Ka`u News Briefs August 19, 2011

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park controlled burns help clear land to reintroduce native pili grass.

THE FIRE MANAGEMENT TEAM at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park has planned a controlled burn today at Kealakomowaena, near the bottom of Chain of Craters Road. The 130-acre burn will regenerate the growth of native pili grass and other indigenous plant species. An eight-person fire crew will administer the controlled burn, which is expected to last all day. No closures are planned, and park visitors and normal park activities will not be impacted. Visitors may stop and watch the controlled burn taking place throughout the day at a pullout along Chain of Craters Road at the top of the Holei Pali. “These types of prescribed burns are beneficial as they fortify the cultural landscape by stimulating the growth of native vegetation,” said Fire Management officer Joe Molhoek.

OPTIONS FOR A NEW MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park are going before the public next week in talk story sessions. The Park’s website describes the Management Plan as “a guidebook for the future to help managers make decisions about how to protect resources, what levels and types of uses are appropriate, what facilities should be developed and how people should access the park.” The park aims at implementing the new General Management Plan by 2013.
     The talk story sessions will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22 at Kilauea Visitor Center, Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Pahoa Community Center, and Wednesday, Aug. 24, at Na`alehu Community Center. Options include more recycling and self-sustaining, enhancing communication with the community to tackle issues, preserving Kahuku, high-level trails linking upper slopes of Kahuku on Mauna Loa with the Mauna Loa Wilderness, more money for restoration, and a coffee house and restaurant in Kahuku.
     The current General Management Plan was adopted over 30 years ago. Since then, the park has more than doubled in size, and visitation has grown with Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park becoming one of the most visited places in all of Hawai`i.
     The park asks for comments to be sent by Sept. 30 online by going to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/havo or by mail to Cindy Orlando, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, P.O. Box 52, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718.

Edmund C. Olson

KA`U LANDOWNER AND PHILANTHROPIST EDMUND C. OLSON has donated $500,000 to The Nature Conservancy to protect native forests of Ka`u and South Kona, which provide critical habitat for many of the island’s endangered forest birds. The Nature Conservancy hailed Olson as “quietly becoming one of the state’s leading conservationists.” In 2009, Olson helped acquire 6,500 acres in the Waianae Mountains on O`ahu from the James Campbell Company to keep the land in agricultural and preservation. Olson gave part of this land to the state to create the Honouliuli Forest Reserve.
     He also put more than 900 acres mauka of Honu`apo into permanent conservation easements to prevent development, including multiple residences, commercial structures, roads or power lines, The Nature Conservancy statement says. The easements also safeguard the property’s numerous cultural sites and pockets of healthy wildlife habitats. They are managed by the Hawai`i Islands Land Trust.
     This was the second time Olson has helped preservation interests in the Honu`apo ahupua`a. In 2006, he donated $50,000 through the Trust for Public Land to protect the area’s historic fishponds and acquire lands around Honu`apo to be put into public ownership.

     Olson also supports the macadamia and coffee industries and leases out land to farmers for diversified agriculture. He is currently completing a coffee mill on Wood Valley Road.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA lent his support for biofuel this week at the White House Rural Economic Forum. The federal government plans to invest $510 million in biofuel development over the next three years. It is uncertain whether any of this money will go to biofuel developments in Hawai`i. An announcement from the White House says the investment “will create jobs and economic opportunity, improve our national security by reducing reliance on foreign oil, and demonstrate advanced technologies and American ingenuity.” Read more at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/17/investing-advanced-biofuels-create-jobs.

The high cost of biofuels is a topic in the
August edition of Scientific American.

THE HIGH COST of biofuels is a topic in the August edition of the magazine Scientific American. “Despite extensive research, biofuels are still not commercially competitive,” said Scientific American in a story titled The False Promise of Biofuel. According to the report, corn ethanol has failed to live up to its expectations because of its high cost and need for government subsidies.
     Scientists and investors are turning to alternatives. Cellulose ethanol uses corn stalks and grasses, but requires a long time to break down the material. Oil from algae produces a lot more energy than corn, but algae’s natural processes interfere with the rate it produces oil. Some scientists are focusing on genetically modifying algae and bacteria to make them more productive. The process is very complex and still in the research stage.
     Not covered by the article is using microwaves to process biomass into biofuel. Biofuel developer `Aina Koa Pono plans to operate microwave reactors in its proposed refinery in Ka`u. `Aina Koa Pono has stated that microwaves are much more efficient and less costly than the processes used to make ethanol.
     A public meeting organized by `Aina Koa Pono and County Council member Brittany Smart concerning the `Aina Koa Pono plan for a refinery near Pahala and biofuel farm between Pahala and Na`alehu will be held on Monday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center.

BURGLARS REPORTEDLY TOOK NUMEROUS ITEMS from a ranch off South Point Road sometime between June 15 and June 19. Stolen items include a red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck without a bed, license plate MAD259; a red-and-white Honda XR250 dirt bike; a red Honda XR100 dirt bike; a tan Honda Four Trax 400 all-terrain vehicle with a heavy-duty steel rack; a green 300-gallon plastic Chemtainer water tank with a repaired crack and the word “repair” written nearby; a green 2,500-gallon plastic water tank with white lettering spray-painted on the side; and an aluminum truck bed tool box with a silver diamond pattern containing sockets, pipe wrenches, grinders, hammers and miscellaneous fencing and plumbing tools.
     Anyone with information about the burglary or the location of any of the stolen items is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 935-3311.

Megan Brousseau and Billy Barnett were 2010
winners of the half marathon.

COOPER CENTER IS THE START AND FINISH POINT for the second annual Rain Forest Runs sponsored by Volcano Art Center tomorrow morning. The 5K and 10K participants weave through the lush native rain forest on the mostly flat, tranquil streets of Volcano Village, while the half marathon will continue into the more hilly surrounding upper ranch lands with views of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
     Packet pick-up and late registration is today from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp’s Ohia Room. A carbo-load buffet is available at KMC’s Crater Rim Café from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
     Registration for the 5K and 10K races is also available tomorrow morning from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Also, keiki ages 1 to 7 can register for the free 100- and 200-yard dashes until 9:30 a.m.
     For more information, call 967-8240 or 967-8222 or visit volcanoartcenter.org.

TROPICAL STORM FERNANDA was about 700 miles east-southeast of South Point this morning. The storm was moving west at 12 mph. Wind speeds were estimated at 40 miles per hour. Fernanda continues to weaken and is forecast to pass south of the Big Island on Monday. Fernanda does not presently pose a threat, and there are no special advisories at this time. This storm is being closely monitored, and updates will be issued every morning or as conditions change.

Honu`apo Pier, where sugar was loaded onto ships.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS, tomorrow in Pahala, will bring together not only many people from many communities with stories of the past, but many maps, books, photos, charts and other documents from the many ethnic communities who settled here. One special request is for people to bring in any old photos of school gardens of Pahala and Na`alehu.
     An old sugar cane truck will be fired up and on display. Displaced sugar worker Manuel Marques, who operated a crane at the sugar mill, will show off his new business, growing and selling Ka`u Coffee. He will serve it to the public and talk about his transition from sugar to award-winning Ka`u Coffee.
     The event will be held at Pahala Plantation House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
     2011 marks the 15th anniversary of the closing of the Ka`u sugar mill. The anniversary will celebrate history of the plantation and the evolution of agriculture in Ka`u. Lunch will celebrate the town’s diversity with Filipino, Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Japanese food. Displays of Chinese life and the other ethnic groups form the town will be at stations around the yard and in the house. There will be Portuguese and Filipino dancing and singing throughout the day, a video on the last cane harvest in Pahala and a slide show of old photos from plantation days.
     Visitors to Plantation Days will also be able to take a tour of the new Ka`u Coffee Mill during the afternoon.

Ka`u News Briefs August 18, 2011

Some 13,000 acres between Wood Valley and Na`alehu would be set aside for biofuel farms.  Photo by Julia Neal

BIOFUEL DEVELOPER `AINA KOA PONO will host a public meeting at Pahala Community Center on Monday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. according to the Office of Councilmember Brittany Smart. The company plans a question-and-answer session and to update the public on its plans for a refinery between Pahala and Wood Valley and a biofuel farm on 13,000 acres near the refinery and along the old sugar cane haul road between Pahala and Na`alehu. The company promised to hold monthly meetings with the community. The last was Feb. 21 in Pahala.

Organic gardening is part of
Pacific Quest's program.

PACIFIC QUEST, which operates a wilderness and agricultural therapy program for youth in Ka`u, is asking for a permit to also operate in Hilo. Pacific Quest wants to establish a living facility on resort-zoned land in Waiakea. A public hearing will be held in the County Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. 

     According to its website pacificquest.org, Pacific Quest aims at helping emotionally distraught teenagers by putting them in stress-free, outdoor environments, and teaching them sustainable life skills like gardening, and physical and emotional health. Pacific Quest has 10 acres of land between Pahala and Na`alehu, seven of which are a certified organic farm and the other three a retreat. The hearing will also consider the revocation of a permit allowing the company to establish a community health center in Waiakea.

THE COUNTY’S DECISION in June to stop bringing free mulch made from green waste to Ka`u is receiving some criticism. Ka`u coffee farmers successfully petitioned Mayor Billy Kenoi to end the program in Ka`u to help stop the spread of coffee berry borers that invaded the district, most likely from Kona. This has made access to mulch more difficult for some farmers and gardeners. Ocean View resident Stephen I. Adler wrote to The Ka`u Calendar expressing his concern over the impact the decision has on farmers not engaged in the coffee business. “Most residents,” he said, “cannot afford to buy needed dirt, mulch or compost. We mix mulch with cinders to make quality dirt. Why should coffee growers have preference over us?” The county Department of Environmental Management has issued a Request For Proposals for mulch to be made that is pest-free, and could consider returning mulch to Ka`u once the new process is in operation.

NAMES OF FIVE FIRE CHIEF CANDIDATES have been released by the county Department of Human Resources. Aaron Arbles, Glen Honda, Gerald Kosaki, Paul Paiva, and Darren Rosari applied to succeed fire chief Darryl Oliveira, who officially retired on Aug. 1 but has agreed to volunteer as temporary fire chief until the next chief is selected. The Fire Commission will host two public hearings and meetings to interview applicants and take public input. The first will be Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 9 a.m. at the Department of Liquor Control Conference Room and the second on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center. Those interested may submit testimony by mail to the Fire Commission, Corporation Counsel, 333 Kilauea Ave., 2nd Floor, Hilo, HI 96720, or by email to the Commission secretary at jkualii@co.hawaii.hi.us. Testimony must be submitted by Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 4:30 p.m.

THE NEW BUILDING CODE approved in July in a five-to-four vote by the County Council was rescinded, said the Office of Councilmember Brittany Smart. Reconsideration of Bill 270 was postponed for 30 days and will be subject to two public meetings. The bill may be viewed at http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/Weblink/DocView.aspx?id=756796&page=1&dbid=0. For further information call the Department of Public Works Building Division at 961-8331.

FERNANDA BLEW into the Central Pacific overnight as a tropical storm and is expected to turn more westerly and weaken into a remnant low by the time it passes south of the Big Island on Monday. Early this morning, Fernanda’s maximum sustained winds were 65 mph with higher gusts, and she was about 1,040 miles east–southeast of South Point, heading northwest at 13 mph.

BLUEGRASS MUSICIANS return to Pahala Plantation House this coming Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. with the same group of musicians who brought down the house in March when they performed in Ka`u. Tyson Alteri sings and plays lead mandolin and co-founded Rockygrass Band Competition in Lyon, Colorado. He now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Katy Rexford sings and plays lead fiddle. She grew up in North Carolina, playing violin in her public school orchestra at age 8. She plays Old Tyme, Country Blues, Irish, Cajun and Western Swing. She lives in San Francisco and sings with the Whisky Richards and Mississippi Rider. She has played and toured with Boz Scaggs, Michelle Shocked, Del Williams and Jesse Jay Harris. Rion Schmidt sings and plays lead banjo. He is a 15-year veteran of the banjo and has been teaching for 10 years. His style of driving Bluegrass banjo was honed in the rugged mountains of Alaska among the glaciers and grizzlies. The stand-up bass player will be Shea McKusic, who is also famous for her Johnny Cash and June Carter duets. Also joining in will be Keoki Kahumoku and friends.
     The concert is free, but donations accepted for the musicians. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House this coming Tuesday.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS, this Saturday in Pahala, will bring together not only stories of days gone by, but many maps, books, photos, charts and other documents from the sugar plantation will be on display. One displaced sugar worker who used to operate a crane at the sugar mill is Manuel Marques, who will display his new business, growing and selling Ka`u Coffee. He will serve it to the public and talk about his transition from sugar to award-winning Ka`u Coffee.
     The event will be held at Pahala Plantation House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the closing of the Ka`u sugar mill. The anniversary will celebrate history of the plantation and the evolution of agriculture in Ka`u. The event begins at 9 a.m. with parading of a retired Ka`u sugar cane truck from Pahala Armory to the corner of Pikake and Maile Streets in front of the old manager’s house.
     Lunch will celebrate the town’s diversity with Filipino, Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Japanese food. Displays of Chinese life and the other ethnic groups from the town will be at stations around the yard and in the house. There will be Portuguese and Filipino dancing throughout the day and a video on the last cane harvest in Pahala.

HVO geophysicist Mike Poland.  Photo from USGS

GEOPHYSICIST MIKE POLAND of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will give an eruption update next Tuesday at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Poland will shed light on Kilauea’s March Kamoamoa fissure eruption and discuss Pu`u `O`o’s current activity. The floor of the Pu`u `O`o vent on Kilauea’s east rift zone collapsed in March. Lava erupted between Napau and Pu`u `O`o, beginning the Kamoamoa fissure eruption that reached over a mile long. The discussion is part of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s After Dark in the Park program. The event begins at 7 p.m. 

Ka`u News Briefs August 17, 2011

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando says "a different approach" is proposed for the new management plan.
Photo by Julia Neal

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK hosts public talk story sessions next week on options for a new General Management Plan. The plan can be read online at the park website.

    All session will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22 at Kilauea Visitor Center, Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Pahoa Community Center, and Wednesday, Aug. 24, at Na`alehu Community Center.
    The General Plan was last implemented over 30 years ago. In the meantime the park has more than doubled in size, acquiring more than 117,000 acres at Kahuku, stretching high across the slopes of Mauna Loa, to Volcano. In addition, the number of park goers has grown dramatically, making Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park one of the most visited places in all of Hawai`i.
    Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said options for the new plan offer “a different approach to managing park resources as well as a variety of ways to meet the needs of local residents, off-island visitors and students of all ages who continue to come each year to experience this special place.”
    The Park asks for comments to be sent by Sept. 30 online by going to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/havo or by mail to Cindy Orlando, Superintendent, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, P.O. Box 52, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718.

Small shrimp in anchialine ponds in Ka`u.

TWO RARE SHRIMP are among wildlife species living on and adjacent to Nani Kahuku `Aina’s 16,457 acres where the Kahuku Village resort development project is planned. According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement submitted by the company to the state Office of Environmental Quality Control, Halocaridina rubra and Metabetaeus Iohena are found in several of 17 anchialine ponds. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website lists the lohena shrimp as a candidate for the endangered species list.

The tiny native shrimp are sometime collected to keep in bowls.

The Draft EIS states that ponds along the coast would not be greatly affected by runoff discharged into marine environments by the resort development and its golf course. Installation of silt fences, temporary ground cover, and directing runoff onto the golf course itslef, and onto low areas, retention/detention basins, or injection wells would help prevent runoff effects.

      The Draft EIS also states that Nani Kahuku `Aina would take measures to preserve Hawksbill turtle nesting habitats at Pohu`e Bay and continue to partner with the Hawksbill Turtle Recovery project. Lights shining directly into the ocean would be prohibited. Lights near the coast would be shielded and of low output to prevent disorientating turtles. A planned Hawaiian Heritage Center would monitor nesting grounds, conduct beach cleanups, and regulate shoreline access, the Draft EIS states.
    The Draft EIS also notes that predominance of lava rock in the landscape may require drilling and/or explosives to clear land for construction. Flyrock debris could cause physical harm and dust, and vibrations from explosives may damage nearby structures, the Draft EIS states and suggests limiting the amount of explosives used and establishing sufficient buffer zones around blast areas. 
    Public comments on the Draft EIS are due Sept. 21. The area planned for a golf course, hotel and condominium units, shopping and other resort living amenities would need land use changes from Conservation to Urban and Rural and zoning changes to Resort and other categories. The land is along five miles of coast between South Point - Kalae and Ocean View Ranchos, makai of Hwy 11 and can be seen from the Ocean View scenic lookout and from Kahuku. The Draft EIS can be seen online at the state Department of Health, in the section on the Office of Environmental Quality Control.

Abandoned wind mill farm targeted for copper. Photo by Julia Neal

COPPER CABLES are reported stolen from the old South Point Wind Farm. Police said cables from the abandoned wind farm on South Point Road were about 40-feet long and 4- to 6-inches in diameter and covered with black plastic coating. The copper cables are estimated to be worth $50,000. The Wind Farm shut down years ago, replaced by larger, more efficient windmills closer to the coast at the Pakini Nui Wind Farm. The theft is among several reported heavy copper-gauge cables stolen in Ka`u in the last month. Police ask anyone with information on suspicious activity at the wind farm or with possible knowledge of the thefts to call Officer Dane Shibuya at 939-2520 or the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311. Anonymous tipsters may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

TROPICAL STORM FERNANDA is unlikely to strengthen and become a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. Fernanda is moving 8 mph west and was about 1,290 miles southeast of Hilo at 5 a.m. The five-day forecast puts Fernanda about 270 miles southeast of the shores of Ka`u this Sunday as a tropical depression. The National Hurricane Center is warning, however, that people should be prepared, in case the forecast changes. One of the tracking models does take Fernanda directly into South Point. The Pacific Hurricane Center takes over monitoring the storm tonight when it crosses the 140W longitude line.

A 3.3 MAGNITUDE quake hit 1 mile northwest of Pahala today. No damage was reported but windows and shelves rattled throughout the area at 11:20 a.m.

SENATOR GILL KAHELE will hold a public forum with constituents from District 2 on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village. The meeting is sponsored by his senate office to prepare for the next legislative session that begins in January. “I look forward to the opportunity to have an open and frank discussion that will better help me to address the needs of our communities,” he said. 

HAWAI`I WILD LIFE FUND has announced its late summer and fall beach cleanup schedule. The Get the Drift & Bag It! 26th Annual International Coastal Cleanup will be Saturday, Sept. 17. Get the Drift brings volunteers from all over the state to document debris found on all of Hawai`i’s beaches.

Kamilo Beach photo from EcoBuildTrends

    Surfrider Hilo Chapter, Hawai`i Community College, and the University of Hawaii in Hilo, will kokua Hawai`i Wildlife Fund for the Ka`u cleanup.

Volunteers meet in Wai'ōhinu Park at 7:45 a.m. to drive to Kamilo Point and Ka'alu'alu Bay. A second cleanup Nov. 17 will gather debris along an undetermined part of the Ka`u coastline. Volunteers are urged to bring sturdy footwear, sun and wind protection, and a reusable water bottle, and a bag lunch. HWF will supply cleanup materials. Vehicles are required to have four-wheel drive to reach the site. Volunteers will set out to the sites at 8 a.m. and finish cleaning at around 2 p.m.

KA`U PLANTATION DAYS invites everyone to bring their photos, their memorabilia and their voices to talk story about the agricultural heritage in Ka`u that produced the unique multicultural community that thrives here. The event, this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be held at Pahala Plantation House. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the closing of the Ka`u sugar mill. The anniversary will celebrate history of the plantation and the evolution of agriculture in Ka`u. The event begins at 9 a.m. with parading of a retired Ka`u sugar cane truck. The route will be from Pahala Armory to the corner of Pikake and Maile Streets in front of the old manager’s house.
    The Plantation House will host a presentation on old pictures of the sugar mill, Pahala, and sugar workers and their families. Lunch will celebrate the town’s diversity with Filipino, Hawaiian, Portuguese, and Japanese food. Displays of Chinese life and the other ethnic groups form the town will be at stations around the yard and in the house. There will be Portuguese and Filipino dancing throughout the day and a video on the last cane harvest in Pahala.

The old truck shed at the Ka`u Sugar Plantation is now used for macadamia farming equipment. Photo by Julia Neal