Ka`u News Briefs Monday, March 13, 2017

Na`alehu Theatre as featured on a website called Abandoned USA.  See story below.
See http://www.abandoned-usa.info/abandoned-naalehu-theatre-hawaii.php

THE KAWA DRAFT RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN will be the subject of a public meeting on Wednesday, March 15 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The public is invited to give opinions on the plan, which can be read on the County of Hawai`i website
at http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/browse.aspx?dbid=1&startid=13770&cr=1

A public meeting on the future of Kawa and the
County's Draft Management Plan will be held
Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Na`alehu Community
Center.

    The 136-page draft plan includes maps, a review of history of Kawa land, cultural sites and endangered species on the the property and the statement: "It is crucial that this special place be protected and preserved for its historic and cultural significance as well as for the role it plays in the overall ecosystem of the island."
    The Kawa parcels are located on the makai side of Hwy 11 between Honu`apo - Whittington Beach Park and Punalu`u. Owned by the county, it consists of 785 acres purchased with county Open Space and Natural Resource Preservation Commission funds as well as money from the state Department of Land & Natural Resources Legacy Land Conservation Program and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery Land Acquisition program.
     The management plan points to the nearby Honu`apo Park, purchased for preservation in 2006, stating that the County "now has the opportunity - and the responsibility - of planning for and managing approximately 1,000 acres of coastal Ka`u lands."
   Public comments can be made at the meeting and also sent to the county. See more in Tuesday's Ka`u News Briefs.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. 

NA`ALEHU THEATRE AND ITS FUTURE is the subject of a Hawai`i Tribune Herald story on Monday morning. Ivy Ashe writes, “The southernmost theater in the country sits abandoned as it has for more than a decade. It is unclear what the future of the Na`alehu Theater, the plantation-era building known to passing drivers for its still-vibrant paint job, will hold, but many residents aren’t optimistic.”

     Hawai`i Tribune Herald quotes Joe DeMoruelle, who managed Na`alehu Theatre with Sandra DeMoruelle from 1980 to 2006. They hosted a radio station, films, concerts, hula performances, guitar and `ukulele classes and television and film production courses for area students. Among the acts playing Na`alehu Theatre were George Na`ope who founded the Merrie Monarch Festival; Steppenwolf, a band; and Big Brother and the Holding Company, thw band that backed up Janis Joplin. Big Brother brought to Na`alehu  a young singer who played Joplin in an off-Broadway play about her life.
     During the life of Na`alehu Theatre, there was a food concession for a period of time and numerous volunteer days to try to upkeep the building.

Na`alehu Theatre Photo by Julia Neal

     Much community organizing and political support, from mayors to County Council members and legislators, during the last two decades supported leasing Na`alehu Theatre and restoring it. The owners turned down repeated proposals.
     However, in 2011, developers of a proposed Nani Kahuku `Aina resort on more than 16,000 acres makai of Ocean View (including Pohue Bay) said they had a lease on Na`alehu Theatre. As they aimed for permits from government to approve their resort, they proposed a board of local residents to oversee Na`alehu Theatre. They said they would pay to restore the theater as part of their community involvement. When the development plans were put on hold, the restoration planning for Na`alehu Theatre paused as well.

Na`alehu Theatre sits idle and unrepaired, remaining a colorful backdrop
(this photo in 2012) for Fourth of July and other parades. Na`alehu
Theatre represents a long history as venue for entertainment
 and education. Photo by William Neal

     Hawai`i Tribune Herald writes about the bones of Na`alehu Theatre. "The theater building went up in 1925, constructed by the Hutchinson Sugar Company. Its 10,237 square feet contain three separate sections." The article also reports on its ownership: “The theater property is owned by 300 Corporation, a division of the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation. The parent foundation is a nonprofit that is a major landowner in Hawai`i. (It owns Pahala and Na`alehu shopping centers). Its offices are based in Honolulu and Maryland.     

The projection room and classroom. See Abandoned USA 

     “According to the nonprofit database GuideStar, 300 Corp’s mission statement is 'to acquire, hold title to, and collect income from properties, remitting the entire amount of such income, less expenses, to its stockholder, which is an organization exempt from income tax under section 501(A) of the internal revenue code.'”

    Reporter Ashe writes, “It is unclear how the theater property is collecting income, as it is no longer leased out. A message left with the Hawai`i offices of the Weinberg Foundation was not returned.”
   Ashe interviewed Joe Demoreulle who told her: “I don’t think they’ll rent it to anybody now. I don’t think anything will happen there.”
   The reporter states that  “an attempt to list the theater as a historic property was made in 2005.

The main theater with roof tiles fallen and the theater seats
side by side.  See Abandoned USA 

     "At the time, representatives from the state historic preservation division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources visited the site and determined that it was eligible for listing." However, reports Hawai`i Tribune Herald, “in June 2005, Alvin Awaya, president of 300 Corp, sent State Historic Preservation Officer Peter Young a letter stating that the company ‘respectfully objects’ to the listings and would request a contested case hearing if the listings was not rejected. In 2010, Honolulu Magazine listed the theater as one of Hawai`i’s Most Endangered Historic Sites,” reports Hawai`i Tribune Herald.
     See much more on this story at www.hawaiitribune-herald.com. Also see photos of the abandoned exterior and interior and a story on the Na`alehu Theatre's history at http://www.abandoned-usa.info/abandoned-naalehu-theatre-hawaii.php

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THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION, which represents Ka`u Hospital, Hilo Medical Center, Kona Community Hospital and nearly 5,000 hospitals across the U.S., has posted concerns about the proposed American Health Care Act. The proposal before Congress would replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

Ka`u Hospital is a critical care hospital, dependent on
Medicaid and other federal programs.
Painting by Davenport

   On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the proposed changes to health insurance law, saying that it would lead to the loss of health insurance for 24 million Americans and increase the cost of insurance premiums for at least two years. Medicaid enrollment would decrease by 14 million people, saving the federal government money, reducing the federal deficits by $337 billion over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office predicted.

     The American Hospital Association's letter to Congress, sent before the release of the Congressional Budget Office report, asked for Congress to review the proposed changes in light of patients and caregivers depending on Congress "to make continued coverage a priority. We believe that any changes to the ACA must be guided by ensuring that we continue to provide health care coverage for the tens of millions of Americans who have benefitted from the law."
     The AHA asks for careful evaluation of the proposed legislation "regarding its impact on both individuals and the ability of hospitals and health systems which are the backbone of the nation's health care safety net in terms of our ability to care for all of those who walk through our doors."
     Other organizations that have issued statements of concern include the American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, AARP and the American Health Care Association.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. 

NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT IMMIGRANTS drew responses Monday from Hawai`i Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, as well as leading Republicans, including the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. They reacted to U.S. Rep. Steve King's tweet on Sunday regarding a right wing, anti-immigration politician in the Netherlands. King said the politician "understands that culture and demographics are our destination. We can't restore our civilization with someone else's babies." King went further on a CNN interview, saying he "meant exactly what I said...I'd like to see an America that's so homogenous that we look a lot the same."

     The response from House Speaker Paul Ryan said: "The Speaker clearly disagrees and believes America's long history of inclusiveness is one of its great strengths." A response from Republican Jeb Bush said, "America is a nation of immigrants. The sentiment expressed by Steve King doesn't reflect our shared history or values."

    Hawai`i Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted: "Sigh, in Hawai`i no one looks the same, even in our families. And it's pretty great." 

    Hawai`i Sen. Mazie Hirono sated that "Steve King has always been on the fringe with his views on immigration and what this country looks like." She went further to include President Donald Trump and his cabinet: "We are talking about a President who is targeting immigrants." 

     She said, "King talked about, for example, an electrified fence, across our borders and that's how we deal with livestock. So I don't think we should give much credence to Steve King except that as it exemplifies some of the more outrageous things that this Administration has already done, and I say, will continue to do."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. 

Hula Performance, Wed, Mar 15, 6:30 – to 8 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Under the direction of Kumu Hula Ab Kawainohoikala‘i Valencia, Hālau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu ma Kīlauea performs. Free; park entrance fees apply.

Thursday Night at the Center, Mar 16, 7 – 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Susan Scott and Wally Johnson present their book, Hawai`i’s Kolea, the Amazing Transpacific Life of the Pacific Golden-Plover. 967-8222

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Buffet, Fri, Mar 17, 5 – 8 p.m., Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Corned beef & cabbage, lamb stew, shepherd’s pie & more. $19 adults; $10 children 6 – 11 years. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356.

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, March 12, 2017

A flag from the Hawaiian Kingdom will be auctioned in France in April.
Photo from Auguttes auction house

RARE HAWAIIAN ARTIFACTS, reputed to be the biggest collection outside the Bishop Museum, will be auctioned in France next month. The 1,100 items from the Rainer Werner Bock collection, including a spear described as acquired by Capt. James Cook circa 1779 and worth about $80,000, will be auctioned over three days in Neuilly-sur-Seine from April 5 through 7. Other items include an 8-inch black, red and yellow feather ornament, a war helmet, a flag from the Kingdom of Hawaiian, fishhooks, and a pahu (war drum). 

     The items were collected by Bock, who was born in Germany and has lived on Maui. He was one of the world’s leading dealers in Pre-Columbian art, who had hoped to open a museum in Maui. He compiled this unique collection of Hawaiian tribal art, including 18th century bowls, regalia, drums, fishing equipment, necklaces in feathers or hair, spears, lances, pestles and many other fascinating objects over a period of 20 years.
     In a promotional brochure, which he sent to The Ka’u Calendar, Julian Roup, a spokesman for the French auction house, Aguttes, described the collection, which also includes items from New Zealand, the Marquesas Islands, and the Solomon Islands.
     “Never before have so many Hawaiian objects been brought together outside of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu,” wrote Roup. “The collection includes some 500 items that speak to us of the daily lives of the people of Polynesia, inhabited for centuries, unknown to the European world until the arrival in 1778 of Captain James Cook.”

A Nineteenth Century
rain mantle from Hawai`i
will be auctioned off in
France.  Photo from
Aguttes auction house

     The Ihe Laumeki (barbed wooden spear) was collected by Captain Cook during his third expedition to Hawai’i in 1779- 1780, according to the auction house description, which says it is one of only four such spears to exist in private collections and is valued at about $72,000 to 80,000. A silk flag, which could date from 1845, is a rare remnant of the Hawaiian Kingdom and is valued at $12,000 to 16,000, according to the auction literature.
     The sale contains works never before seen at auction. A war helmet, which was part of a collection assembled by one of the first French scientific expeditions to Hawai’i, was formerly displayed by a French University. Its value is estimated at about $58,000 to 70,000.
     Roup explained that gathering boat models has always been a “highlight, even a cornerstone, of all great collections of Oceanian art. Bock’s collection, which was originally meant for a private or public museum, features some 30 boat models plus two full-scale canoes.
     “As to R.W. Bock’s selection of fishing hooks, it perfectly captures the art of halieutics, with each piece having been carefully chosen for its shining, polished mother-of-pearl, which bears great significance in Oceanian fishing traditions. Oceania comprises the civilizations that, over the centuries, developed the most brilliant mother-of-pearl techniques.

   

A bowl in netting is one of the
auction items. Photo from 
Aguttes auction house

 “Fishhooks are called “special” when they were kept for ritual fishing, such as a spoon lure for herring bait. Wood was also used in fashioning large hooks for catching shark in particular,” stated Roup.
     Roup calls Brock’s collection “a fantastic voyage from island to island.” His assessment is that the collection “represents the formidable eye of this internationally esteemed art dealer, whose collection of Hawaiian art adds considerably to the world’s knowledge of Polynesia. Rainer Werner Bock, a German who later immigrated to the USA, has always been a tireless traveler and art lover. He fulfilled his dream when he moved to the Hawaiian Islands, where he built up the largest-ever private collection of Hawaiian art.
     “Eager to share his childhood vision with as many people as possible, he worked hard to open a museum on Maui Island, but, regrettably, was not supported by local politicians,” contended Roup.
     Other items in the sale include: A Pahu (war drum), from the Nineteenth Century, with estimated value or $12,000 to 16,000; a Nineteenth Century feather ornament, measuring about 8 inches in diameter with a $9,000 to $10,000 value; a bowl in a hanging net valued at $7,000 to $8,000; a Nineteenth Century rain mantle made from lauhala, with value of $2,500 to $3,200.
     The items will be on exhibit at Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb west of Paris, for a week prior to the three-day auction. This event will be documented by a multiple volume catalog that itself will become collectible and will be an important reference for years to come, said event organizers.
     For more information, contact Julian Roup of Bendigo Communication acting for Aguttes at info@bendigopr.co.uk.

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GRANTS TOTALING $15 MILLION FOR CONSERVATION PARTNERS are being offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands.

Nene, Hawai`i's State Bird, are benefited by programs to restore and
enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands. Photo from USDA

     "Restored wetlands improve water quality downstream and improve wildlife habitat, while also providing flood prevention and recreational benefits to communities," says a statement from Acting Deputy Agriculture Secretary Michael young.
     Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership, part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, a Farm Bill conservation program. The partnership is administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the leading federal agency for wetland conservation on private lands. Through WREP, states, local units of governments, non-governmental organizations and American Indian tribes collaborate with NRCS through cooperative and partnership agreements. These partners work with tribal and private landowners who voluntarily enroll eligible land into easements to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their properties.

Ka`u Coffee benefits by good practices in taking care of adjacent
gulches and streambeds. Photo from USDA

     “These strong, locally led partnerships help improve water quality, prevent flooding, enhance wildlife habitat and provide landowners the financial resources needed to voluntarily conserve our lands,” Young said.
     Easements enable landowners to adopt a variety of conservation practices that improve the function and condition of wetlands. The voluntary nature of NRCS' easement programs enables effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.
     This year, NRCS is encouraging partners to propose projects that focus on improving water quality as well as habitat on working landscapes in high-priority areas. Proposals must be submitted to NRCS state offices by April 24. More information is available on the ACEP webpage.

Hula Performance, Wed, Mar 15, 6:30 – to 8 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Under the direction of Kumu Hula Ab Kawainohoikala‘i Valencia, Hālau Hula Kalehuaki‘eki‘eika‘iu ma Kīlauea performs. Free; park entrance fees apply.

Thursday Night at the Center, Mar 16, 7 – 9 p.m., Volcano Art Center. Susan Scott and Wally Johnson present their book, Hawai`i’s Kolea, the Amazing Transpacific Life of the Pacific Golden-Plover. 967-8222

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Buffet, Fri, Mar 17, 5 – 8 p.m., Kilauea Military Camp’s Crater Rim Café in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Corned beef & cabbage, lamb stew, shepherd’s pie & more. $19 adults; $10 children 6 – 11 years. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8356

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

www.kaucalendar.com

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, March 11, 2017

The public visited the hula heiau between Pahala and Na`alehu in May of 2016 and is invited
to learn about the recent archaeolgical inentory on April 1. Photo by Jasmine Cronin

A PRESERVATION PLAN FOR THE HULA HEIAU in the mountains above Punalu`u, called 'Imakakaloa Heiau, will be presented to the public on Saturday, April 1 at Pahala Community Center at 12:30 p.m. Kalaho`ohie Mossman, who works with stewards of the heiau, the Edith Kanaka`ole Foundation, said that everyone is invited to the community gathering.
        The heiau is on land owned by Edmund C. Olson Trust. Edmund C. Olson has provided the Kanakahole Foundation with the stewardship agreement.

     "We have completed the Archaeological Inventory Survey as well as the preservation plan and would like to share our findings with the community," said Mossman. "We would like to present the preservation plan for your review. Please feel free to make any suggestions on this draft plan which will guide the future treatment of this sacred place. Although the plan currently only addresses the two-acre area where the heiau is located, we are hoping to expand the area of preservation to include important view planes from the site. We value your input and look forward to seeing you all on the first. Please feel free to share this message with others who may be interested."

John Stokes described the hula heiau in his survey of
Hawai`i Island heiau, published by Bishop Museum

    A meeting was held on March 19, 2016 at Pahala Community Center, drawing many people who talked about the hula heiau and other cultural sites in need of preservation in Ka`u. 

     Kanaka`ole Foundation representatives discussed the possibility of the heiau becoming a focal point for community and cultural outreach, with possible programs coordinated with schools.

    On May 14, 2016 the public was invited to visit the heiau and gave input toward its preservation and community use.

   Olson Trust land manager John Cross recalled that John Replogle, of The Nature Conservancy, asked about the location of the heiau after Olson bought the property from the old Ka`u sugar company, and ranchers planned to clear more land in the area for cattle. 

    Cross said he knew of the heiau from the Bishop Museum archaeological survey Heiau of the Island of Hawai`i by John F.G. Stokes, published in 1991. Stokes described the heiau as “a series of enclosures with walls sometimes broadened into platforms. The ground declines to the southeast, but the earth floors of the enclosure have been approximately leveled as though by cutting and filling. The large enclosure on the southeast is said to have been for the chiefs and kahuna, the stone pavement shown being the kuahu.      

     "Outside and adjoining the wall of this enclosure on the west is a platform one foot high. To the north of the latter is another platform 4.5 feet high, an extension of the walls. This last is said to have been the hale o Papa. The second largest enclosure is said to have been for the hale hula. There was no information regarding the smallest enclosure.”

Public input on the hula heiau was welcomed by the Edith
Kanaka`ole Foundation last year in Pahala.
Photo by Julia Neal

     The late Pele Hanoa, long involved in historic, cultural and land preservation in Ka`u, also informed Olson Trust about the general location of the heiau, and several crews unsuccessfully hiked the area to find it. Ka`u cattleman Al Galimba bumped into a heiau rock wall as he was clearing for pastures and paddocks. He contacted Cross, and they identified it as the hula heiau, buried deep in a tangle of Christmasberry, cat’s claw and a large monkeypod tree. The location is makai of Ka`alaiki Road - the old cane haul route - between Pahala and Na`alehu.      Galimba withdrew cattle from the area and helped clear brush away from the heiau, followed by an Olson Trust team using small equipment to clear and protect it, fencing off about 1.5 acres around the site. Additional conservation has been accomplished through the Kanaka`ole Foundation.

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HAWAI`I ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUG CHIN will take the state’s complaint against President Donald Trump’s second Executive Order travel ban to court next week.

      Chin said this week on NBC News that the travel ban is "setting up as a system where there are certain races that are going to be presumptively in a second class type of environment and there will be a superior race that is running everything." 

     He said Jeff Sessions' speech last week, to U.S. Attorney Generals from around the country meeting in Washington, D.C., was that "crime is on the uprise...It is being committed by people who are unlawfully in this country, so if we remove people who are unlawfully in this country, then crime will go down."

Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Chin on NBC News

     Said Chin, "When you layer on those statements, which is actually part of what we do in this argument, we are saying there are so many statements from this administration that are going in a bad direction. That's another reason we can find this discriminatory in intent."

      In a press conference, Chin said,  “This is the first time a President has made such a broad sweeping kind of Executive Order that bans people purely based upon their nationality.  

     "It is saying if you are from one of these six countries -  now six  (first travel ban named seven countries) - you are presumptively a terrorist. This is over-assertion of power by the President. The President is not a king. He is not a dictator. We all learned that in social studies growing up. The concern about this Executive Order, even though it is just for 120 days, is that it can be easily renewed. It can be renewed for another 120 days and just become permanent or perpetual,” said Chin.

     Chin said that “We here in the state of Hawai`i care about the security of our state, but don’t bring us back to a time that occurred prior to the 1960s."
     Chin said he doesn't see the objection to the travel ban "as a Democrat thing or an agenda thing. I see it as if Hawai`i doesn’t speak up about discrimination by national origin, we are dishonoring and we are disrespecting what our past generations have gone through.” 

    Hawai`i will argue its case before U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson on Wednesday, March 15, the day before the ban is set to go into effect.

    Omar Adwat, Director of American Civil Liberties Union Immigrants’ Rights Project, said the ACLU also filed a complaint. He said the “revised travel ban has the same problems as the original travel  ban, which is that it’s religious discrimination. President Trump can’t follow through on his threat without running straight into the Constitution.”

     The new travel ban does not favor Christian over other religions for entry to the U.S, as did the first travel ban that was stopped by the courts. The new travel ban also exempts those with Green Cards. It changes the ban to affect travelers from six instead of seven Muslim-majority countries, exempting Iraq. All refugees from the six countries would be banned for 120 days.

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A STATEWIDE SEARCH FOR KILLERS OF A MONK SEAL on Kaua`i on Feb. 23 near `Ele`ele has been launched with a $10,000 award. The monk seal tagged R4DP was found dead on the beach. She was 15 years old and familiar to monk seal researchers and Kaua`i residents. 

     Tipsters can call the state Department of Land & Natural Resources and provide information to be held in confidence to 855-DLNR-TIP (855-356-7847). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement is also investigating, along with DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.
     The reward is sponsored by the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Council for Hawai`i, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust.

          Punishment for killing an endangered monk seal can bring fines of up to $50,000 and imprisonment for up to a year, or both. The seals are protected under state and federal laws.

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SUNDAY CLAY: High Fire, Sundays, March 12 – May 7, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. or 2:45 –5:45 p.m. at Volcano Art Center. $185/$166 VAC members plus $13 materials fee. 967-8222

REP. RICHARD CREAGAN SPEAKS AT THE NEW VOICES MEETING on Sunday, at Punalu`u Bake Shop at noon. The public meeting will be held in the upper pavilion. Creagan will review activities of the 2017 Hawai`i Legislature, which has reached mid session. He will also discuss the national situation with the new President's administration. For more information, call Melissa Wheeler at 808-785-2643.