. Be safe. Stay on marked trails and overlooks and avoid earth cracks and cliff edges. Do not enter closed areas.
    Adjust your expectations. Many visitors are here to witness this amazing natural phenomenon and will likely be crowded together at overlooks.
    Be considerate and strive to protect the quality of everyone's experience. Use your indoor voice at overlooks. Leave your mobile sound system at home. Point flashlights and headlamps at the ground to avoid blinding others.  Use of unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in the park without a permit from the Park Superintendent.

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TALK STORY ABOUT MAUNA LOA THIS SATURDAY, Jan. 14 with USGS-HVO scientists and County public safety officials. Get answers to questions about Earth's largest active volcano during an "open house" event at the Ocean View Community Center. This is one of many programs offered during Hawaiʻi's 14th annual Volcano Awareness Month in January 2023.
    The event will run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Ocean View Community Center, 92-8924 Leilani Circle. It is free and open to the public. No reservations required. Details are posted on the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website – https://www.usgs.gov/hvo. For more information, email askHVO@usgs.gov

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Volcano School students are educating the public at Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
regarding the ahupua'a system. Photo from Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences by Daisy Shenk

KULA 'AMAKIHI STUDENTS' ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE AHUPUA'A system is helping to educate visitors to the Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Volcano School of Arts & Sciences Kula 'Amakihi students produced dioramas of the ahupua'a system as part of their Quarter 2 thematic unit on Planetary Geology.
    Students and families in this community-based education program (Grades 1-8) were introduced to the ahupua'a system with a hike and workshop at Kahuku where Ranger Wendy Scott-Vance taught students and families about the mauka to makai system. Under the guidance of Kumus Jacquie Ramirez, Daisy Schenk, LIsa Barnard, and Stacey Morton, students not only built the dioramas, but also wrote essays about their work, which are included as part of the display. As a culminating event, Vance and the Kahuku Unit invited Kula 'Amakihi to show its creations as an exhibit in their Visitor's Center through Jan. 19. Admission is free.

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POLYNESIAN CURIOSITIES at Volcano Art Center gallery in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is the new exhibition through Feb. 19. The show presents new hand carved woodwork by Jeff Roth. While the exhibit is free, park entrance fees apply.

    Roth has a fine arts degree from Washington University School of Fine Arts, with courses in art history. It was his study of Asian art history with Dr. Nelson Wu that inspired the artist to travel throughout Southeast Asia to see temples and shrines. While there, he was attracted to the handhewn folk and craft furnishings of everyday life and has tried to bring that approach to his own work. He still makes frequent trips to the library to see what is being done in the Pan-Pacific region.
    Roth uses driftwood and salvaged wood to construct what he calls his “functional furnishings.” While he works with traditional hand powered tools and designs, he tries his best to inject some element of humor or surprise into his pieces.

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TENANT-BASED RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WILL OPEN A WAITING LIST on Jan. 19.
County of Hawaiʻi Office of Housing & Community Development will open the waiting list for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program from 9 a.m., Jan. 19 to 4 p.m. Jan. 26.
Applications must be completed and submitted electronically through OHCD's online application portal, accessible with any computer or smartphone with internet access at: https://tinyurl.com/bd88bjsd. There is no cost to apply.
    Only one application per family is allowed on the waiting list. Those with a disability or a barrier to

completing the online application, may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting OHCD at (808) 959-4642.

    What is the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance HOME Program? The TBRA HOME program provides rental assistance subsidies to individuals and families residing on Hawaiʻi Island. Depending on available funding, the TBRA program can provide housing assistance for a maximum of 24 months.

    Preference will be given to applicants who meet one of the selection eligibility requirements and the program's income limits. Eligibility requirements are listed as having been impacted by: Natural Disaster,  Government Action, Domestic Violence, Family Reunification, Homelessness, Terminal Illness, or being Aged-Out of Foster Care Youth and Families in Transitional Housing Programs.

    Income limits are $40,020 for a family of one, $45,720 for a family of two, $51,420 for a family of three, $57,120 for a family of four, $61,740 for a familyy of five, $66,300 for a family of six and $70,960 for a family of eight.

    OHCD will verify the selected eligibility required preferences. Individuals and families who meet the criteria for the preference move ahead of others on the waiting list who do not meet the criteria for the preference. 

    All applications received by the OHCD will be assigned a position number based on the date and time of submission. Confirmation of the position number on the waiting list is sent to each applicant via mail approximately seven days after the waiting list closes.

    A screening process begins when OHCD selects an applicant family from the waiting list. The screening process includes an interview with the applicant; a collection of supporting documentation of family income, assets, and family composition; and verification of information. The screening process determines program eligibility and the amount of rental subsidy assistance.

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FREE FOOD

St. Jude's Hot Meals are free to those in need on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until food runs out, no later than noon. Volunteers from the community are welcome to help and can contact Karen at pooch53@gmail.com. Location is 96-8606 Paradise Circle Drive in Ocean View.  Those in need can also take hot showers from 9 a.m. to noon and use the computer lab from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Masks and social distancing required.

Free Meals Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are served from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Nā'ālehu Hongwanji. Volunteers prepare the food provided by 'O Ka'ū Kākou with fresh produce from its gardens on the farm of Eva Liu, who supports the project. Other community members also make donations and approximately 150 meals are served each day, according to OKK President Wayne Kawachi.

OUTDOOR MARKETS

Volcano Evening Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village, Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., with live music, artisan crafts, ono grinds, and fresh produce. See facebook.com.

Volcano Swap Meet, fourth Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. Large variety of vendors with numerous products. Tools, clothes, books, toys, local made healing extract and creams, antiques, jewelry, gemstones, crystals, food, music, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Also offered are cakes, coffee, and shave ice. Live music.

Volcano Farmers Market, Cooper Center, Volcano Village on Sundays, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with local produce, baked goods, food to go, island beef and Ka'ū Coffee. EBT is used for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps. Call 808-967-7800.

'O Ka'ū Kākou Market, Nā'ālehu, Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Nadine Ebert at 808-938-5124 or June Domondon 808-938-4875. See facebook.com/OKauKakouMarket.

Ocean View Community Market, Saturdays and Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., corner of Kona Drive and Highway 11, where Thai Grindz is located. Masks mandatory. 100-person limit, social distancing required. Gate unlocked for vendors at 5:30 a.m., $15 dollars, no reservations needed. Parking in the upper lot only. Vendors must provide their own sanitizer. Food vendor permits required. Carpooling is encouraged.

Ocean View Swap Meet at Ocean View makai shopping center, near Mālama Market. Hours for patrons are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Vendor set-up time is 5 a.m. Masks required.

The Book Shack is open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Kauaha'ao Congregational Church grounds at 95-1642 Pinao St. in Wai'ōhinu.