Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Dec. 9, 2013

Santa and his helpers spread holiday greetings during the 35th annual Pahala Christmas Parade. Photo by Julia Neal

 THE DIE-HARD CHRISTMAS PARADERS wove through Pahala Town yesterday for the 35th annual event organized by Eddie Andrade. Andrade said he was praying hard in church Sunday morning for the clouds to part and rays of hope to shine down on Pahala. They did.

Members of Pahala Holy Rosary Church entertain parade onlookers.
Photo by Julia Neal

      About a half hour before the 1 p.m. parade, a heavy rain and near-flood conditions stopped, and the parade went on. Ka`u Coffee Mill, which helps fund the event, Volcano School of Arts & Sciences, Keoki Kahumoku’s `ukulele kids, Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare Lee Shibuya, Tutu & Me, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Pahala Preschool, County Council member Brenda Ford, the Filipino Club, Pahala Fire Department, the police department, Frosty the Snowman, the reindeer and a Christmas elephant, along with Santa and his helpers, paraded up and down the village slope.

     Santa threw candy to the children and spoke to many of the onlookers by name. The entire parade visited Ka`u Hospital to entertain the residents and staff, with the event wrapping up at Holy Rosary Church for lunch.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

CHANGING LIGHT FIXTURES, REPLACING TRANSFORMERS, chillers and installing energy efficient control panels at the state building in Hilo and around the islands is a $17.4 million contract that is going to a Framingham, Massachusetts company. The state Department of Accounting and General Services awarded Ameresco, Inc. the Energy Savings Performance Contract.

Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare Lee Shibuya braves the possibility of rain
in a convertible driven by her mother, Terry-Lee. Photo by Julia Neal 

      The ESPC project is expected to save DAGS more than a million dollars in the first year and lower operational costs by $28 million over the 20-year term.
      “I commend DAGS and Ameresco for working together in developing a comprehensive efficiency and renewable energy project that is on target with our commitment to energy independence and sustainability,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said. “Ameresco’s innovative approach will assist DAGS in reaching its energy savings and emission reduction goals.”



      The design-build DAGS project is expected to reduce energy and water consumption through the installation of state-of-the-art technology in the 33 buildings and will also generate renewable energy at 13 facilities.

      The approximate two-year design-build implementation period will include energy conservation measures such as replacing or retrofitting 13,000 light fixtures, expanding the energy management system to include 2,750 control points, installing seven new chillers with bearingless compressors and replacing 53 transformers with premium efficiency custom-wound transformers. The new photovoltaic arrays will consist of over 3,370 solar panels connected to 17 inverters spread across the five islands. 

The new solar arrays are expected to cumulatively generate about 1.3 million kilowatt-hours a year in renewable power from the sun, which will help DAGS facilities lower the state’s dependence on electricity produced from fossil-fueled power plants.

 The annual emissions reduction is expected to be approximately 5.6 million pounds of CO2, 14,200 pounds of SO2 and 12,700 pounds of N2O, the equivalent of taking 466 cars off the road, according to a statement released by the company.
      See more at ameresco.com.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Tutu & Me decorates its van for Pahala Christmas Parade yesterday.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS has contracted with SMS to conduct a phone survey of Hawai`i residents and small businesses over the next few weeks to find out how people in Hawai`i are using their Internet connections today and how they plan to use Internet service in the future.

      The survey is part of the state’s effort to improve broadband capabilities, address anticipated future needs and ensure that Hawai`i is competitive with the rest of the world as a venue for digital commerce.
      DCCA is part of a multi-agency state effort to move to high-speed broadband and meet Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s goal of providing affordable Internet access to Hawai`i’s residents.

  

The phone calls will be made to businesses between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays and to residences from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The calls are confidential, and no names will be used. No personal identifying information will be requested, nor will it be required.

      The phone survey is being conducted in conjunction with DCCA’s broadband speed test campaign to measure Internet access speeds around the state and to look for gaps in connection.

      People around the state can go to hibroadbandmap.org/speedtest (or goo.gl/e23RPl) to be part of the campaign to measure and improve broadband access around the islands.

County Council member Brenda Ford receives a warm greeting
from Frosty the Snowman. Photo by Julia Neal 

      The speed test can be performed using a desktop or mobile web browser.
      In addition to its regulatory oversight of the franchised cable industry, the Cable Television Division has been given the responsibility to implement activities to promote ubiquitous access to high speed broadband at affordable prices across the state.
      According to its website, SMS has provided advanced technology products and services to the federal government since 1976.
      See sms.com.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE LATEST draft document for the Ka`u Community Development Plan is due one week from today on Monday, Dec. 16. Appendix V4C: Local Economic Development Plan Analysis is available to read at area libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info. The public can submit testimony using feedback forms found with the reference documents and on the website. 

      The appendix discusses opportunities in various sectors of Ka`u’s economy, including retail.

      “Overall, the generation of future new jobs through the retail sector in Ka`u is modest, with the possible exception of Ocean View,” the analysis states. It lists keys to the future development of the retail sector:

Ed Olson stands by his Ka`u Coffee Mill's float carrying Keoki Kahumoku's `ukulele
kids and students from Volcano School of Arts & Sciences. Photo by Julia Neal

• Development of Other Emerging Sectors: Other sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, health and wellness, creative and visitor industries could be developed in ways that generate and support retail opportunities. 
• Fostering Supportive Networks: An expansion of Ka`u’s business support network could provide access to capital, marketing, distribution and other business development services. 
• Creation of a Locally Focused Retail Campaign: A viable and on-going “plug the leaks” campaign could be created to raise the awareness, willingness and capacity of residents to buy locally produced services and goods. 

      The document suggests that, for Pahala and Na`alehu, “any retail growth will require a reversal of declining population trends and/or an increased capacity to capture visitor traffic and local residents who shop outside the district.
      “However, while population projections for Na`alehu do not appear to support increases in retail activity, the town’s historical role as a commercial center for the region along with its social and physical infrastructure support may provide some impetus for retail expansion.”  

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Pahala Filipino Community Association joins Pahala Christmas parade.
Photo by Julia Neal

INTERESTED PERSONS CAN STILL SIGN UP to help Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park with their Forest Restoration Project Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers plant native seedling trees on Mauna Loa strip in the national park. 

      Volunteers should be at least 12 years old and be able to hike at least one mile over uneven terrain through brush in an area with a moderate slope. Sturdy walking shoes and long pants are required, along with gear for variable weather conditions (be prepared for sun or rain with a hat, raincoat, sunscreen, etc.) plus drinking water and a lunch.

      To sign up, call 985-7373 or email forest@fhvnp.org today.

MUSICIAN AND HILO NATIVE CARL RAY VILLAVERDE performs tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. After spending more than a decade on the mainland teaching `ukulele and guitar at Santa Barbara City College and performing throughout California, Villaverde returns to the islands with his new CD, Hawaiian Magic, on sale at the show. $2 donations support park program.

Pahala Preschool thanks the community for its support during Pahala Christmas Parade. Photo by Julia Neal

MEMBERS OF `AHA PUHALA O PUNA SHARE THE ART of lauhala weaving to perpetuate this Hawaiian skill Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants weave their very own bracelets from leaves of the hala (pandanus) tree. Lauhala ornaments crafted by the club will be available for sale. This free program is part of Hawai`i Volcanoes’ ongoing `Ike Hana No`eau “Experience the Skillful Work” workshops.

Hawai`i's Public Access Room
offers training Thursday at
Pahala Plantation House.

HANA HOU RESTAURANT’S KEIKI CHRISTMAS PARTY is Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The annual event includes buffet dinner, lucky number prizes, keiki ID and photos with Santa. Call 929-9717 for more information. 

HAWAI`I LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU’S Public Access Room offers free training to help the public follow the 2014 state Legislature Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. The training demystifies the state lawmaking process and demonstrates ways people can participate in the Legislature.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013

Noxious weeds such as miconia are pervasive in Hawai`i. Photo from Big Island Invasive Species Committee

FAILING TO STEP UP PROTECTION FROM INVASIVE and harmful plants can be devastating in Hawai`i, sometimes called the “endangered species capital of the nation,” according to conservationists quoted in a story in this morning’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The article by Gary Kubota notes that the federal endangered species list has 853 plants, and 395 (or 46 percent) are native to Hawai`i and only live here, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

      “In the past 37 years of having a Federal Noxious Weed List that could be key in protecting Hawai`i’s native species, the USDA has banned only 120 of more than 250,000 known plant species in the world,” Kubota writes.
      Although a federal noxious weed list exists, states like Hawai`i have developed their own lists of undesirable alien plants which they believe are more comprehensive.
      The last time the USDA added to its list was in December 2010, when nine species brought the total to 120. By comparison, there are more than 206 on California’s noxious weed list alone.
      “The list is too short,” said Mark Fox, the Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i’s director of external affairs, reports the Star-Advertiser.
      Kubota writes: “As Hawai`i continues with costly extraordinary efforts to rid pristine native forests of one invasive plant after another, environmentalists and scientists here and elsewhere are beginning to criticize the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s system of protecting the country from destructive alien plants.
      “Critics say the system of screening for noxious weeds used by the department’s plant inspectors is inefficient and ineffective, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually. It also threatens native vegetation and agriculture and lacks a balanced approach to conservation, they maintain.
      “As federal and state agencies spend millions of dollars annually in Hawai`i to try to control stifling weeds, the USDA allows some of the same destructive alien plants to enter the country and to be distributed and sold between states.”

The state's noxious weed list has no impact on
the sale or movements of plants such as
pampas grass. Photo from BIISC

       Kubota points to what critics and observers consider a lack of accountability in the USDA’s screening system. He says the agency has the power to determine whether plants enter the country, and if an import becomes a problem, USDA defers responsibility for addressing it to other federal agencies or to states.
      The state noxious weed list has no impact on the sale or movement of plants, “crippling the program,” said Neil Reimer, state Plant Pest Control Branch manager.
      Under federal law, to be put on the list a plant must have the potential to be destructive to a large portion of the United States. “Because Hawai`i is generally a tropical environment, most of our problem species are tropical, and they cannot survive throughout most of the United States,” University of Hawai`i biologist Curt Daehler said. 

      Also under federal law, a plant that has become too “pervasive” to be eliminated keeps it from being put on the federal list.
      North Carolina weed specialist Rick Iverson said a more meaningful basis for determining whether a plant is invasive is whether it can be quarantined.
      Kubota says that, according to critics, a more effective screening method is to place the burden of proof that a plant will not prove harmful to the environment on the importer. Such a system was put in place in New Zealand in 1993 and in Australia in 1994.
      In New Zealand, plants not on its list of non-invasive species require a risk assessment study before being put on the list.
      Paul Champion, New Zealand’s principal scientist for the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said the move to a pre-approved list has reduced the government cost of screening plants. “It has certainly reduced the risk of new pest species from entering New Zealand and allows more of a focus on species we already have in the country,” he said.
      Australian agricultural officials said the system has worked well and comes with considerable economic benefits.
      See staradvertiser.com.
      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

INTERESTED PERSONS CAN APPLY TO BECOME members of an advisory committee for the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Forest Stewardship Program. The Forest Stewardship Advisory Committee will have several open seats in early 2014. 

      FSAC reviews and recommends for approval all project proposals and management plans for the state’s Forest Stewardship and Forest Legacy Programs.
      Ideal candidates are those with significant forestry and/or conservation experience in Hawai`i. The committee meets four times a year in venues throughout Hawai`i, and appointments are for three years.
      To download the application and learn more about the Forest Stewardship and Forest Legacy Programs in Hawai`i, see dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/lap/fsp.
      Applications are due by Tuesday, Dec. 31.
      For more information, contact Irene Sprecher, of DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, at 808-587-4167 or Melissa.I.Sprecher@hawaii.gov.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

DLNR seeks public input on amendments to rules
regarding stony coral and live rock.
Photo from Wikipedia

STONY CORAL AND LIVE ROCK are the subject of public hearings by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which plans to amend Hawai`i Administrative Rules relating to their conservation. Live rocks are those with sealife living on them, and it is illegal to take, break, move, pollute, poison or otherwise damage them. 

      The proposed amendments would clarify what activities constitute “damage” to stony coral and live rock and establish a formula for calculating administrative penalties. The rules include the possibility of fining for each coral colony or small areas where they live.
      All interested persons are urged to attend a public hearing to present relevant information and individual opinion for the DLNR to consider. Written testimony can be sent by Friday, Dec. 27, to the Division of Aquatic Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 330, Honolulu, HI 96813.
      Hawai`i Island hearings are this Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Kealakehe High School Cafeteria in Kona from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and this Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 101 in Hilo, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
      See stony coral and live rock draft rules at state.hi.us/dlnr/dar/rules/drafts/stony_coral_live_%20rock_dr.pdf.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

USGS HVO map shows distribution of small particles ejected
by Kilauea volcano.

IN ITS CURRENT ISSUE OF VOLCANO WATCH, U.S Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory tracks the flight of particles ejected from Kilauea Volcano. 

      Sometime between 1790 and 1823, an explosive eruption deposited ash and small particles in the area shown on the map. The dots are places where the average particle size, in millimeters, was measured. Black lines, or contours, connect equal sizes. For the particles described in the article, red lines show rising pathways, and green lines show falling pathways.
      Volcano Watch is a weekly newsletter written by HVO scientists. Article topics range from volcanic features on the Big Island, volcanic hazards, informational topics of Long Valley, Montserrat, or Alaska to topics about HVO.
      See more at hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

THE WESTBOUND LANE OF CRATER RIM DRIVE, fronting Steam Vents, will be closed for up to 10 weeks while crews replace a deteriorated water main, beginning tomorrow, according to a statement from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.
      Traffic controllers will alternate traffic flow through the single open lane from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Wait times to pass the construction area should not exceed 15 minutes.
      Both lanes will be open to traffic if there is no active construction.
      The project will replace approximately 3,000 feet of failing pipe that supplies water to Jaggar Museum and USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar. 

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS PRESENTS FALL CREATIVITY DAY today until 3 p.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Hall, offering batik, `ohe kapala (bamboo stamp making), dying, sewing and jewelry making workshops.

PAHALA CHRISTMAS PARADE IS at 1 p.m. today. Starting at the armory on Pikake Street, the parade winds its way through town, making a stop at Ka`u Hospital.

Carl Ray Villaverde Photo from NPS

MUSICIAN AND HILO NATIVE CARL RAY VILLAVERDE performs Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. After spending more than a decade on the mainland teaching `ukulele and guitar at Santa Barbara City College and performing throughout California, Villaverde returns to the islands with his new CD, Hawaiian Magic, on sale at the show. $2 donations support park program.

FREE TRAINING TO HELP THE PUBLIC follow the 2014 state Legislature takes place Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Sponsored by the state of Hawai`i Legislative Reference Bureau’s Public Access Room, the training demystifies the state lawmaking process and demonstrates ways people can participate in the Legislature.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013

Traditional Hawaiian blessing with maile lei opened Bay Clinic in Na`alehu for a public inspection and celebration yesterday.
Photo by Joe Febo/Hana Hou Photography

BAY CLINIC’S EXPANSION in Na`alehu opened up for public inspection and celebration yesterday. The new medical, dental and mental health center is along Hwy 11 next to the old Bay Clinic building. Bay Clinic board chair Dawn Hawkins noted that the original facility opened 17 years ago in Na`alehu in response to the shutdown of the sugar industry, which provided health care to many people. Ten years later Bay Clinic secured state, federal and private funding to expand. The name is Ka`u Family Health and Dental Center, which is able to see an additional 3,400 patients a year with a total of 8,500 additional visits.

    Bay Clinic CEO is Harold Wallace.

Bay Clinic board member Tanya Aynessazian (left), CEO Harold Wallace
and other board members meet Ka`u residents at the grand opening in
Na`alehu yesterday. Photo by Joe Febo/Hana Hou Photography

    Bay Clinic board member Raylene Moses said the new facility is “a long time coming and overdue. I am grateful that the Ka`u community will continue to have quality health care.”
     Ka`u Hawaiian Civic Club president Blossom DeSilva, a former Bay Clinic board member, said, “Because we have the community input and patients giving their comments, we have a facility designed for the people here.
      “Many community organizations in Ka`u helped by raising money locally. We are very happy.”
     Board member and past chair Tanya Aynessazian said, “My hope is that we can secure funding for transportation to bring people from Ocean View,” which recently lost its clinic with 4,000 patient visits a year. People interested in supporting this should contact Bay Clinic, she recommended.
      Bay Clinic, Inc. is a network of eight community health centers serving East Hawai`i’s families. According to its website, “We deliver quality, affordable and community-directed health care to thousands of Big Island residents regardless of insurance status. Bay Clinic provides affordable care on a sliding fee scale based upon income level. We provide primary medical care, behavioral health care and dental care to our community and work to ensure our community has accessible, affordable, and high quality health care services.
     “We care for 18,314 Big Island residents, with 71,288 visits. We are the third largest community health center network in our state and the largest private nonprofit health care provider on our island.
      Bay Clinic has adopted the Patient Centered Medical Home model of care.
      For more, see bayclinic.org.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie said capital improvement projects have
strengthened the local economy.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INITIATIVES are on Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s agenda for the 2014 Legislature, which begins Wednesday, Jan. 16. During the 2013 Legislature, Abercrombie had sought $31 million over the next two years for early learning programs, but the Legislature appropriated only $7.16 million. 

      Abercrombie discussed this and other priorities at a Chamber of Commerce of Hawai`i luncheon where he and Finance director Kalbert Young outlined the state’s fiscal situation and economic outlook. They announced that the state ended fiscal year 2013 with a positive fund balance of $844 million. The state’s positive balance marks a $1.1 billion turn-around since the governor took office.
      “Through difficult but necessary financial control measures implemented by the Abercrombie Administration in fiscal years 2011, 2012 and 2013, the state gradually increased its ending balances every year since the start of the administration,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. “By carefully managing the state’s financial resources, affordable and sustainable contracts were negotiated with the majority of public workers. The state was also able to recapitalize reserves for the rainy day and hurricane relief funds in the amount of $211 million, and critical government services like agricultural inspections are being restored.
      “Furthermore, $1.2 billion was expended in fiscal year 2013 for priority capital improvement projects that invest in state infrastructure and facilities while serving to strengthen the local economy and generate job opportunities (another $2.2 billion has been appropriated for fiscal year 2014). As of Oct. 2013, Hawai`i’s unemployment rate is 4.4 percent, one of the lowest in the United States, compared with the national unemployment rate of 7.3 percent.
      “We have worked diligently to stabilize and grow our economy and fiscal situation during my first three years of office,” Abercrombie said. “With additional state revenues and a positive economic outlook, we are now in a better situation to address key social and community issues like early education, environmental protection, homelessness and support for our seniors. Only with a strong economy and sound financial management can we adequately address these important issues, which require significant resources in addition to the will to do so.
      The governor told Civil Beat the carryover balance gives the state the capacity to invest in the pre-school initiative. He said he hopes the Legislature recognizes the importance of the program and provides more funding, arguing that it will be hard for lawmakers to justify going against it.
      See more at civilbeat.com.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Po Mahina's chicks, here at 35 days old, have fledged.
Photo from Keauhou Bird Conservation Center

KEAUHOU BIRD CONSERVATION CENTER holds its annual open house next Saturday and Sunday, Dec.14 and 15. Visitors get an up-close look at some of Hawai`i’s rarest birds and learn about the facility’s avian conservation efforts. Some of the birds at the center are `Alala (Hawaiian Crow), Palila, Kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill) and Puaiohi (Small Kauai Thrush).
      Another breeding season with `alala at KBCC has flown by. Research associate Amy Kuhar reported that Po Mahina’s chicks have fledged. At around noon on day 45, the male nestling became a fledgling. The chick was perched at the ledge of the nest platform facing the nest, and he leaned a little bit too far backward, losing his balance and falling off.
      “The chick’s ungraceful dismount had us racing up to the aviary to see if he was okay,” Kuhar said. “The chick was crouched down on the ground with his feathers a little ruffled, but after a quick physical exam, we determined he wasn’t hurt but probably just a little stunned from the fall.”
      A couple of hours later that same day, the younger chick, after carefully considering the jump from the nest, opened her wings and hopped to a nearby perch.
      According to Kuhar, `alala fledglings in the wild can’t fly well for the first few weeks after fledging and spend a lot of time in the understory of the forest. This is when they are most vulnerable to predators like the `io (Hawai`i’s native hawk), cats and mongooses.
      “Our parent-reared chicks seemed to follow the same pattern,” Kuhar said. “They stayed on perches lower to the ground for the first couple of weeks, sometimes making clumsy attempts to fly before crashing and tumbling to the ground, just like a new toddler learning to walk. Po Mahina paid close attention to them, bringing food to them often. Slowly, the chicks have learned to eat on their own, and now they eagerly come down to their food pans when they are fed every morning. However, they still love to beg to Po Mahina, hoping for some free handouts.”
      The chicks will stay with Po Mahina until just before the start of next breeding season, when they will move into their own aviaries so that Po Mahina can build another nest and, hopefully, raise more chicks.
      “It has been such a great experience watching these chicks develop and being able to share this conservation story with the world. It’s another big step for the `alala in their journey back to the wild,” Kuhar said.
      Tours are at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Local artists will be selling their bird-related artwork, and there will also be a silent auction and T-shirt sale. Refreshments will be provided, and donations are welcome.
      Call 985-7218 or email kbccopenhouse@gmail.com to reserve spots for a tour.

      To comment on or “like” this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Halau Hula O Leionalani practices for today's Makahiki at Punalu`u. Their kumu hula Debbie Ryder will move to Pahala by the end of the year to teach and work with the halau. Photo by Julia Neal

THE ANNUAL MAKAHIKI FESTIVAL takes place today and tomorrow at Punalu`u Beach Park, celebrating Hawaiian values, culture, talent and food. 

KILAUEA DRAMA AND ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK presents its free Volcano Festival Chorus Christmas Concert today at 7:30 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS PRESENTS FALL CREATIVITY DAY tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Hall, offering batik, `ohe kapala (bamboo stamp making), dying, sewing and jewelry making workshops.
      For more information, call 854-1540.

PALM TRAIL HIKE TAKES PLACE tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kahuku Unit. This relatively easy, guided, 2.6-mile loop crosses scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. Call 985-6011 or see nps.gov/havo.

AT FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK’S Sunday Walk in the Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thane Pratt leads an exploration of Puna Coast Trail. Free for members; non-members can join the organization in order to attend. Call 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org.

Community members participate in the Pahala Christmas Parade each year. Photo by Julia Neal

PAHALA CHRISTMAS PARADE IS TOMORROW at 1 p.m. Starting at the armory on Pikake Street, the parade winds its way through town, making a stop at Ka`u Hospital.

      To participate, call Eddie Andrade at 928-0808.

FREE TRAINING TO HELP THE PUBLIC follow the 2014 State Legislature takes place Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Sponsored by the state of Hawai`i Legislative Reference Bureau’s Public Access Room, the training demystifies the state lawmaking process and demonstrates ways people can participate in the Legislature.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.