Ka`u News Briefs April 16, 2012

Alili tunnel flume, left over from plantation days, is one water source that may be restored for modern-day agriculture.
Photo courtesy of Olson Trust

OLD PLANTATION TUNNELS between Kapapala and Wai`ohinu, some of them built more than a century ago, could transfer from the state to the quasi-state Agricultural Development Corp. within a few months. Deputy director of the state Department of Agriculture Scott Enright brought the news last week to members of the Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative District who want to use the water for irrigation and livestock. Twenty-four members and guests attended the session which included representatives of the ag department, Kamehameha Schools, Hawai`i County Research & Development and the county Department of Water Supply. Enright addressed a $700,000 appropriation by the state Legislature released by Gov. Neil Abercrombie for planning. Funding must be encumbered and consultants hired by June 30, he said.
      Jeff McCall, of the Water Co-op, said members are asking each region, including Kapapala, Moa`ula, Keaiwa, Wood Valley, Alili, Ha`ao and Mountain House to produce a priority list by the May 17 meeting for such water projects as tunnel restoration; determination of flow and output, easements across state land and private property, safety and liability, and water delivery and storage.

Historic photo of Noguchi tunnel carrying
water to Wood Valley. Photo courtesy
of Olson Trust

      Moa`ula water co-op has bylaws and articles of incorporation, and Kohala Center will help fund a legal review. The documents could serve as templates for other regions. Anyone interested in this effort to restore water to agriculture in Ka`u can contact McCall at 928-6456 or mccalljeffreyw@gmail.com.

AVERAGE RETAIL GASOLINE PRICES in Hawai`i dropped more dramatically than on the mainland last week, plunging 9.1 cents a gallon compared to 1.4 cents per gallon. Yesterday prices statewide averaged $4.52 per gallon. Mainland prices were still much lower at $3.89 per gallon, according to HawaiiGasPrices.com.
      Hawai`i prices yesterday were still 4.9 cents higher than the same day in 2011 and 6.8 cents higher than a month ago. Nationally, the average price increased 9.1 cents per gallon during the last month and is 9.3 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
      “The only thing I remain sure of with gasoline prices is that things will remain quite volatile the next four to six weeks,” said GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan. He said that “spot prices, a leading factor in retail gasoline prices, continue to swing wildly from region to region.” Such events as last week’s refinery fire on the West Coast can drive up prices instantaneously, DeHaan said.
      Prices in Ka`u this morning were $4.80 per gallon at Ka`u Gas in Pahala and the 76 station in Na`alehu, $4.72 at Kahala Gas and Ocean View Market. The lowest price in all of Ka`u is $4.66 at Kahuku Country Market in Ocean View.

FEDERAL TAX DEADLINE DAY IS TUESDAY. Postmasters throughout Ka`u advise that last minute mailing of taxes and forms to the IRS will show tomorrow’s postmark only if they arrive before each post office closes. Pahala and Volcano close at 3:30 p.m., Ocean View at 4 p.m. and Na`alehu at 4:15 p.m. The main post offices at Hilo Airport, downtown Kailua-Kona and Kamuela will postmark envelopes headed for the IRS until midnight.

KA`U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE invites residents to meet candidates for County Council District 6 and Prosecuting Attorney this Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Candidates for the Council seat are Marie Burns, Maile David, Brenda Ford, Lee McIntosh and Bradley Westervelt. Candidates for Prosecuting Attorney are Lincoln Ashida, Paul Dolan and Mitch Roth. For more information, call 929-7236 or email marge@hawaii.rr.com.

Volunteers pound mamane seeds.
Photo by Carol Johnson

PLANTING NATIVE SEEDLINGS will be the effort of volunteers during Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Forest Restoration Project Friday, April 20, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers will plant at Mauna Loa strip to help regenerate the forest, said Forest Restoration Committee co-chair Mark Johnson. 

      The group plans to establish 600 seedlings from nine species in an open area surrounded by native forest. “We’ll also learn about the park’s native forest restoration program,” he said. Volunteers should be 12 years and older, able to hike a mile over uneven terrain through brush on moderate slope. Sturdy walking shoes and long pants are required. Bring gear for variable weather conditions in sun and rain - hat, raincoat, sunscreen, along with drinking water and a bag lunch.
      The goal is a crew of 14 people, and pre-registration is required. All participants will need to sign a Friends release form and a park volunteer form. For those under 18, an adult will need to co-sign.
      “Also imperative is scrubbing the soles of one’s shoes prior to arrival on site in order to ensure outside dirt and invasive species seeds aren’t tracked in,” Johnson stated.
      To register call the Friends at 985-7373 or email forest@fhvnp.org. Instructions on where to meet will be provided upon registration. Additional details available at www.fhvnp.org.

Halema`uma`u Photo by Jay Robinson/NPS

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE to submit entries for Images from the Edge, a photo contest sponsored by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Anyone with an original photograph taken in the park within the last three years can enter. Photos may be color or black and white and can cover any subject matter. For full contest rules and to enter, visit fhvnp.org. 

JESSICA LANDAU demonstrates the glass blowing process of lampworking, or torch work, on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the front porch of Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Call 967-7565 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org for more information.

POMAI LONGAKIT SHARES her original songs and her latest hit, Another Rainbow, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The concert is free;  park entrance fees apply.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALALANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs April 15, 2012

Thy Word Ministries-Ka`u played music, marched and celebrated Freedom, Jesus and Aloha Kekua at Merrie Monarch.
Photo by Pam Taylor

HIGH TECH AEROSPACE PROJECTS would likely be attracted to the Big Island under a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Bob Herkes that passed the state Senate last week and the House of Representatives earlier in March. Tax breaks and additional incentives are scheduled for negotiations between House and Senate.

Lowell Kalapa, of the Tax
Foundation of Hawai`i

      The committee report says that “development of an aerospace high technology district on the island of Hawai`i will create an environment where major aerospace and lunar transportation companies will want to come for research, to test equipment and technologies, and to work collaboratively with the University of Hawai`i to engage in clean, high technology research and development. The development of and investment in the aerospace industry offers great potential for sustainable long-term economic growth that will help bring investment to Hawai`i and create high paying, sustainable, high technology jobs.” The aerospace district would be located within or near Hilo. The head of military affairs for the Hawai`i Chamber of Commerce, the University of Hawai`i and others wrote letters of support. 

      Lowell Kalapa, of the Tax Foundation of Hawai`i, had another view. His testimony: “While it appears that it is the intent of the Legislature to encourage the development of aerospace high technology businesses, singling out businesses for preferential treatment merely confers preferences for those businesses at the expense of all other taxpayers. Concurrent efforts must be made to improve Hawai`i’s business climate to enhance the economic prospects for all businesses. The creation of such districts is merely an abdication of government’s responsibility to create a nurturing and supportive business climate so that all businesses can thrive in Hawai`i and provide the jobs the people of Hawai`i need.”

Prabu Segaran counsels a patient on
her medications.

GAMMA THETA CHAPTER of Phi Delta Chi at UH-Hilo’s School of Pharmacy hosted more than 70 people at its second annual Miloli`i health fair on Saturday, April 7. Students offered free cholesterol and diabetes screenings as well as blood pressure monitoring. Attendees had an opportunity to speak with a pharmacist one-on-one about their results and any medications they may be taking. In addition to the health fair, activities for children included an Easter egg hunt, egg decorating and an opportunity for them to make things to take home. Live entertainment by the band Hi-Town added to the festive atmosphere. The free event included lunch and raffle prizes. “We are very excited to have been able to bring our services to Miloli`i and look forward to continuing our relationship with their community,” said organizer Matthew Sasaki.

Ka`u Hospital Emergency Department has a new
Ambulatory Treatment Area. Photo by Julia Neal

A NEW SERVICE AT KA`U HOSPITAL is the Emergency Department Ambulatory Treatment Area, where patients can get scheduled care for things like IV therapy, tube changes and special medication administration. The area keeps patients from having to travel to Hilo or Kona. “It is a very long drive from Ka`u and a hard one if you aren’t feeling well,” said Nona Wilson, Ka`u Hospital’s director of nursing. To get treatment, a patient’s outside physician makes a referral call to the hospital’s Emergency Department physician. Once the treatment has been approved, the ED nurse calls the patient to schedule the appointment. “EDATA services at the hospital have become really important to many people in our community who have serious health conditions,” said hospital director Merilyn Harris. The service is even being used by visitors calling to schedule appointments for medication delivery while here. For more information, call 932-4200.

Brandy Shibuya  Photo by Pam Taylor

COFFEE BERRY BORER RESEARCH from experiments in Kona and Ka`u is presented at Pahala Community Center tomorrow at 6 p.m. Dr. Elsie Burbano discusses Kaolin powder, a new preventive treatment against the CBB, and the efficacy of different trapping methods available in Hawai`i. Visiting agribusiness student Karla Casco, from Zamorano University in Honduras, discusses potential economic losses and costs and benefits of the fungal treatment Beauveria bassiana. Andrea Kawabata, coffee and orchard crops extension agent from University of Hawai`i’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, gives updates on the next Hawai`i Local & Immigrant Farmer Education/Risk Management Hawai`i event on June 9. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more, contact Didi at 808-887-6183 or mddiaz@hawaii.edu.

THE MERRIE MONARCH PARADE in Hilo yesterday saw Ka`u Coffee Growers Co-op marching with its floats. Three of the Ka`u Coffee farmers are headed to Portland, Oregon this week to accept awards for being named three of the top ten coffees in the world by the Coffees of the Year competition at the annual Specialty Coffees Association of America convention. They are Willie Tabios, Lorie Obra and Trini Marques. Also going to Portland is Brandy Shibuya, who won the latest Miss Ka`u Coffee title, Ka`u Coffee Farmers Cooperative president Gloria Camba, Ka`u Coffee marketer and land manager Chris Manfredi and a crew from Ka`u Coffee Mill.

Lorie Obra, Trini Marques, her granddaughter Calaysa and
Gloria Camba celebrated Ka`u Coffee at Merrie Monarch.

ONE OF THE LARGEST GROUPS at Merrie Monarch yesterday was Thy Word Ministries - Ka`u, which makes it a tradition to march and celebrate Aloha Ke Kua, Jesus and Freedom. The church, with the largest congregation in Ka`u, is based in Na`alehu under the leadership of Pastor Bob Tominaga.

KAHU RADIO marched in the Merrie Monarch Parade yesterday with a float of musicians, announcers and supporters including Demetrius Oliveira and members of his band, along with Bobby and Phoebe Gomes. KAHU Radio founder Wendell Kaehuaea said he and staff are celebrating the expansion of the reach of KAHU into Ocean View. Kaehuaea, however, said he is stepping down from broadcasting on the radio station until the upcoming election season is over, as he is running for state Senate against Rep. Bob Herkes and others.

KAHU Radio announcers and musicians entertained the
crowds at Merrie Monarch Festival yesterday.
Photo by Pam Taylor

CONTEMPORARY NA HOKU HANOHANO award-winning singer, songwriter and recording artist Pomai Longakit shares her original songs and her latest hit, Another Rainbow, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The concert is free, and park entrance fees apply. 

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALALANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. 

Ka`u News Briefs April 14, 2012

The first axis deer was killed this week during the eradication program to prevent herds from spreading.
 Photo from BIISC

THE FIRST AXIS DEER was shot and killed on the Big Island this week during eradication efforts led by the Big Island Invasive Species Committee and state Department of Land and Natural Resources. 

      Invasive Species Committee manager Jan Schipper said, “We are not able to disclose the exact locations of deer we have sighted, or the animal that was shot, out of respect for cooperating landowners’ privacy. We are mindful that trespassing and poaching are a major concern for some landowners.” Schipper noted “a very strict protocol in place to ensure that we not only remove the problem deer with the landowner’s blessing, but also verify that the deer do not have any diseases.”
      Since it is unknown who originally brought axis deer to the island, “where they came from or how they got here – we cannot be sure of the risks these animals present, so we are taking every precaution,” said Schipper.

Axis deer on Maui have grown into herds that destroy farms.
Photo from The Nature Conservancy

      Two highly skilled marksmen working for the Invasive Species Committee are assigned to take down the axis deer after training sessions with hunters on Moloka`i. The hunters are promising to ensure that the deer being removed are treated as humanely as possible.
 Reports of sightings across the Big Island have been increasing since an Invasive Species Committee representative used a game camera to photograph an axis deer in Ka`u on April 29 last year. The game camera was set up in response to a deer sighting by local ranchers.
      The project also maps the probable distribution of axis deer after numerous reports, with photographs the only solid evidence of their existence on the Big Island.
      According to a statement issued yesterday by the DLNR, the first attempt to bring axis deer to the Big Island for game hunting began in the 1950s and 1960s – a process that was halted by protests from the farming and ranching community who were already aware of the risks of this animal. “Now, more than 50 years later, ranchers and farmers are again raising their concerns over the threat these deer pose – especially in light of recent flurry of reports of deer in areas dominated by local agriculture.”
       The DLNR notes that illegally introduced deer also threaten preservation of culturally significant and native species.
      The first axis deer was taken last Wednesday, April 11, after nearly a year of extensive field surveys, training and coordination with landowners and managers.

      DLNR chair William Aila said, “We only need to look at Maui to see the devastating impacts axis deer can have on local people, especially ranchers and farmers. For the past year we have been chasing reports and leads about several deer populations on the Big Island, and we are very pleased to see the progress being made by the team. We are hopeful, with the community’s cooperation, that we can get all the deer off the Big Island before it’s too late.”
      Sen. Gil Kahele said: “I want to commend the DLNR, Hawai`i Invasive Species Committee and the Big Island Invasive Species Committee for their efforts to control, and for working closely with the local ranchers and other land owners – which has led us to this success.” 

Axis deer were brought to the Islands for hunting.
Photo from mauideerhunting.com

      Rumors ran that axis deer may have been introduced to the Big Island by helicopter. Whether by boat, plane or helicopter, Kahele said, “This is an issue that needs immediate resolution by getting rid of the deer before they become a problem. I think this issue really emphasized the need to focus more attention on interisland transportation issues to prevent this from happening again.”
      State Department of Agriculture chair Russell Kokubun said “the deer are considered injurious to wildlife and pose a serious threat to the environment and agriculture.”
      Tim Richards, president of the Cattlemen’s Association and owner of Kahua Ranch, said, “If we want to promote local food production and sustainable ranching, then we need to get rid of the deer before they become established.”
      According to the DLNR, as Hawai`i is working toward greater food sustainability, protecting local, diversified agriculture from the devastating impacts of axis deer will be critical.” To report a suspected sighting of axis deer on the Big Island, call 808-936-2409.

GAPS IN POLICE RADIO IN KA`U would be solved by a new system, with funding to be proposed by County Council member Brittany Smart on Tuesday. Mayor Billy Kenoi discussed it during his recent talk story session in Na`alehu, and Smart has authored the bill for a $31 million bond float to pay for the new narrow band communications system around the island for police and emergency communications. According to Smart, who met with the staff of Sen. Daniel Inouye in Washington, D.C. recently, the improvements in communication are federally mandated, and the fed is likely to help pay for it, once the project is underway. The $30 million price tag is about $60 million less than a proposal for the county in 2006. Technological advancements and proposing a simpler system have brought the price tag down, said Smart. The Federal Communications Commission asked the county to complete the work by Dec. 31 so it can free up broadband for other uses. The county has asked for an extension but wants to get going on the project to show some progress.

Police cars would carry equipment to allow better
communication with Hawai`i Police Department.
Photo by Julia Neal

      Kenoi said that the new system, which would require new communications towers, will cut out the dead spots in Ka`u that prevent police officers from communicating with police station and from writing reports, filing them and receiving information back in the field. Officers have to drive long distances to a police station for paperwork before going back on their beat, making the Ka`u District, the largest area to patrol in the state, even more difficult to manage for the Hawai`i Police Department.
      County Council chair Dominic Yagong is not so sure the bond should be issued, according to a report in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald. The story by Nancy Cook Lauer reports that Yagong opposed the county taking on $58 million in bond debt in 2010 and suggested yesterday that the county consider using money already borrowed rather than tacking on more obligations to the bond debt, which already totals $305.6 million.

THE REAPPORTIONMENT SUIT that seeks to take back the new state Senate seat sought by Rep. Bob Herkes has been tentatively scheduled for the week of May 10 before a a three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright, of Honolulu, will hear the case along with two additional judges yet to be appointed. Plaintiffs want the court to include the military and other nonpermanent residents in the population count used to create the new political districts in the Islands. Courts earlier required their exclusion after Big Island plaintiffs argued that this county and its fast population growth needed one man, one vote fair representation, which included the establishment of a fourth state Senate seat.

PILLARS OF PEACE is the name of the program sponsoring the Dalai Lama in Hawai`i this weekend. Representatives of Wood Valley Temple & Retreat Center are joining in the meetings with native Hawaiian students and the public on O`ahu. The visit is sponsored by the Hawai`i Community Foundation through a lead grant from the Omidyar `Ohana Fund and other funders. The Dalai Lama’s visit is hosted by Pierre and Pam Omidyar.

Dietrich Varez'
Pele & Hi`iaka

DIETRICH VAREZ SIGNS HIS prints and books tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Works include his collection of over 250 Hawaiiana prints and books he has written and/or illustrated, including the new release of Pele and Hi`iaka. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply. Call 967-7565 or visit www.volcanoartcenter.org.

NA`ALEHU MAIN STREET sponsors its monthly Plant and Seed Exchange tomorrow from noon to 3 p.m. at Na`ohulelua Historical Church on Kama`oa Road. Parking is available along the road. Call 929-7236 for more information.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.