Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, July 17, 2014

Hawai`i Forest Food Project begins operations on 17 acres of land off South Point Road Aug. 1. Photo from Hawaii Food Forest Project

HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE’S PESTCIDES BRANCH reminds those in Ka`u’s agricultural industry that the open comment period for the Environment Protection Agency’s proposed changes to Worker Protection Standards ends Aug. 18. The proposed changes may impact agricultural operations. 

      On February 20, the EPA announced proposed changes to the agricultural Worker Protection Standards to increase protections from pesticide exposure for the nation’s two million agricultural workers and their families.
      Proposed changes to the Agricultural WPS include:

Ensuring proper fit of respirators is required by proposed
changes to ag Worker Protection Standards.

• Increased frequency of mandatory trainings from once every five years to annually to inform farm workers about the protections they are afforded under the law, including restrictions on entering pesticide-treated fields and surrounding areas, decontamination supplies, access to information and use of personal protective equipment. Expanded trainings will include instructions to reduce take-home exposure from pesticides on work clothing and other safety topics. 
• Expanded mandatory posting of no-entry signs for the most hazardous pesticides; the signs prohibit entry into pesticide-treated fields until residues decline to a safe level.
• First time-ever minimum age requirement: Children under 16 will be prohibited from handling pesticides, with an exemption for family farms. 
• No-entry buffer areas surrounding pesticide-treated fields will protect workers and others from exposure from pesticide overspray and fumes. 
• Measures to improve states’ ability to enforce compliance including requiring employers to keep records of application-specific pesticide information as well as farm worker training and early-entry notification for two years. 
• Personal Protection Equipment (respirator use) must be consistent with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration standards for ensuring respirators are providing protection, including fit test, medical evaluation and training. 
• Make available to farm workers or their advocates (including medical personnel) information specific to the pesticide application, including the pesticide label and Safety Data Sheets. 
• Additional changes make the rule more practical and easier to comply with for farmers. 
• Continues the exemptions for family farms. 

      Comments must be submitted to regulations.gov identified by docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0184. Information about submitting comments is available at epa.gov/oppfead1/safety/workers/proposed/index.html.

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HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL TOMORROW CONSIDERS a resolution urging Mayor Billy Kenoi’s administration to start over the process of finding an alternative to burying trash in Hilo landfill. Kohala council member Margaret Wille introduced the resolution after Kenoi narrowed a list of potential companies to three that specialize in waste-to-energy as an alternative. Covanta Energy Corp., Green Conversion Systems, Inc. and Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc. specialize in burning waste to create electricity. 

      Points brought up in the Wille's resolution include:

• “The request for proposals should award points to strategies that maximize environmental benefits and promote community-based green jobs versus investing in expensive equipment; 
• Other states are moving away from facilities that are dependent upon large municipal waste streams in preference to smaller, local operations; 
• Most waste-to-energy facilities are dependent upon petroleum sources and cause significant air, water and soil contamination and pollution; and; 
• It is important to consider recycling, compost production and increasing public participation and responsibility when formulating a comprehensive solid waste program for the County of Hawai`i.”

      The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona. Ka`u residents can participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.

      Agenda is available at hawaiicounty.gov.

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Sharman O`Shea

HAWAI`I FOOD FOREST PROJECT begins operations Aug. 1, according to Na`alehu resident Sharman O`Shea. Organizers have made arrangements to use 17 acres of land off South Point Road for the sustainability project. “We are excited to move onto the land the first of August and start this grand adventure!” O’Shea said.
      The project provides “outside-of-the-box” opportunities and ongoing mentoring for Hawai`i’s young people “by providing a place where they can create a new sustainable economy and self-sufficiency by expressing their unique creativity through innovation, ingenuity, entrepreneur endeavors, community building, interconnectedness and living in harmony with the land and all beings,” according to its website at hawaiifoodforest.com.
      The project focuses on forest gardening, which O’Shea said provides a low-maintenance, sustainable, plant-based organic food production and permaculture system based on tropical ecosystems, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and vegetables which have yields directly useful to human consumption. Making use of companion planting, these can be intermixed to grow in a succession of layers, to build a woodland habitat that has been known to thrive for centuries. This includes creating a living design system, water harvesting, fish ponds, eco-friendly habitats and housing, off-the-grid technologies, energy efficiency, food security, animal systems and positive waste management.
      “Once the project is fully functional the system will be self-sustaining, generating livelihoods and giving back to the community as well as becoming a training and learning center for other similar projects worldwide,” O’Shea said.
      Donations to the nonprofit are accepted at gofundme.com/40mjfc.

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Kaliko Trapp-Beamer is one of the teachers at next month's
Hawaiian Music songwriting retreat.
Photo from NPS

CONGRESSWOMAN TULSI GABBARD QUESTIONED PENTAGON officials on Wednesday about a $5 billion request for Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund, recently proposed by Pres. Barack Obama in his commencement speech to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

      Gabbard pointed to the generality of the request and said that the “assumption that we must do something, particularly in Iraq, is where many (members of Congress) are concerned about writing this kind of blank check to fund that ‘something’ if that ‘something’ is not the right course of action to take.”
      In response to proposed U.S. involvement in Syria and Iraq, Gabbard, herself an Iraq war vet, has repeatedly called for the administration to define a clear objective before committing U.S. resources or troops in a foreign conflict, said a statement from her office.

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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK IS OFFERING a two-day Hawaiian music songwriting retreat for beginners on Saturday, Aug. 16 and Sunday, Aug. 17. Hawaiian music, language and haku mele (Hawaiian song) experts Kenneth Makuakane and Kaliko Trapp-Beamer will lead the workshops.
      Both workshops run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be held at the park’s Education Center. Advance registration is required. To register, call 985-6166. Leave your name, email address, and best contact number no later than Aug. 8. Space is limited. The park will contact callers by email to confirm reservations.
      The retreat will be held in the park at the summit of Kilauea. “Budding songwriters will find inspiration in this wahi kapu (sacred place), among the towering koa and `ohi`a lehua trees, over fields of ropy pahoehoe lava and in the eruptive glow from Halema`uma`u Crater,” according to a statement from the park.

      “Also inspirational are the retreat’s accomplished teachers.” Makuakane is a multiple Na Hoku Hanohano award winner, along with his group, The Pandanus Club. He’s a prolific songwriter (1,500-plus songs), producer of more than 100 albums and collaborator who has worked with virtually all of the stars of Hawaiian music over the years.

      Trapp-Beamer was raised as the hanai son of Hawaiian cultural expert Aunty Nona Beamer, learning Hawaiian chant, storytelling, traditional protocol, family songs, and stories. He currently teaches Hawaiian language courses at the University of Hawai`i in Hilo and helps coordinate the Beamer Family Aloha Music Camp. He is president of the Mohala Hou Foundation dedicated to “preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture through education and the arts.”
      The two-day Hawaiian songwriting retreat is sponsored by Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and Hawai`i Pacific Parks Association. Park entrance fees apply.

INPUT ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE is urged from the public as Ka`u Hospital hosts an annual public meeting of East Hawai`i Regional Board of Directors for Hawai`i Health Systems Corp. Saturday at 2 p.m. Island residents are invited to attend; topics discussed will be specific to Ka`u and its surrounding community.
     Covered in a presentation will be an overview of services offered at Ka`u Hospital and its rural health clinic. The floor will be opened for comments and suggestions on providing healthcare for residents of East Hawai`i.

      For more information, call Terry Larson, Administration Secretary, at 932-3103.

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

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Kau News Briefs Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Science Camp of America students explored Kula Kai Caverns in Ocean View. Photo from Science Camps of America

SCIENCE CAMPS OF AMERICA this week wraps up its 18 days with Ka`u as base for teen programs called Land & Sea and Air & Space. The non-profit organization's founder Mike Richards, of O`ahu, said he chose the Big Island because it is "nature's greatest laboratory." He said he chose Ka`u because of its access to natural and manned laboratories for studying science, from the Ka Lae Coast where the students witnessed the onslaught of plastic garbage from the ocean and helped clean up the shoreline just east of the South Point boat ramp, to the NOAA weather station on Mauna Loa where John Barnes arranged a meeting with a visiting scientist.

  

Science Campers explored Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park with a talk by
Janet Babb. Photo from Science Camps of America

     Shalan Crysdale, of The Nature Conservancy, gave a talk on water resources. Gary Gura, Ric Elhard and Victor Manongdo, of Kulakai Caverns, guided the students through the caves at Ocean View. Dr. Janet Babb, of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, gave a talk on the research at the Jaggar Museum.
     Science Camp arranged for students to engage with U.H. Hilo Marine Science Department chair Jason Adolph and graduate students Ron Kittle and Derek Watts to sample nearshore
waters. At Imiloa, students, led by Puawai Rice, observed data sets for turtles tracked by radio tag, plotted on a global map. At Keck Observatory headquarters, Al Honey arranged a Skype visit to the Houston control center for the International Space Station.
     With help from Mary Brewer, Science Camp students participated in the Fourth of July Parade in Volcano. At Gilligan's Cafe in Discovery Harbour, they studied fossils collected by Joe Iacuzzo, co-founder of Ka`u Learning Center with Kathryn Tydlacka.

Aaron De Los Santos holds a pele's tear up to his cheek. He won
a scholarship to Science Camps of America.
Photo from Science Camps of America

     Science Camp was based at Pahala Plantation Cottages and received scholarships from the Olson Trust for two of its Big Island students. Participating students came from Na`alehu, Kohala, Puna, Maui, Kaua`i, O`ahu, Alaska, New York, California and Vermont. The camp cook, Debbi Lahav, came from Tel Aviv, Israel. Counselors came from O`ahu and California. Camp nurse came from O`ahu.
    Richards said the team will be back next year at its Ka`u base at Pahala Plantation Cottages. For scholarship and contact information and more on the program, see http://sciencampsamerica.com. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I OUTDOORS INSTITUTE chose Ka`u as one of its laboratories for its teen camp this summer. Students joined the Ka`u Coast cleanup last weekend under the direction of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund and Megan Lamson, during its 24-day Ahupua`a Environmental Science Camp. Its Ka`u base was Pahala Palntation Cottages.

Ahupua`a Environmental Science Camp chose Ka`u for
sessions for teens this summer.
Image from Hawai`i Outdoors Institute

   Earlier in the summer, Hawai`i Outdoors Institute sponsored a Wind & Water camp. Hawai`i Outdoors Institute describes itself as "a non-profit experiential education program for teens. Located on the Big Island of Hawai`i, our mission is to foster a love of the outdoors in young people which inspires environmental stewardship and future leaders." One focus is the biodiversity of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. One of its slogans, by Albert Einstein, is: "Look deeper into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
     The Ahupua`a course synopsis says: "Ancient Hawaiians lived by the ahupuaʻa system; dividing the islands into territories stretching from the mountains to the sea. Those living at high elevations harvested hardwoods used for tools and canoes. Those at mid elevations farmed and raised livestock. Those on the coast fished. Extended families shared with each other, and all their needs were met sustainably.
     "Today, the Big Island is a living classroom with 11 out of 13 climate zones at our fingertips. It’s a laboratory of experimentation with wind and solar energy. Efficiently populated, there is ample room for sustainable agriculture. There is simply no place better to study the interconnectedness of life on this planet and how humans can make a difference."
     The course included topics: Earth Systems & Resources, The Living World, Population, Land & Water Use, Energy Resources & Consumption, Pollution and Global Change. See more at http://hawaiioutdoors.org. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A TRAVELING SLAUGHTERHOUSE is in the planning by the Hawai`i Small Business Development Center, the Kohala Center and rancher Mike Amado who held a meeting at Na`alehu Community Center last Thursday.  Among those who attended were Ka Lae cattle ranchers Tissy and Dean Kaniho; Barney Frazier of Waiohinu, who raises lambs and sheep; Ka`u Farmers Union United treasurer and County Council candidate Richard Abbett; Hawai`i Farmers Union United Big Island President Steve Sakala; and Earth Matters farmer Greg Smith who grows food in Ka Lae.

      A mobile slaughterhouse would move from ranch to ranch and families could use the facility to process cattle they have grown or purchased on the hoof for beef. Booking a stationary commercial slaughterhouse for processing meat can often mean a long wait and a long drive for ranchers. The organizers are hoping to put together funding for two mobile slaughterhouse units on this island. Examples were given of one in use in Pudget Sound and another in Kansas.

A mobile slaughterhouse would move from ranch to ranch.
Photo from the USDA

 The organizers have been working on a feasibility study and surveying ranchers. Melanie Bondera of the Kohala Center, Hazel Beck of Hawai`i Small Business Development Center, and rancher Amado made the presentation. Proposals to fund the mobile slaughterhouse included forming a cooperative to accept investments, grants and loans.
     The group plans another meeting in Ka`u in the future. For more information, call Beck at 327-3680.  To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

LIMITING THE NUMBER OF MOORINGS according to marine traffic and nearshore carrying capacity of bays in Hawai`i is a good example of natural resource management, said Rep. Richard Creagan, following the governor putting a halt to additional moorings at Keauhou Bay. Creagan said that Abercrombie "cut to the chase and said, 'I get it,'" when the small community at Keahou asked the governor to stop the addition of moorings at Keauhou Bay, which is used by commercial operations like Fairwinds boating tours. It is also a favorite bay of canoe paddlers, fishermen, surfers, swimmers and divers who had been asking for a moratorium on new moorings for some time. Abercrombie sent a letter to more than 1,000 people yesterday, announcing his decision. Many of them were petitioners opposing the additional moorings.  The governor's letter said that "I want to assure you that additional moorings are not and will not be given consideration in any improvement plans for Keauhou Bay. The State will conduct an Environmental Assessment that will allow ample public input to determine what improvements are desired ....Hawai'i's environment is precious, and we will take care to hear everyone's view to ensure that we achieve balance."  To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE is on the agenda this Saturday for public input as Ka`u Hospital hosts an annual public meeting of East Hawai`i Regional Board of Directors for Hawai`i Health Systems Corp. at 2 p.m. Topics discussed will be specific to Ka`u and its surrounding community. There will be an overview of services offered at Ka`u Hospital and its rural health clinic. The floor will be opened for comments and suggestions on providing healthcare for residents of East Hawai`i. For more, call Terry Larson, Administration Secretary at 932-3103.

  

                    

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A year ago today, Longs Drugs opened in Pahala and remains the only free standing pharmacy in Ka`u. Photo by Julia Neal

ACCEPTING PLANE TICKETS, HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS, FOOD AND CAMPAIGN CONSULTING SESSIONS from a super Political Action Committee drew reaction this morning from one of the three Hawai`i County Council candidates who seek to serve Ka`u, the election coming up Aug. 9. Candidate Richard Abbett said that he would refuse such an offer from Pacific Resource Partners, a super PAC that lobbies for development on behalf of the Hawai`i Carpenters Union and the construction industry. Sitting council members Dru Kanuha, Greggor Ilagan, and Valerie Poindexter (who sent her campaign manager) accepted funding from PRP for an April 12 workshop on O`ahu, according to a story by Nancy Cook Lauer in this morning's West Hawai`i Today. Council candidate Tiffany Hunt accepted a consultation session from PRP on this island, which is valued at $421.96 on her campaign expenditure report. Maile David accepted consultation sessions from PRP valued an $1197.13, according to the campaign expenditure report.
     David said she attended several consulting sessions with PRP on this island. She described them as "helpful," saying she was advised on "how to outreach, make time lines, schedule walking" in the community. She said she did not accept any airfare, hotel rooms or dining. "I run a clean campaign. In no way did I commit to any PRP positions. I would not involve myself in anything that would hurt my family and community," she said.

Richard Abbett said he will not take money from super PACs.
Photo by Julia Neal

    Abbett said this morning, "I am taken aback that people took their money" and services. He said he would not accept airline tickets, hotel rooms, dining and training by a super PAC, even if campaign advisors urged him to "take the money" or the consulting services.
    Said Abbett, "I don't have to ask someone else about my integrity. I don't need another person to determine my integrity. I would not take money for that reason." Abbett said that PRP wouldn't have asked him to "the training. I am not considered a political entity of value because I could not be influenced by the super PAC," he said. He contended that venues like super PAC training for candidates, "are not designed for discussion to produce creative solutions. They are to promote what they perceive to be in their members' interest."

     "I do not take lip from people who want to influence me. I am resistant to it, for good reason." Abbett said that he understands that the union leaders involved in the super PAC "have a reason to lobby for their people to keep them working." He said, however, that in their desire to create near-term employment, union leaders sometimes are unable to see into the future when some projects could be damaging to employment years from now.

     He noted that attempting to balance creation of jobs with a sustainable economy for local people can lead to political divisions. Abbett said that union jobs are not limited to traditional construction and manufacturing projects, like hotels, power plants and incinerators. He gave the example of construction and manufacturing jobs that could be created in the green industries sector. "New products and services could be created from our solid waste stream, including upcylced construction components made from discarded plastics, wood and metals," said Abbet. Jobs at a green industries park, contended Abbett, could be union and non-union with training opportunities and apprenticeships in the skilled trades of the unions. "This could create wealth from waste in our communities," he said. 

     Abbett also said that "solar, an industry that has already emerged and is leading the way," requires union-level skills in carpentry, electrical and metal working.

Pharmacist Leona Goda with clerk Donna Tsukamoto at
the Longs grand opening a year ago.
Photo by Julia Neal

     According to the Cook Lauer story, "Some in Hawai`i County worry that now that the $5 billion Honolulu rail project is moving forward, PRP is concentrating its efforts on another big project on Hawai`i Island, a multimillion-dollar garbage incinerator that Mayor Billy Kenoi calls likely to be the largest public works project built on the island to date." See more at westhawaiitoday.com.

    Council candidate Jim Wilson was unavailable to comment on this story.

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LONGS IS A YEAR OLD TODAY in Pahala. The CVS owned pharmacy opened on July 15, 2013 in the Pahala Shopping Center with a pharmacy and additional food, sundry and household items. Pharmacist is Leona Goda. Technicians are Jamie Gutierrez and Candrie Pascubillo. Clerk is Donna Tsukamoto. Office manager is Terri De Sa. Jeff Watts helps in front store. The store is constantly adjusting to fit the needs of the community, said De Sa. She said that Longs appreciates the community input. 

      Longs operated a pharmacy in Ka`u Hospital and was continually solicited to bring in more Longs items from the Hilo stores. With the closing of the restaurant at Pahala Shopping Center, Longs was able to renovate the space, with help from Taylor Built Construction and provide not only a Longs pharmacy but the larger store as well. Longs does not sell liquor, ice

cigarettes or fishing supplies and numerous other items found at the other two stores in Pahala. 

Austin Yurong, an avid pig hunter in Ka`u
forests, lost his life to a traffic accident
over the weekend. Photo from facebook.

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POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR WITNESSES to the traffic accident near the corner of Ginger Blossom Lane and Hwy 11 in Ocean View. Twenty-year old Austin Yurong, of Ocean View, died Sunday, following the one-vehicle accident Friday around 11 p.m. when he lost control of the pickup truck he was driving. It crashed into a lava embankment, veered back onto the highway, hit  lava again and rolled twice, winding up on its tires in an upright position, according to police reports. Yurong was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to Kona Community Hospital and transferred to Queens Medical Center on O`ahu where he passed away. Anyone witnessing the accident, which, according to police, may have been related to speedy driving and possibly alcohol, can call Officer Larry Flowers at 326-4646, ext. 229. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HULA: AFTER DARK IN THE PARK TONIGHT,  from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, hosts Halau Hula Kamamolikolehua, with kumu hula Pohai Souza. Also on stage is Halau Hula Kalehuapuakea, with kumu hula Keu Ostrem. Halau Hula Kamaluokukui, under the direction of kumu hula Malina Kaulukukui will also perform. Music will be performed by Kualoa, featuring Kula Abiva and Poki`i Vaughan. The program is free; park entrance fees apply. $2 donations support After Dark programs.

INPUT ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE is urged from the public as Ka`u Hospital hosts an annual public meeting of East Hawai`i Regional Board of Directors for Hawai`i Health Systems Corp. this Saturday, July 19 at 2 p.m. Island residents are invited to attend; topics discussed will be specific to Ka`u and its surrounding community.
     Covered in a presentation will be an overview of services offered at Ka`u Hospital and its rural health clinic. The floor will be opened for comments and suggestions on providing healthcare for residents of East Hawai`i.For more information, call Terry Larson, Administration Secretary at 932-3103. 

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

HAWAIIAN FLAG DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Thursday, July 31. The event is free, but entrance fees apply. Hawai`i celebrated its first national holiday on July 31, 1843, when the Kingdom of Hawai`i was restored. Kamehameha II, Kauikeaouli, proclaimed, "Ua mau ke ea o ka `aina i ka pono," the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness, which today is the state motto. The ceremony will be from 10 a.m. to noon.  To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

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