Ka`u News Briefs June 24, 2012

Brown smoke from the fire and dust at dusk blows across the Ka`u Desert, in clear view from Honu`apo Lookout.
Photo by Julia Neal

PAHALA FIRES PUFFED along the coastal plain yesterday evening, with winds blowing a stream of brown smoke toward Pahala village. Last week makai fires burned more than 4,800 acres of macadamia, pasture and wildlands and are proclaimed more than 60 percent contained. The mauka fire burned through more than 400 acres of eucalyptus, pasture and into some Ka`u Coffee farms at Pear Tree. It is assessed as 95 percent contained, with firefighters still stamping out hot spots.

Hwy 11 state road sign at Kamani Street entrance to Pahala melted.

      Firefighters from the county, volunteer units and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park still hold the fires in check with firebreaks and dousing hot spots. While makai fires meander through remote wildlands on their own, rains Friday and Saturday and some possible sprinklings today help calm them. Lack of wind helps prevent flare-ups.
      Wildlife workers plan to visit Kamehame Preserve early this week. Owned by The Nature Conservancy, the 26-acre beachfront makai of Pahala is a nesting place for endangered hawksbill turtles and is makai of the smoke and ash, as well as fires still traveling toward the coast.

Fire jumped the road and burned into Ka`u Hospital's lawn next to houses and coffee trees along Hwy 11.
Photo by Julia Neal

      Owners of property damaged by the fires include ML Macadamia with its orchards, State of Hawai`i with Hwy 11 and Ka`u Hospital, Kamehameha Schools with eucalyptus farms and WWK Hawai`i-Moa`ula, LLC, where Ka`u Coffee farmers grow their famous brand of beans and some 2,000 acres are planned for subdivision.

Pa`au`au Gulch from Hwy 11 looking makai, where fire still travels
toward Kamehame. Photo by Julia Neal

      No lives or buildings were lost to the fires that started last Monday morning after a night and day of strong winds. There is some concern that ignition came from an arsonist. Investigations are underway.

PREGNANCY RATES AMONG TEENS are dropping in Hawai`i County, mirroring a trend nationwide, according to an article yesterday in Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. The Colin Stewart story reports that 2.5 percent of girls 15 to 17 years of age became pregnant in 2010, a drop from 3.5 percent a little more than a decade ago. Nationally, rates have been higher than in Hawai`i, but dropping from 5.2 percent in 2000 to four percent in 2008. The reason for fewer teen pregnancies? Perhaps the recession and more education. The story reports state adolescent health coordinator Noella Kong saying, “If you look back at the early ’90s, there was not that much of a concentration on teen pregnancy prevention way back then…. From about ’95 on, federal administrations started putting more effort in teen pregnancy prevention grants to the state, and we believe that has helped tremendously.” Kong pointed to the Hawai`i County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s new program to help spread awareness about pregnancy prevention among teens.

      The Tribune-Herald story says health officials are concerned about higher rates of teen pregnancy among native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and quotes the 2011 Hawai`i County Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System: “Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school, remain unmarried and live in poverty. Their children are more likely to be born at low birth weight, grow up poor, live in single-parent households, experience abuse and neglect, enter the child welfare system, become teen parents and be incarcerated.”

MILOLI`I EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM has received a grant from the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation to help with start-up costs and to purchase emergency supplies for the community. Miloli`i is one of 24 Community Emergency Response Teams on Hawai`i Island supporting their communities in the event of an emergency situation.
       Dennis Kent, Miloli`i Emergency Response Team volunteer, noted, “A & B has shown a real commitment to improving one of the most remote communities in Hawai’i. We truly thank them for helping protect our people and preserving our way of life.”
       More information on Miloli`i CERT can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/miloliicertsite. More on the A&B Foundation can be found at http://www.alexanderbaldwinfoundation.org.

Participants begin last year's Rain Forest Runs. Photos from Volcano Art Center

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Rain Forest Runs made a push into Kona yesterday as volunteers from Ka`u and Volcano joined the Kona Marathon Expo to help bring runners to the annual event on this side of the island.

Race director Sharron Faff at last year's Rain Forest Runs.

       On the grounds of the Keauhou Beach Resort, Volcano Art Center board members took registrations for the Rain Forest Runs while other volunteers, including race director Sharron Faff and Charlene and Amos Meyers, worked alongside Kona Marathon volunteers who will help with the 5K, 10K and half marathon races on this side of the island August 18. For more on the Rain Forest Runs, see volcanoartcenter.org. 

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Robert Frutos leads a four-hour photo tour of wildlife and natural features in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The tour begins at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village then continues on to the national park for easy walking and photography. $125 or $95 for VAC members and kama`aina. Sign up at 967-8222.

HAWAI`I ISLAND: IN THE LINE OF FIRE is the timely topic at After Dark in the Park Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Elizabeth Pickett, executive director of Hawai`i Wildfire Management Organization, offers a presentation based on the Ready, Set, Go! program that describes what residents and communities can do to prepare for wildfire. Two-dollar donations support park programs; park entrance fees apply. Call 985-6011 for more information.

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Ka`u News Briefs June 23, 2012

Ka`u Coffee farmer Godofredo Miranda surveys trees with burnt leaves and green beans as Ka`u Coffee Growers
Cooperative president Gloria Camba assesses damage. Photo by William Neal

WAS THE PAHALA FIRE started by someone last Monday? This is a major question by fire investigators, landowners, farmers and ranchers, as trees still smolder, the fire still travels makai of the village and residents hope that winds stay calm and avoid another flare-up. Some residents talked about putting together funding for Crimestoppers to give a reward for turning in evidence. Others talk about keeping gulches clean near agriculture and residential areas.

Gloria Camba examines healthy green coffee beans among
singed leaves. Photo by William Neal

      Coffee farmers are looking for help to repair their farms, and ML Macadamia, LLC is looking at heavy losses with as much as total loss on some 150 acres of trees makai of Hwy 11, plus huge costs in rebuilding irrigation systems after pipes and tubing melted in the flames.

      Gloria Camba, Ka`u Coffee farmer and president of Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative, traveled to the farm of Godofredo Miranda yesterday and saw green coffee beans in the midst of brown and blackened, singed leaves. She said she was told that as long as the branches of the trees are more yellow than brown, “they should make it.” Farmers were offered help from Rep. Bob Herkes, the county and Ka`u Coffee Mill founder Edmund C. Olson.

Norfolk pine windbreaks for coffee farms were singed by
the fire. Photo by William Neal

      Conservationists are planning to visit the coastal area makai of the fires early next week to assess possible damage to the Kamehame Preserve.
      Hawai`i County Fire Department reports that the mauka fire is 95 percent contained and under control, while the makai fires are 60 percent contained. Pahala Fire Captain Shawn Hayashida told Hawai`i Tribune-Herald that it was expected to burn itself out. He said it would be unlikely that the fire would be more than 60 percent contained because of the difficulty in reaching some areas to create a fire break.

Trees still smoldered Friday at Pear Tree.
Photo by William Neal

DANIEL ORODENKER has been named executive officer of the state’s Land Use Commission, which is responsible for preserving and protecting Hawai`i’s lands and encouraging those uses to which lands are best suited. Orodenker represents the state’s interests and concerns in decisions about land use. He has a law background, has held a variety of government positions and has experience in nonprofits and environmental organizations, including The Nature Conservancy. Orodenker said his first focus will be “to improve communications on all issues, and to ensure that all viewpoints are fairly represented to the Commission.”

Ua Alencastre-Galimba with her Grand Champion 4-H steer.

UA ALENCASTRE-GALIMBA, OF KUAHIWI RANCH, won top honors with her Grand Champion 4-H steer at last Saturday’s Hawai`i County Livestock Show at Mealani Research Station in Waimea. About a dozen 4-H members from Ka`u participated, including Kaile Aickin, McKella Akana, Grant Galimba, Gavin Galimba, Brandi Hashimoto, Donald Mello-Waiwai`ole, Kaleo Mello-Waiwai`ole, Keani Mello-Waiwai`ole, Leah Mello-Waiwai`ole and Shavon Mello-Waiwai`ole. Club Leader is Guy Galimba.

      4-H strives to help young people “make the best better” through programs that emphasize learning by doing. Approximately 35,000 young people participate in its varied programs annually throughout the state of Hawai`i. To learn more, visit ctahr.hawaii.edu/4H.

A FEMALE NENE GOOSE died Tuesday evening after being struck by a vehicle on Chain of Craters Road near Pauahi Crater in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Her mate of 13 years escaped unharmed, but remains in the area. The female, known as Green DU, was hatched in captivity in the park in December 1991 and released in March 1992. She was a consistent breeder who successfully raised 24 goslings. Green DU was what wildlife biologists call a rare “double-clutch” breeder who once reared two goslings to fledglings and then re-nested and raised an additional four goslings in a single breeding season.

Motorists are cautioned to watch out for nene. A male lost his mate when
she was hit by a car Tuesday. Photo from Jessica Ferracane/NPS

      “It is a shame that a nene with such a long and productive life had to die so tragically,” said Dr. Rhonda Loh, the park’s chief of resource management.
      Nene are quite active in the late evening and early morning, and their grayish coloring makes them difficult to see during those hours. Park officials urge motorists to slow down and watch out for the endemic and federally endangered nene while driving and also caution visitors not to feed geese because birds seeking handouts fall prey to oncoming vehicles.

BIG ISLAND BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION invites raw honey producers to participate in the third annual Hawaiian Natural Honey Challenge to be held in November. The Challenge showcases the quality of unprocessed, unfiltered honey produced by local beekeepers statewide and consists of a formal judging and a public tasting. Top scorers by category in the formal judging receive awards, and in the public tasting people vote for their favorite, which wins the People’s Choice award. The complete Challenge invitation is posted at http://bibahawaiibees.org. For more information, contact Pattie Rechtman at 990-4943 or pattier@aol.com.

MARLENE HAPAI, candidate for state House District 3, visits Pahala tomorrow at Holy Rosary Catholic Church from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The public is invited to hear her speak and share their concerns for the area. Refreshments will be served.

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Ka`u News Briefs June 22, 2012

Green sea turtle basks on the shore of Kamehame near what appears to be an old hawksbill nest. Conservationists
worry  about smoke and ash from the fires between Pahala and The Nature Conservancy coastal preserve.
Photo by Will Olsen, Hawai`i Island Hawksbill Sea Turtle Recovery Project 2011.

KAMEHAME PRESERVE is a major concern of firefighters and conservationists still worried about fires that started Monday and are still meandering toward the coast through gulches below Pahala. Managers from the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Recovery Project and The Nature Conservancy, which owns the 26-acre property, plan to visit the site to assess smoke and ash conditions at the beach, where hawksbill turtles nest and green sea turtles and monk seals rest.

The Nature Conservancy's Kamehame Preserve Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

      Lauren Kurpita, coordinator of the Turtle Project, said this morning that turtles are nesting there. The fires, which started in ML Macadamia orchards, are considered 50 percent contained as they spread makai into the Ka`u Desert away from the village and farms. 

HOT SPOTS GOT MORE DOUSINGS yesterday as crews cleaned up from the mauka and makai fires around Pahala and owners made damage assessments to agriculture. With more than 5,200 acres burned since Monday, it will take weeks to examine all the macadamia, coffee and eucalyptus trees and months to determine which ones will recover and when they could become productive. Last night, Dayday Hopkins, of the county Department of Research & Development, promised full support in helping coffee and other farmers recover.
      The cost of the fire was not only to the future of agriculture. Fire fueled by wild brush in Pa`au`au Gulch moved mauka and jumped Hwy 11, engulfing Ka`u Hospital in smoke, shutting down its long-term care facility, clinic, emergency room, laboratories and pharmacy - some of them for days. The hospital moved its patients to Na`alehu and required extensive cleaning of ash, removal of smoke and purifying the air, which is ongoing. “The air quality is still not great,” said administrator Merilyn Harris. “The good news is that there was no damage to the facility.” Extra costs include overtime for staff and extra food.

Pa`au`au Gulch makai of Pahala cleared of brush by
wildfire. Photo from Hawai`i County Fire Department

      Other costs were to home and business owners and church groups who suffered smoke and ash in their buildings and to those who left Pahala and rented hotel rooms to get out of the smoke. Some volunteer firefighters took off work to help out. Some employees of area businesses and public agencies were sent home during the fire.
      The volunteer and county Fire Departments are adding up bills for hiring water trucks and bulldozers, the cost of fuel for the fire trucks and support vehicles and the cost of transportation for firefighters coming from around the island to Pahala.
      Regarding the cost of water drops by helicopter, County Council Finance chair Brenda Ford said Chopper One cost the county $1.5 million to purchase in 2010 and that a second helicopter used during the first day of the Pahala fire was contracted from a private owner and pilot.
      Ford said there is not only an expense from fires that spread from gulches but a possible liability. If someone dumps rubbish, agricultural or yard waste into a stream, drainage-way or floodway, causing a fire to burn onto another person’s property, the perpetrator could be held liable for damages. Ford, who also chaired the County Council Public Works Committee, said that county ordinance also requires private landowners to clear obstructions in the waterways and that members of the public can call the Department of Public Works to make a complaint. The county can clean the waterway and charge the landowners, should they not respond to the request to remove obstacles within 30 days. Ford described gulches and waterways as natural firebreaks when kept clean.

BIDS HAVE BEEN OPENED by the county for erecting garages for volunteer fire fighter trucks and equipment in Pahala and Na`alehu. The county estimated the combined cost at $75,000, much lower than all the bids: Central Contracting with $154,740;  Isemoto Contracting Co., Ltd. with $141,141 and Stan's Contracting, Inc. with $133,700.  Low bid came from Site Engineering, Inc., of Honolulu, with $97,300.

REOPENING KULANI PRISON may not happen soon, if at all, according to news reported in a Hawai`i Tribune-Herald story by Tom Callis this morning. The story quoted state Sen. Josh Green as saying Kulani was considered but “too expensive” for now. However, Kulani is included in discussions on long-term planning to save money by bringing prisoners held on the mainland back to Hawai`i for incarceration. Also being considered long-term is building new prisons on Hawaiian Home Lands. 

Kulani Prison is considered "too expensive" to reopen for now.

      Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a package of bills this week that could save money in the prison system by reducing sentences of non-violent offenders. Following recommendations from a 40-member working group for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, second-time felony drug offenders could have probation, and probation could be reduced to four years for second and third degree felonies. The legislation also adds more staffing to victim services and makes prisoners pay more restitution money to victims through work while incarcerated.
      According to the Tribune-Herald story, housing 1,700 inmates – about a third of its prisoners -- on the mainland costs the state some $45 million annually. Former governor Linda Lingle shut down the 123-bed Kulani in 2009, saying it was too expensive to operate.

REMOVAL OF HIGHLY FLAMMABLE fountain grass from roadsides in Ocean View takes place tomorrow. Volunteers are invited to work with Ocean View Community Association and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park staff from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meet at Ocean View Community Center at 9 a.m. For more information, contact ecologist David Benitez at 985-6085 or david_benitez@nps.gov.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER’S monthly BBQ takes place tomorrow at 2 p.m. Normally scheduled on the third Saturday of each month, it was changed from last Saturday to accommodate a previously scheduled graduation party.

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