Ka'u News Briefs Jan. 19, 2012

Spearfishing with SCUBA would be illegal under a new law proposed by Sen. Gil Kahele.

OUTLAWING SPEARFISHING WITH SCUBA TANKS and other underwater breathing devices like hukah rigs is an initiative by Sen. Gil Kahele at the 2012 State Legislature, which opened yesterday. His proposed law would make free diving the only way to collect virtually all aquatic life when using a spear. The proposed law would cover not only fish but limu and any other aquatic life where a spear could be used with underwater breathing devices. Anyone taking marine life using air and spear could be fined, and boats, trucks and other equipment involved in this kind of fishing could be seized and forfeited. Discovering marine life on a boat or truck along with a spear and SCUBA gear would be considered evidence that the law was broken. Kahele’s proposed law covers fresh water and the ocean and gets very specific in defining aquatic life as any type of or species of mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, mollusk, crustacean, arthropod, invertebrate, coral or other animal or plant.

Ka`u's state Sen. Gilbert Kahele proudly displayed and
served Ka`u Coffee yesterday in his office at the Capitol.
Kahele, who is vice chairman of the Senate Agricultural
Committee, is a staunch supporter of Ka`u Coffee and
Hawai`i Island's local farmers.

     The bill also gets specific in defining the word spear but excludes dive knives. Spears can be either hand-held, released completely by the user, or attached by line to another device which is used to impale aquatic life by means of a pointed or sharpened tip.
     The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands banned scuba-spear fishing in 2002. Its Division of Fish & Wildlife researcher Michael Trianni said that that scuba spear fishing “has probably been the single most important cause of the decline of the Napoleon wrasse worldwide.” The Mariana fishery has come back, and it is a famous place for scuba to see underwater marine life, without spearguns. A similar ban has been proposed for Guam.

PREVENTING AXIS DEER from spreading throughout the island is another Kahele initiative. His proposed legislation prohibits transporting live game animals from island to island without a permit, and the permits would be given only for scientific and educational purposes. The law established mandatory fines, some of them as high as $15,000 and possible imprisonment.
     Kahele said that axis deer, with its fast growing population, has damaged many farms on Maui, hurt the cattle industry and devastated native habitat. Axis deer sightings have been reported in Ka`u.

TO SAVE PAHALA LIBRARY from further demise, Sen. Gil Kahele is planning to introduce a bill into the 2012 State Legislature calling for transferring the library from the Hawai`i State Library system to the Department of Education. The bill also asks that employees be retained during the transfer. The bill also asks for an undetermined amount of funding to keep the library open during normal school library days.
     Friends of Pahala Library has been speaking with lawmakers in an attempt to secure regular staffing, slow the selling off of its inventory of books and keep the library doors open to students and the general public. The library has been evaluated by the number of books checked out, but getting a library card for young people is deemed difficult, and hours are such that there is little time for students to go there.

KA`U HIGH’S GIRLS BASKETBALL team triumphed over Pahoa last night on their home court, 67 – 35. Joyce Ibasan scored 15 points, Shaylin Navarro 13, and Janessa Jara 12.

Traditional method of pounding kalo into poi. Photo from canoeplants.com

SAM AND EDNA BALDADO share the cultural uses of kalo, explaining how it was used for food, medicine, glue, dyes and much more at Ka`u `Ohana Day this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Call 985-6019 today to be included in the free lunch count.

A RISK MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP on the coffee berry borer begins at 5:30 today at the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street. Farmers and scientists will focus on keeping the coffee berry borer out of Ka`u. Didi Diaz-Lyke will provide an update on CBB management strategies and experiments taking place in Ka`u and explain risk mitigation practices to minimize crop loss. She will also introduce a visiting intern, Karla Casco, from Honduras, who will be living here and working on the problem in Ka`u for 15 weeks. Andrea Kawabata, the new coffee and fruit orchard extension agent for the Big Island, will also be introduced.

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY celebrates its 100th anniversary with an Open House on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Island residents and visitors are invited to tour the observatory, which is not usually open to the public, and interact with HVO scientists. Scheduled activities include displays and demonstrations on Hawaiian volcanoes and HVO’s work. A schedule of activities is available online at hvo.wr.usgs.gov. Park entrance fee is waived on Saturday.

Ka'u News Briefs Jan. 18, 2012

Ka`u Coffee farmer Leo Norberte urges all farmers to attend the coffee berry borer workshop tomorrow. Photo by Julia Neal

THE PLASTIC BAG BAN BECAME law yesterday, and businesses have a year to deplete their inventory before it becomes illegal to provide plastic at checkout counters in Hawai`i County. 

     Rather that veto or let the bill stand without his signature, the mayor signed it, following the lead of Kaua`i and Maui counties. Kenoi wrote to the County Council about his decision. As a surfer, he has seen plastic bags in the ocean, and the mayor noted that plastic bags threaten marine mammals that could mistake them for food, and also become unwanted litter in the water. According to the mayor, “the bill holds the promise of keeping our island clean, healthy and safe.”
     The bill was championed by its sponsor, North Kohala Council member Pete Hoffmann. It was supported by many community organizations, such as the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, which cleans many tons of trash off the Ka`u Coastal beaches – most of it plastic – every year with numerous volunteer events.

Megan Lamson teaching about the threat of plastics in the ocean.

     During her testimony last year, Megan Lamson, debris project coordinator with Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, said she counted 47 plastic bags littering Hwy 11 just driving from Ka`u to the Council meeting. She said that, during ten beach cleanups over a year and a half, volunteers removed at least 16 tons of debris from beaches, and most of it was plastic.
     “Together with our four employees and over 340 volunteers, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund is striving to lessen the negative effects that marine debris plastics are having on our ocean and its inhabitants. Some of these impacts include entanglement in derelict fishing nets and ingestion of floating plastic debris by various species of seabird, myriad fish species, the Hawaiian monk seal, and all types of sea turtles.”
     Lamson is a resident of Ka`u with a master’s degree in marine biology. Her master’s thesis focused on Honu`apo. She called reducing the amount of single-use plastic bags from everyday life “one of the most fundamental ways we can each work to lessen marine debris in Hawai`i and worldwide.”
     Voting against the measure were Council members J Yoshimoto, Donald Ikeda, and Dennis Onishi. Ka`u Council member Brittany Smart supported the bill, as did South Kona Council member Brenda Ford, who will run for Smart’s seat this summer.
     Supporters have suggested that the use of more expensive paper bags could be reduced by incentivizing people to bring reusable bags when shopping.

HAWAI`I CONSTRUCTION ALLIANCE has endorsed Mufi Hannemann for U.S. House of Representatives. The more than 15,000 members of the statewide alliance include laborers, masons, carpenters and heavy equipment operators. Ron Taketa, executive secretary-treasurer of the carpenters, cited Hannemann’s longstanding commitment to organized labor and the rights of working families everywhere. Nolan Moriwaki, financial secretary-treasurer of the masons’ union, also mentioned Hannemann’s achievements on behalf of the visitor industry as president and CEO of the Hawai`i Hotel & Lodging Association, within the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the Hawai`i Council of Mayors, which he helped establish for the state’s four mayors to work on inter-county issues. 

     Hannemann said, “We need to invest in our public infrastructure, bolster our visitor industry and create opportunities for housing and other construction if we are to reinvigorate our economy. This endorsement demonstrates their confidence in my track record and ability to champion these causes in Congress.”

KA`U HIGH was host to St. Joseph’s sports teams yesterday. The visitor boys basketball team won 56 to 29. Donald Garo, Jr. was Ka`u’s high point scorer with seven, and Royden Esperon got six points. 

     In girls soccer, Brooke Medeiros-Shibuya got Ka`u’s single goal, and St. Joseph’s won with four goals.

KENNETH MAKUAKANE performs live in concert at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The twelve-time Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer features songs from his latest albums. The concert is free, and park entrance fees apply.

Ka`u Coffee is healthy, and there is concern that
trees could be devastated by the borer, which
ruined many farmers in Kona. Photo by Julia Neal

THE KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park invites families to Ka`u `Ohana Day this Saturday at the Kahuku Unit from 10 a.m. to noon. Sam and Edna Baldado share the cultural uses of kalo, explaining how it was used for food, medicine, glue, dyes and much more. Call 985-6019 today or tomorrow to be included in the free lunch count. 

A RISK MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP on the coffee berry borer is open to everyone at the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street tomorrow from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Farmers and scientists will focus on keeping the coffee berry borer out of Ka`u and introduce a visiting intern, Karla Casco, from Honduras, who will be living and working on the problem in Ka`u for 15 weeks. Dr. Elsie Burbano will provide an update on the CBB management strategies and experiments installed in Ka`u. She will also share with the farmers risk mitigation practices to minimize crop loss. Andrea Kawabata, the new coffee and fruit orchard extension agent for the Big Island, will also be introduced.
     For more information contact Didi Diaz-Lyke at 887-6183 or mddiaz@hawaii.edu. The workshop is sponsored by the University of Hawai`i and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Ka'u News Briefs Jan. 17, 2012

Volunteers from Ka`u can sign up to record the behavior of whales during the 2012 Ocean Count.
Photo by Barbara LaCorte/NOAA

KA`U COFFEE FARMERS are worried about filling their orders for pure Ka`u Coffee as Kona buyers are courting them with high prices. Ka`u buyers are also willing to pay a good price for the famous Ka`u brand. Ka`u Coffee Farmers Cooperative president Gloria Camba said she hopes farmers will sell pure Ka`u coffee to pure Ka`u markets as the reputation of the small, award-winning growing region continues to grow. The Ka`u Coffee mill recently opened for farmers to process and roast their coffee and purchases the cherry, making it easier to sell the Ka`u Coffee directly from Ka`u. The Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative buys parchment from farmers and sells under the co-op brand name. Camba said the co-op has developed good and steady markets here and on O`ahu. Aikane Coffee Plantation also buys locally and has developed strong markets on O`ahu. Ka`u Local Products has developed a Starbucks market and purchases locally from farmers.

State Rep. Tom Brower

FILMMAKING IN KA`U and elsewhere in the Islands may receive more incentive from the state. State House of Representatives Tourism Committee chair Tom Brower said he will introduce a bill into the 2012 Hawai`i State Legislature to increase the tax credit for the film industry. One credit would go from 15 to 20 percent and the other from 25 to 30 percent. Hawai`i is gaining a lot of recognition with the new Hawai`i Five-O television series and the award-winning film The Descendants. 

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY for Mayor Billy Kenoi to veto the plastic bag bill, should he decide to reject it. The bill, which passed 5-3 by the County Council, becomes law on this day if the mayor lets it stand. It bans plastic bags at checkout counters, except for where such perishables as meat are being sold. It does not prohibit people from buying plastic trash liner bags for their homes and offices. Those Council members who opposed the bill were Donald Ikeda, Dennis Onishi and J Yoshimoto. Retail store managers said that changing to paper could cost a lot of money.

Proponents suggest incentivizing customers to bring their own reusable bags, which will reduce the costs to retailers. They point to the plastics damaging the ocean that surrounds the islands. Plastic bags choke sea turtles, get caught on dolphins, and when they break down, they are consumed by tiny sea creatures, which are eaten by fish, and the chemicals that make up the plastic go up the food chain and are eaten by humans. The bill, if not vetoed, would go into effect a year from today to give retailers time to use up their plastic bag inventory. Plastic bag bans are already in effect on Maui and Kaua`i. 

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY is still looking for volunteers in Ka`u to help count the humpbacks on Saturdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 31. The annual 2012 Sanctuary Ocean Count will be from 8 a.m. to noon, when volunteers record the behavior of the whales over a four-hour period. More than 60 sites along the shores of the Big Island, O`ahu and Kaua`i have been selected for the count. To learn more, see http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov. Register online or call 1-888-55-WHALE, ext. 253.

Kenneth Makuakane

KILAUEA VISITOR CENTER in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is the site of several events today and tomorrow. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s first 100 years is the topic at After Dark in the Park this evening. HVO scientist-in-charge Jim Kauahikaua talks about Thomas Jaggar’s vision for the observatory, how Frank Perret began monitoring Kilauea volcano, and HVO’s accomplishments during the past century. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. $2 donation supports park programs. 

     Patricia Kaula shares na lei, the art of traditional and modern lei making tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai.
     Kenneth Makuakane performs live in concert tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the auditorium. The twelve-time Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer features songs from his latest albums. All events are free, and park entrance fees apply.