Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The one home destroyed by fire Monday in Green Sands subdivision was vacant at the time. Photo by Daryl Lee

GREEN SANDS SUBDIVISION RESIDENTS are back in their homes and the fire that burned through the area is now 80 percent controlled, according to the county fire department.  The fire burned more than 15 acres, destroyed one vacant home and came close to burning other homes. At one house, flames reportedly spread under the floors and singed the house posts. A number of  residents are without water after the fire melted surface pipes that run along Ka`alu`alu Road from county meters near Hwy 11.
     The fire was apparently started by someone attempting to burn rubbish, who called the fire department to say the fire had raged out of control. Volunteer, county and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park firefighters as well as private contractors with heavy equipment and water tankers helped to quiet the runaway fire, which was driven by strong winds. Helicopters were employed to drop water onto the fire.

Aftermath of the fire that destroyed this vacant home. Photo by Daryl Lee

     According to a county civil defense statement issued this morning, emergency personnel are working to extinguish the fire and will remain on scene throughout the day. All highways and major roadways remain open.  However, some roads within the subdivision are closed and limited to local traffic only.
    Due to the damage to residential water systems in the Green Sands Subdivision, a water tanker will be available at the Green Sands Park until 1 p.m. this afternoon for potable water needs. The Wai`ohinu water spigot is also open and operational for water needs. "With the improvement in fire conditions along the Ka`alu`alu Road residents who would like to repair their water lines and systems are approved and encouraged to do so," said the statement from Civil Defense.   
     The Red Cross has closed its shelter at Na`alehu Community Center with about two dozen people having reported there early Monday evening but leaving once roads were re-opened.
      Hawai`i County Red Cross Disaster Manager Barney Sheffield was quoted in the Hawai`i Tribune Herald saying, “the fire department did an amazing job. It’s really incredible we didn’t lose more houses with all the wind we had out there.” See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

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HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES shareholders failed to approve the company’s proposed merger with Florida-based NextEra Energy at a meeting yesterday. While approval requires 75 percent of shares, only 70 percent voted in favor of the merger.

Connie Lau

      Shareholders authorized the company to seek additional votes and reconvene on June 10 for another approval attempt. HEI President and CEO Connie Lau said 90 percent of votes received favored the merger, but the number of voters did not meet the minimum required by state law.
      The company is trying to reach out to investors who hold shares through mutual funds, pension plans and banks to gain additional favorable votes.
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MARCO MANGELSDORF, DIRECTOR of Hawai`i Island Energy Cooperative and president of ProVision Solar, explains why an energy co-op may be better than a private utility company on Hawai`i Island.
      “Imagine an electric utility company that’s not beholden to far-flung shareholders and instead is directly responsible to its local customers,” Mangelsdorf says. “Imagine that utility company being owned and controlled by the ratepayers, with its board of directors democratically elected from the community. Think one electric meter, one vote. Finally, imagine an electric company that actually sends its customers a check from time to time once certain financial objectives are reached.
      “Hard to imagine? It shouldn’t be because this has been the experience of residents of Kaua`i for more than 10 years since Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative came into existence and purchased that island’s electric utility from Connecticut-based Citizens Communications Company in 2002.
      “Such a cooperative could be the future for Big Island residents as well, if we were to have the opportunity to convert Hawai`i Electric Light Co. to a member-owned and member-controlled co-op.
      “The Hawai`i Island Energy Cooperative came into existence earlier this year in response to the proposed purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries by Florida-based NextEra Energy. HIEC, along with 28 others, is an intervenor on the HEI-NextEra merger docket before the Public Utilities Commission.
      “Now that the procedural schedule was decided, information requests and testimony will be flying as the commissioners, the consumer advocate and their staffs put together a body of knowledge and evidence that will allow a determination to be made on the fundamental question before them: Will NextEra’s proposed acquisition of the largest corporation in the state be in the public’s best interest?

Marco Mangelsdorf

      “While HIEC has taken the position of being neither for or against the purchase, there is the case to be made that it’s in the best interest of Big Island residents to consider the establishment of an energy cooperative. The goals and potential benefits include:

• Local, democratic control of one of the most critical infrastructures and public institutions on the island, providing for direct ownership by the customers it serves, and direct election of the board of directors that governs the utility; 
• Community-based and community-chosen priorities would serve as the basis for the co-op to work for the sustainable development of the island through policies accepted and supported by its members; 
• Potentially lower electricity costs through tax-exempt status, access to lower cost financing, elimination of a return-on-equity component in electric rate structures, promotion of education, markedly improved energy efficiency programs and the accelerated adoption of appropriate alternative technologies; 
• Greater energy independence and sustainability through a comprehensive and integrated approach to all energy-consuming sectors on the island. 

      “The fate of the merger will be determined in the months to come as the record is filled with facts, figures and testimony as the applicants and intervenors play out their strategies. The public and pundits also will weigh in at PUC-organized meetings across the islands. If the commissioners ultimately determine the transaction to be in the public’s best interests, approval of the deal very likely will be subject to stipulations and agreements that act as conditions to modify the purchase as proposed.
      “Whether the required changes and regulatory conditions will be acceptable to the HEI and NextEra boards will depend on how substantively and materially the proposed deal would be altered.
      “If and when the circumstances warrant the consideration of an energy cooperative taking root on Hawai`i Island, HIEC will be there at the table, raising our hand, ready to make a serious and credible pitch to allow us the extraordinary opportunity to demonstrate what can be done on our island on many different and innovative levels.”
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Sens. Schatz and Hirono and Rep. Gabbard
represent Ka`u in the U.S. Congress

HAWAI`I’S U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION introduced legislation to reinstate Medicaid eligibility for Compact of Free Association migrants, which represents Ka`u’s large Marshallese population. 

      In 1996, Congress passed a law that made migrants from Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands ineligible for federal Medicaid dollars. Each year, the state spends an estimated $30 to $40 million to provide health care to these families. By making all COFA migrants eligible for Medicaid, the Restore Medicaid to Compact of Free Association Migrants Act requires the federal government to honor Compacts of Free Association and share the cost of providing health care. Restoring Medicaid eligibility for these compact migrants has been a priority of Hawai`i leaders for more than a decade.
      “In the history of our country, many migrant groups have had growing pains, and it is our duty as a nation of migrants and immigrants to welcome new people and their families to our communities,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono. “We must live up to the promise we made, and the federal government should pay its fair share to meet those commitments. Both Republicans and Democrats supported legislation to restore Medicaid eligibility to COFA migrants in the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform legislation that passed the U.S. Senate but died in the House. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pursue this goal and uphold the promises we made in these Compacts.”
      Sen. Brian Schatz said, “Providing health care to compact migrants is not only a legal obligation, it is a moral obligation. Hawai`i has spent millions on health care for migrants to comply with the Compacts of Free Association. Our legislation will restore federal Medicaid funding so that the costs of providing critical health care to migrants is shared by the state and the federal government.”
      Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said, “This bill will right a wrong that has gone on for far too long. The federal government made a promise to these individuals, and it must uphold that commitment and provide Medicaid to COFA migrants from Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands.”

      The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which passed the Senate earlier this year and was signed into law, continued Medicaid eligibility for COFA children and pregnant women.

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Nene feeds on naupaka kahakai. NPS photo by Janice Wei 

A MEETING FOR Red Cross volunteers and those interested in becoming volunteers takes place tomorrow at 7 p.m. at HOVE Road Maintenance Corp. office. For more information, call 929-9953. 

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is expanding its 35th annual Cultural Festival to include biodiversity this year. At this free two-day festival, visitors of all ages will discover how native Hawaiians, as keen observers, lived closely to the land by embodying I ka nana no a iike principles that continue today. The Biodiversity and Cultural Festival will offer hands-on science and cultural exhibits, food, art and entertainment, plus the opportunity to meet individuals and organizations at the forefront of conservation, science and traditional Hawaiian culture. Explorers of all ages can enjoy the festival and “graduate” from Biodiversity University by participating in a variety of activities. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. No advance registration is required for the festival.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.

Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Helicopters joined ground crews to battle yesterday's fire at Green Sands subdivision. Photo by Pamela Taylor

A BRUSHFIRE DESTROYED ONE HOME in Green Sands subdivision yesterday. Residents of that home and several more had evacuated after Hawai`i County Civil Defense warned of danger due to high winds and heavy smoke. The Red Cross opened a shelter an Na`alehu Community Center.

Winds move clouds and smoke from the Green Sands fire west.
Photo by Shalan Crysdale

      At 9 p.m., Civil Defense reported the fire 50 percent contained and allowed evacuated residents to return home.
      Fire and emergency personnel were on scene all night working to contain the fire.
      As of 5 p.m. yesterday, 15 acres of dry brush had burned, which according to resident Bob Martin on his Facebook page, is the equivalent of 60 lots on Pele, Mark Twain and Mauka Streets. Wind and rough terrain made the fire difficult to control.
      According to Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, Assistant Chief Gantry Andrade said a caller to Hawai`i Fire Department said he “had started a controlled burn, but the fire got away from them.”
      Firefighters worked on the ground and in the air to stop the blaze. A fire department helicopter and another private one made water drops.
      Andrade said two bulldozers, one county and one private, cut firebreaks.
      Martin thanked Hawai`i County Police and Fire Departments, volunteers and neighbors for a job well done. “I’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight, after all,” he said.
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
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Keawe Lanakila Liu

KEAWE LANAKILA LIU IS VICE PRESIDENT of advancement and innovation at The Kohala Center. Liu assumes the newly created role on July 1. 

      Over the course of his 20-year career, Liu has established a successful track record in advancement, educational leadership, small business administration and developing innovative partnerships and collaboration strategies to build collective support for community-based programs. He joins The Center from his current role as the executive director of the Pauahi Foundation, where he is responsible for developing strategic initiatives for the advancement of Native Hawaiian education. While at Pauahi, he co-founded Mahi`ai Matchup, a program that provides local farmers with access to agricultural lands held by Kamehameha Schools, and started the Paka Ua Movement, which leveraged community and corporate partnerships to increase scholarships for Native Hawaiians in schools across the islands and continental United States.
      “Hawai`i Island is a special place for me, and I’ve long admired The Kohala Center’s efforts to uphold it as an example of sustainable living – for Hawai`i and the world,” Liu said. “I’m thrilled and honored to be part of the momentum The Kohala Center has already created and to play a role in developing new and innovative ways to further its progress, especially through the development of its spectacular new campus on Kohala Mountain. This opportunity to join The Center and contribute to expanding its community of support for resource management, education and sustainability in agriculture and energy is one I simply could not pass up.”
     Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer, The Kohala Center’s president and chief executive officer, said, “Given his dedication to expanding educational opportunities for Hawai`i’s youth and his work to move our islands toward greater food and energy independence, Keawe’s interests and accomplishments are in perfect alignment with The Kohala Center’s values.” 

      The Kohala Center’s connections to Ka`u include annual Mellon Fellowship retreats, advising residents on formation and operation of cooperatives and school garden programs.
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Judy Mohr Peterson

JUDY MOHR PETERSON, PH.D. is the state Department of Human Services’ new Med-QUEST Division Administrator. Mohr Peterson, who is a nationally recognized leader in Medicaid, health care transformation and Affordable Care Act implementation, begins work on July 1 and brings 18 years of public health care experience to Hawai`i. She has served as Oregon’s State Medicaid Director since September 2009 and in that role was an architect of Oregon’s successful health system transformation and coverage expansion. During her tenure, local community and primary care increased through coordinated care organizations, which reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations for chronic conditions for Medicaid clients. Oregon also began publicly reporting on health disparities, believing that is the first step to reducing those disparities and improving health for everyone. 

       “Dr. Peterson’s leadership as Medicaid director in Oregon is ideal for Hawai`i as we consider innovations within our own Medicaid programs,” said Gov. David Y. Ige. “I expect she will work closely with DHS Director Rachael Wong to reshape the culture of government and improve services for our keiki, kupuna and all Hawai`i people.”
      Throughout her career, Mohr Peterson’s work has focused on improving care for people who need it the most. Using the tools available as a major health care purchaser in Oregon, she brought physical, mental and dental services together in a way that puts patients at the center of care.
      “Health care services work best when they are focused on the people we serve,” Mohr Peterson said. “I look forward to working with Hawai`i communities to help bring new innovations for better health, better care and lower costs for everyone.”
      Mohr Peterson currently sits on the board of the National Association of Medicaid Directors and serves as an advisor to the National Organization for State and Local Officials. She also is a contributor to multiple organizations focused on health care delivery system and payment reform. In 2010, Mohr Peterson was named one of six Medicaid Director Fellows in the Robert Wood Johnson’s Medicaid Leadership Institute.
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Last week was National Small Business Week. Image from SBA

DURING NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK, Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, introduced two pieces of legislation to help small businesses in Hawai`i and across the country grow and succeed. 

      “All small businesses in Hawai`i and across the country deserve a fair shot to succeed, and National Small Business Week serves as a reminder that small businesses create 90 percent of Hawai`i’s jobs, and entrepreneurs are at the forefront of building a more sustainable economy that creates opportunity and prosperity for all,” Hirono said. “The bills I’ve introduced this week focus on two things: helping make it easier for entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground and making it easier for clean energy entrepreneurs and manufacturers to access new markets and opportunities. As a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, I’ll continue fighting to make sure that anyone with ingenuity and commitment to working hard has the resources and support to start, build, and grow their business.”
      The Small Business Start-Up Savings Account Act would allow entrepreneurs to contribute up to $10,000 a year into an account that could be used for purchasing equipment or facilities, marketing, training or paying incorporation and accounting fees for starting a new business. Similar to an individual retirement account, spending from the account would not be included in gross income. Over a lifetime, entrepreneurs could accumulate $150,000 in their accounts, which could be taken out tax free.
      The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing And Export Assistance Act will help small and medium-sized clean technology businesses find new markets in the United States and around the world by creating a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund administered by the International Trade Administration. The fund would assist clean technology firms with export assistance, including finding and navigating foreign markets to export their goods and services abroad. The bill would expand domestic clean technology manufacturing industry by promoting policies that reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment and productivity in the domestic clean energy technology industry, which would help domestic companies increase demand and create jobs.
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Hu, or kukui nut top Photo from NPS

HAWAI`I PACIFIC PARKS ASSOCIATION staff members share their knowledge and love of Hu: Kukui Nut Tops tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hu is one of Hawai`i’s popular traditional arts. 

BIOBLITZ AND BIODIVERSITY & Annual Cultural Festival are coming up on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. For BioBlitz, Hawaiian cultural practitioners, students and the public join forces to discover and inventory as many living plants and creatures as possible in the park. The Biodiversity & Cultural Festival offer hands-on science and cultural exhibits, food, art and entertainment, plus the opportunity to meet individuals and organizations at the forefront of conservation, science and traditional Hawaiian culture – and learn how to join their efforts. Park entry fees are waived.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, May 11, 2015

Ka`u photographer Peter Anderson took this photo of Kilauea's lava lake last Thursday, prior to the lake beginning to slowly recede during a deflationary cycle.

PRESERVING THE KA`U COAST was a major topic at the Ka`u Community Development Plan meeting on Saturday at Na`alehu Community Center. 

      County Planner Ron Whitmore said that the Ka`u community has made it “clear that Ka`u doesn’t want coastal development.” He said the community supports human activities on the coast related to education, research and recreation, including fishing.
      Challenges addressed in the CDP regarding coastal management include development entitled in flood-prone Punalu`u areas, residential allowed in Conservation District, no local hearings by the state Land Use Commission, shoreline setbacks established without site-specific considerations and Special Management Areas inconsistent with other zone boundaries.
      The CDP advocates for restrictive subzone designations and local LUC hearings. It also can provide shoreline setback options, guide public ownership of coastal lands and priortize SMA boundaries review.
      Several community members said they were very protective of the coast.
      Aric Arakaki of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail system said he was there to support the community and its effort to maintain an “ancestral connection.” The National Trail runs along the coast of Ka`u with feeder trails running mauka-makai through the traditional ahupua`a from the mountains to the sea. Arakaki works with landowners and community members to protect the trail and provide maintenance and public access, without taking them out of private ownership.

Management of the Ka`u Coast was the topic of a focused discussion Saturday.

      Ralph Roland said he worries that the traditional Hawaiian ahupua`a system for managing land is being ignored.
      John Replogle, who has testified in public forums that lighting from housing and other buildings should be shielded from reaching the coast and to protect the night skies for stargazing, said he favors a coastal setback and keeping the Ka`u Coast in conservation. He said a quarter mile setback would keep development away from coastal resources.
      Shaylan Crysdale said that he supports a policy of holding public hearings in Ka`u for any proposed developments in Ka`u.
      There was discussion about the public desire for access to the coast in numerous places and the responsibility of taking care of the coastline. Bill Gilmartin, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, talked about public access with responsibility, “instead of tearing up the coast.” Richard Taylor, of Ka Lae, talked about the balance of economic opportunity for local tour guides for Green Sand Beach versus the impact on the landscape from four-wheel-drive vehicles.
      Earl Louis talked about proposed coastal setbacks, including one that would be 1.5 miles from the shore. He said a half-mile option “is not that much.”
      He also talked about Punalu`u and asked why the owner is not required to clean up the abandoned and falling-down restaurant and museum area, which is next to the large pond mauka of Punalu`u Black Sand Beach.
      County planner Ron Whitmore said this is an enforcement matter rather than a planning matter and suggested calling the county Department of Public Works.
      Punalu`u was discussed as a place where there is already zoning for resort and multifamily housing. Whitmore said such entitlements are difficult to remove once they are granted. He said there is a possibility that landowners, including Robert Iwamoto and partners who own the resort property and golf course, could work with the community and surrounding landowners, including the state and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, to come up with a viable plan for Punalu`u that would protect the shore but also have an economic development and local housing component.

      Whitmore discussed the frequent challenges of attempting to develop along the coast, including requirements for Environmental Impact Statements, Special Management Area permits, archaeological surveys and complying with any proposed setback. He noted that a 1,000-foot setback was established for an area along the Kona Coast. He said that county ordinance allows for setbacks and that they have not been interpreted as a taking of property rights if the land is conservation and ag, since those uses would not be denied by a setback. 

     Concerning protecting the coast from sewage, the county planner noted that 50 units of development requires a sewage treatment plan. He also reported that the location of a treatment plant for Na`alehu has not yet been determined.

Mahealani Taganas, left, and Lono Grace

      The draft Ka`u CDP is available for public review at local libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info.

      Another focused discussion is set for tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Center about a proposed development there.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U RURAL HEALTH COMMUNITY Association, Inc. recently presented two nursing scholarships at its annual Rural Health and Membership Conference. Luzviminda Miguel, Chair of KRHCAI’s scholarship committee, presented awards to Mahealani Taganas and Lono Grace. Both attend University of Hawai`i/Hawai`i Community College Allied Health & Practical Nursing Program.
      Ms. Mahealani is the daugher of Jay Taganas, who is employed at Ka`u Hospital. Ms. Grace is the daughter of Pahala coffee farmers Roland and Rayven Grace.
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A SLOW DEFLATIONARY TREND CONTINUES at the summit of Kilauea, where the lava lake within the Overlook Crater is receding. When measured yesterday afternoon, the lava lake surface was about 10 yards below the Overlook crater rim and two to three yards below the original floor of Halema`uma`u Crater.

Awili Hala Kai, by Alan Stafford, took first in its category.
Photo by Nancy Stafford

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HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA`U TOOK a first place in the recent Kauluwehi lei contest, a juried contest and exhibition in Hilo celebrating native species. Entitled Awili Hala Kai, the lei was designed and made by Alan Stafford. Made of lauhala and opihi shell, it won in the lei `a`i style, `auana category, lau sub-category. The lei is currently on display at Wailoa Center.

      Second-place winner for lei po`o, kahiko category, pua sub-category was created by Liz Kuluwaimaka and also entered by Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u. It was made with a`ali`i, pukeawe, `ohi`a lehua and raffia. 

      Lei were judged on craftsmanship, creativeness of design, uniqueness of material and complexity or effort put into them. Amateur and professional lei artist of all ages were invited to enter.
      The contest and exhibition was sponsored by Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawai`i Island Natural Area Reserves, Three Mountain Alliance and Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center.

Liz Kuluwaimaka's lei won second in its category.

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MAY MARKS ASTRONOMER LEW COOK’S 108th contribution – nine years’ worth – to The Ka`u Calendar. “It is a continuing pleasure to write these articles,” Cook said. In the current issue of Stars Over Ka`u, Cook discusses interstellar space. 

      “What is in interstellar space – the area between the stars?” Cook asked. “If you answered, ‘Nothing,’ then in some ways you are right. In other ways you are wrong. At its least dense areas, those where it is very hot and atoms are split into two or more parts – the proton and an electron in the case of hydrogen. In the case of some warm areas, there may be less than one atom per cubic centimeter. Now that is what I call a real vacuum! In denser areas, the interstellar medium can exceed a million molecules per cubic centimeter. That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?

Barnard 68 Photo from Wikipedia Commons

      “The interstellar medium is a better vacuum than we can produce in a lab. Even the dustier regions in interstellar space contain a million molecules per cubic centimeter. A person could be excused for thinking, 'A million! That’s a lot!' and you’d be right. But a high performance lab vacuum chamber at its best will have over a billion molecules in the same volume. Interstellar space will occasionally have dust clouds where there are large volumes of very thin dust.

      The dust particles are about the size of that in cigarette smoke. What the dust lacks in density, it makes up for in volume – so much so that that it blocks out optical light from the stars behind it. It has two times the mass of the sun spread over a volume that has half a light year in diameter. 

      “Pictured here is one of these dark blobs – Barnard 68. The dust in Barnard 68 isn’t very thick, but there’s lots of it! Deep infrared studies have shown that the apparent lack of stars is only an optical illusion. It only looks like there are fewer stars in the area, but these studies have shown there are a similar number behind it as surrounding it. Barnard 68 is about 500 light-years distant.”
      The Ka`u Calendar sends out a stellar Mahalo to Cook for encouraging Ka`u residents to appreciate their dark night skies.

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

KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life tomorrow and every other Tuesday during A Walk into the Past at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center for a short walk to the Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Students and public can join in BioBlitz species count in Hawai`i
Volcanoes National Park this Friday and Saturday.
Photo from National Geographic

HAWAI`I PACIFIC PARKS ASSOCIATION staff members share their knowledge and love of Hu: Kukui Nut Tops Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hu is one of Hawai`i’s popular traditional arts.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK CULTURAL FESTIVAL has moved from July to this Friday and Saturday, May 15 & 16. This year, the festival is part of the BioBlitz and Biodiversity & Cultural Festival, hosted by National Geographic and the Park Service. Entrance is free both days. Join scientists, keiki, and Hawaiian practitioners for the two-day BioBlitz species count and celebration of culture, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.  No registration is required for the festival, but to guarantee a spot on an inventory team, sign up at nationalgeographic.com/bioblitz.     

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Direectory2015.swf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.