Kaʻū News Briefs April 6, 2024

Kaʻū Pā‘u riding team represented O‘ahu in Merrie Monarch Parade on Saturday. The team is comprised of Pages Jesse Lorenzo and Ikaika Grace, Outrider Frank Lorenzo Jr., Princess Lorilee Lorenzo, Pooper Scoopers Shophia Montoya, Quentin Lorenzo
 and Jessie Lorenzo, Jr. Photo by Alohi Grace.

Lorilee Lorenzo of Pāhala represents O'ahu with  the color yellow
 and sunflower lei for her horse in the Merrie Monarch Parade.
Photo by Marc Chun /Merry Monarch Festival

MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL WRAPPED UP ON SATURDAY WITH THE PARADE AND THE ‘AUANA COMPETITION. 

    Kehau Kalani's Pā‘u riders represented the Island of Hawai‘i during the parade. Lorilee Lorenzo's Pā‘u riders represented O‘ahu.

    At noon Debbie Ryder's Hālau Hula Leionalani performed at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.

     Results were released for both the Kahiko, ancient, and ‘Auana, modern hula competitions for men and women on Saturday night. Also announced was the overall winning halau, led by nā Kumu hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes of O'ahu. Their hālau Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha’e took the award for the second straight year. The halau also took the title of Miss Aloha Hula for the fourth consecutive year with Ka‘onohikaumakaakeawe Lopes who also won  the Hawaiian language award from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

     Winner on Saturday evening for Wahine ‘Auana modern hula category was Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha’e. Winner for Wahine Kahiko ancient hula, performed Friday and announced Saturday, was kumu hula Kunewa Mook's Halau Kau‘ionalani Kamana‘o.

    Winner for Kane ‘Auana modern hulia category was Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu with nā kumu hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera.
        Winner for Kane Kahiko, ancient hula competition, held on Friday and announced on Saturday, was Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua, and its na kumu hula Robert Keano Ka‘upu IV and Lono Padilla.

Kehau Kalani represented Hawai‘i Island in the Merrie Monarch Parade on Saturday. Photo from Kehau Kalani

Outriders Mauna Ke and Kai Kalani representing Hawai‘i Island and Kaʻū in the Merrie Monarch Parade.
Photo by Marc Chun/Merrie Monarch Festival

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Committee for Water & Land approved
Ryan Kanaka‘ole nomination for 
Deputy DLNR Director. Photo from DLNR

RYAN KANAKA‘OLE DESCRIBED KAʻŪ AND HIS ROOTS IN THIS PLACE during his confirmation hearing Friday for Deputy Director of state Department of Land & Natural Resources. The state Senate's Committee on Water & Land approved the nomination and it moves onto the full Senate for a final vote. Kanaka‘ole told the committee:
    "I was raised in Kaʻū district. I’m from a small place called Waiʻōhinu. My mother’s family has been there for a very long, long time. And we’re still there. Most of you are familiar with Kaʻū. It’s a big place. It’s bigger than this, the island of Oʻahu. It has one percent of the population. It’s remote. The amenities of modern life are few and far between. And just very, very far away. But it’s beautiful, and wild, and awe-inspiring place. And the people there are extremely self-reliant. "My family, all the families around me, we rely on the land, on the ocean, to provide. And that’s just the way of life out there. When that way of life is threatened, the people out there, they speak up. And they speak loudly.
    "Typically, it’s from economic forces from the outside that often have entry to rooms that make decisions. Buildings like this one that, you know, it’s just easier for them to come in. And for the lack of a better way to describe it, the people impacted end up on the outside and protest.
    "I grew up on the outside, and I don’t ever want to forget that."
Kanaka‘ole graduated from Kamehameha Schools on O‘ahu. He graduated from University of Hawai‘i Law School in 2011. He also earned the law school's Native Hawaiian Law Certificate. He worked as an attorney for the County of Hawai‘i Corporate Counsel. He assisted in the formation of Nā Mamo O Kāwā when the Kaʻū Coast land was purchased for conservation. The organization became the steward of Kāwā and he served as its Director and Interim Chair.

    With the state, Kanaka‘ole focused much of his work on accountability and served as an auditor for various agencies and programs. He has served as Deputy Attorney General for the state since 2018.
During the hearing on Friday, Kanaka‘ole was also questioned about the DLNR's responsibility for the stewardship of Mauna Kea. He said the DLNR's "position regarding the Conservation District responsibilities over Mauna Kea - that remains with the Department of Land & Natural Resources, regardless of whether - what the Act authorizing the Maunakea Stewardship Oversight Authority says." 

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2024 SUMMER FUN REGISTRATION IS OPEN from Monday, April 8, until enrollment is met. County of Hawai‘i Department of Parks & Recreation announces its 2024 Summer Fun Programs will provide recreational opportunities for teens and youth at locations island-wide during summer break. 16 programs are offered from June 12 - July 19. Venues will be Nā'ālehu Community Center and Robert N. Herkes Gymnasium in Pāhala. For more on the Pāhala program, call Nona Makuakane at (808) 928-3102. For Nā'ālehu, call Elijah Navarro at (808) 939-2510. Detailed information about program hours, registration dates, cost, and age groups can be found online at https://www.parks.hawaiicounty.gov/facilities-parks/recreation.

Kaʻū News Briefs April 5, 2024

Monk seals and seabirds are under threat with loss of habitat and new threats of disease,
Photo from Environment Hawai‘i

 

RISING SEAS, INCREASING DISEASE THREATS AND CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS IN TOP PREDATORS are trouble for marine mammals in Hawaiian waters, especially monk seals and false killer whales. This is the report from Environment Hawai‘i in its April edition from Patricia Tummons:

    Scientists studying these animals described the gravest threats as:

    Sea level rise. This has diminished the land available for monk seals to bear their pups. The three main pupping islands at French Frigate Shoals have disappeared and seals are crowding onto other islands.
    Avian influenza. A new variant H5N1 has shown up in marine mammals from Washington state to Antarctica. Experts fear seabirds could carry it to Hawaiʻi and transmit it to monk seals, dolphins, and other marine mammals.
    Toxoplasmosis. This parasite, spread by cats, is a leading cause of monk seal deaths in the Main Hawaiian Islands. It is also known to have led to the deaths of spinner dolphins in the islands.
    The article says, "Of these, maybe the most troubling is what is occurring globally with the spread of

highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1). In Argentina, an outbreak of avian influenza A killed 70 percent of the elephant seal pups born in the 2023 breeding season. Mortality rates were almost 100 percent by early November in the area of Penísula Valdés, where more than 17,000 pups died. In Peru, more than 5,000 sea lions died of the highly pathogenic avian flu, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control."
    Environment Hawai‘i reports on a meeting of the Pacific Science Review Group, which advises the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on compliance with the Marine Mammals Protection Act. "Scientists expressed alarm over the prospect of the highly pathogenic H5N1 arriving in Hawaiʻi, possibly carried here by seabirds. Elsewhere, in South America, the South Atlantic, and even Antarctica, thousands of birds have died after becoming infected with a highly contagious, highly deadly variety of avian influenza.
    In January, the Wildlife Conservation Society issued an urgent warning that the virus threatens wildlife across the globe. “H5N1 now presents an existential threat to the world’s biodiversity,” said Chris Walzer, the group’s executive director of health, in a news release.
    “It has infected over 150 wild and domestic avian species around the globe as well as dozens of

False killer whale. Photo from Environment Hawai'i

mammalian species. The bird flu outbreak is the worst globally and also in U.S. history, with hundreds of millions of birds dead since it first turned up in domestic waterfowl in China in 1996.”
Environment Hawai‘i reports that "The Centers for Disease Control has said that the risk is low that this highly contagious, highly pathogenic avian influenza – (HPAI) – might spread to humans from mammals, even though 'a small number of sporadic human cases … have been identified since 2022,' all associated with poultry exposures.
However, at least one person in Texas appears to have contracted avian flu from cattle. Herds of cattle in states ranging from Texas to Idaho to Michigan have now been infected with the highly pathogenic avian flu, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA has detected HPAI H5N1 in wild mammals in every state along the Pacific Coast.
    The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Walzer noted that globally, the highly pathogenic virus “has now infected many mammals – including foxes, pumas, skunks, and both black and brown bears in North America. Some 700 endangered Caspian seals died from HPAI near Dagestan in 2023…HPAI H5N1 has arrived in Latin America with devastating consequences.”
    Should avian flu arrive in Hawaiʻi and infect monk seals, the result could be disastrous. The entire population of monk seals is estimated to be just around 1,600 animals, most of them found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, with around 400 in the Main Hawaiian Islands.
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does have a disease outbreak plan for monk seals, as well as preparedness plans for other disasters, both natural and human-induced, according to Shanelle Naone, public information officer for NOAA in Honolulu. That plan, she said in an email, “is focused on morbillivirus,” but added, “we are working to adapt these preparedness efforts to HPAI

H5N1.” Among other things, she said, NOAA is partnering with the University of California-Davis “to explore and test the utility of bench-top analyzers that are rugged and portable and have the potential to detect influenza in about an hour; these will be particularly useful for remote parts of the species’ range.”
    And, since the presence of avian influenza in the islands would likely be seen first among birds, Naone said, “We are working with agency partners who study and surveil avian wildlife. … We also have arrangements to submit monk seal samples to one of the primary diagnostic laboratories that is being used to analyze other pinnipeds in the United States.”
    “Our current focus, also in collaboration with other agencies, is on remote areas of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, as we are preparing for the upcoming field season. We want to equip field researchers with all the information they need to look for indications of influenza in wildlife and report back.”
    The vulnerability of marine mammals that do not rest on land is difficult to assess. But in 2022, a stranded porpoise in Sweden and a bottlenose dolphin were found to have died as a result of H5N1 infection, as well as two dolphins and a harbor porpoise in England in 2023.
    A report in The New York Times on the 2022 strandings quoted Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Our surveillance activities on a global scale are never sensitive enough to pick up the only two events of this kind,” Webby told the paper. The discovery of avian flu in two different species on two different continents suggests there have “almost certainly” been other cases, Webby was quoted as saying.
    Recently, reports have proliferated of stranded whales and dolphins suspected of having been infected with avian flu. In February, an outbreak of H5N1 was detected in the population of wandering albatross on the South Georgia islands, having earlier been detected among brown skua and kelp gulls.
    "Should the virus arrive in Hawaiʻi, it could pose a serious threat to the survival of not only monk seals, but also the endangered insular false killer whale population (numbering fewer than 170 individuals) as well as albatross, other seabirds, and even endangered native forest bird populations," concludes Patricia Tummons of Environment Hawai‘i.

    See more and support Environment Hawai‘i at https://www.environment-hawaii.org/?p=15854.

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THE MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL featured its Royal Court and the Kahiko, ancient hula competition on Friday, with winners to be announced on Saturday night following the ‘Auana, modern hula competition. 

    On Saturday is the 61st Royal Merrie Monarch Parade beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Hilo along Kamehameha Ave, Wai'anuenue Ave, Keawe St. and Kīlauea Ave. Among those representing Kaʻū in the parade will be Princess Kehau Kalani and her Pāʻū Unit riding for the Island of Hawai‘i and Princess Lorilee Lorenzo and her Pāʻū Unit riding for the island of O'ahu.

    The Merrie Monarch Hawaiian Crafts fair is open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ah Fook Chinen Civic Auditorium and Butler Building in Hilo, with a number of artists and artisans from Kaʻū and beyond presenting their creations for sale. Among them are Malie and Tanya Ibarra and Donna Masaniai.

    At noon, Kaʻū's Hālau Hula O Leionalani will preform at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, with Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder.

Hālau o ka Hanu Lehua - Kumu Hula Carlson Kamaka Kukona III. Photo by Bruce Omori

      Entrance of the Royal Court at Merrie Monarch 2024 on Friday, April 5. Photo by Bruce Omori/Merrie Monarch Festival

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Kaʻū News Briefs April 4, 2024

During the competition Thursday evening, Kaʻōnohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes danced Hula Kahiko, ancient hula, for the judges, on her way to becoming Miss Aloha Hula. Photo by Tracey Nimi/Merrie Monarch Festival

Miss Aloha Hula 2024 dances Hula ‘Auana,
Photo by Bruce Omori/Merrie Monarch Festival

MISS ALOHA HULA 2024 FOR THE MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL is Kaʻōnohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes. She earned the Hawaiian Language award. Her Kumu Hula are Tracie and Keawe Lopes. Her halau is Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e.

     Judges for Miss Aloha Hula and the group competitions coming up Friday and Saturday evenings are Maelia Carter, Ed Collier, Ainsley Halemanu, Leimomi Ho and Nālani Kanaka'ole, Nani Lim Yap and Kealiʻi Reichel. 

    The competitions are live-streamed online and carried on KFive. See more at merriemonarch.com.

    In addition to the competitions, which are sold out for live attendance, the Merrie Monarch Hawaiian Crafts fair is open on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ah Fook Chinen Civic Auditorium and Butler Building in Hilo, with a number of artists and artisans from Kaʻū and beyond presenting their creations for sale. Among them are Malie and Tanya Ibarra and Donna Masaniai.

     On Saturday is the 61st Royal Merrie Monarch Parade beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Hilo along Kamehameha Ave, Wai‘anuenue Ave, Keawe St. and Kilauea Ave.

    Among those representing  Kaʻū in the parade will be Princess Kehau Kalani and her Pāʻū Unit riding for the Island of Hawai'i and Princess Lorilee Lorenzo and her Pāʻū Unit riding for the island of O‘ahu.

    At noon, Kaʻū's Hālau Hula O Leionalani will perform at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel with Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder.

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Chefzone aims to teach the skills for using Hawai'i-grown, raised
 or caught ingredients to create food businesses.
Applications are available to participate. Photo from HACA

CHEFZONE: FROM COTTAGE INDUSTRY TO COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE is a program to train entrepreneurs for Hawai'i's food industry and is accepting students, including those who will take the class virtually, with some travel to O‘ahu. Hawai‘i Ag & Culinary Alliance is accepting applications for cohort 4, which aims at cultivating the next generation of Hawaiʻi's value-added entrepreneurs using Hawaiʻi-grown, raised, or caught ingredients. Individuals will have the opportunity to work alongside industry experts to build and establish their new food businesses. For more information, visit the website at https://hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com/cottageindustry/ or RSVP for the virtual info session on Wednesday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m.  The program runs from June 17 - Sept. 9. Applications are due April 15.

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HAWAI‘I COUNTY MAYORAL CANDIDATE SEAULA JR. TUPAI will come to the Herkes  Kaʻū  District Gym on Thursday, April 11. The start time is 6 p.m. Tupai is pastor of Overcoming Faith Center in Hilo and ran for Lt. Governor in the 2022 election. 

   His background includes working with the National Guard Youth Challenge Academy in Hilo, coaching football at Kamehameha School and Hilo High School. 

    His campaign website says, "Jr. understands what it means to serve. He understands that as a public servant, the emphasis should be on serving. Therefore, he has decided to run as a Hawai‘i Public Servant, to serve the people once again in another capacity. For far too long, servants in office have not listened to the people and have forgotten what it means to serve. It's about time to put people in office who are close to the pulse of the community."

     See votetupai.com.

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THE PIT CRATER AT KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI‘I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK is subject of a presentation by Ecologist David Benitz, and a discussion on Saturday, April 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Kahuku Visitor Station. 

     Benitez, who led botanical exploration for the National Park after Kahuku's acquisition, will talk about peering into the 150-foot deep crater from the rim as a look back in time. He will also answer all kinds of questions about the place.

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USING STEM AT USGS HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY is the subject of this week's Volcano Volcano Watch written by HVO field engineer Steven Fuke:
    STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. In the educational system, encouraging STEM curriculum prepares students for future careers in STEM fields. In this Volcano Watch article, we'll describe how aspects of STEM are applied at the USGS Hawaiian

Staff at HVO study volcanic processes and associated hazards in Hawai‘i, with the emphasis and end goal of protecting life and property. The backbone of the observatory is the monitoring network, consisting of a diverse array of instruments located on the flanks of the volcanoes. These instruments relay data back to the observatory, providing information on the behavior of Hawai‘i's active volcanoes.
    The monitoring network is installed and maintained by the HVO field engineering team. Many hours

 are spent commuting to and from remote field sites. At any one site, field engineers do a variety of tasks, such as changing batteries that power the station, clearing vegetation from near the station, or changing parts that are broken or need to be upgraded. In the shop, field engineers build new stations or station modules, and engineer solutions to solve station-related issues.
    One important instrument in the HVO monitoring network is the tiltmeter, which records subtle changes in how the ground tilts over time. These tilt changes give an idea of the pressure in the underlying magma reservoir. The data output of the tiltmeter is represented on a time series plot. Scientists specializing in ground

A tiltmeter casing on the south flank of Kīlauea volcano 

flooded with water. The tiltmeter casing is less than a foot

 in diameter. USGS photo

deformation at HVO interprets tilt data, paying particular attention to whether the data are trending towards inflation or deflation. The tiltmeters at Uēkahuna and Sand Hill on Kīlauea, for example, provide information on the Halemaʻumaʻu and south caldera magma storage areas beneath Kīlauea's summit region.
    HVO field engineers install tiltmeters below the ground surface, so that they can be protected from weather and other elements near the surface. The instruments are housed in a pipe casing that is filled with dry sand; the depth of the tiltmeter is site specific.
   During a past storm system, accompanied with torrential rains, water had infiltrated a site specific tiltmeter casing. Nineteen feet of the casing depth was filled with wet sand and water, negatively impacting data quality.
    The casing had to be cleared of the wet sand and water. The question was, how? Ordinarily, we would use a wet/dry vacuum to extract out the dry sand from this casing, for example if the tiltmeter needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, the negative pressure of one wet/dry shop vac was inadequate for wet sand extraction at this depth because wet sand has a higher density (mass/volume) than dry sand.
    An increase in negative pressure would be required to remove the wet sand. This was accomplished by integrating two vacuums into one inlet hose. To ensure an airtight environment that would couple the two vacuums, a plastic enclosure with a rubber seal was designed. This combined all the negative pressure being created by the two vacuums, providing increased suction action to extract the wet sand in one hose.     One vacuum source provided suction for half of the volume of the hose, while the other vacuum source provided suction for the other half of the volume of the hose. In essence, the suction power was doubled within one hose, allowing the dense and wet sand to be pulled into the hose. With over 200 instruments across the Island of Hawai‘i, HVO field engineers are adept at adaptively responding to the various situations that can occur at these remote monitoring stations. This suction solution is just one example of how the HVO field engineering team uses aspects of STEM to problem solve.

Volcano Activity Updates: Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY.
Average earthquake counts below Kīlauea's summit over the past week were below 30 detected events on most days. This remains well below the amount detected during the January–February intrusion or prior to recent summit eruptions. Tiltmeters near Sand Hill and Uēkahuna bluff continued to record modest inflationary trends over the past week. No unusual activity has been noted along the rift zones.
    Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.
Webcams show no signs of activity on Mauna Loa. Summit seismicity has remained at low levels over the past month. Ground deformation indicates continuing slow inflation as magma replenishes the reservoir system following the 2022 eruption. SO2 emission rates are at background levels.
    Two earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M2.9 earthquake 9 km (5 mi) NE of Pāhala at 33 km (20 mi) depth on March 31 at 7:58 p.m. HST and a M3.2 earthquake 93 km (57 mi) SW of Lanai City at 10 km (6 mi) depth on March 28 at 9:56 a.m. HST.
HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
    Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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Entrance to Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will be in one lane starting April 8, due to construction. Photo from NPS

A SINGLE LANE ENTRY AT Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park will be available starting next Monday, April 8, due to upcoming construction activities. "Park visitors and tour operators should anticipate delays and potential congestion at the entrance station during this period," says a statement from the Park.

    What: Construction will begin on the administrative lane at the entrance station to improve safety and traffic flow. The current phase will concentrate on the right entrance lane along Crater Rim Drive, encompassing tasks such as curb removal, clearing and grubbing the shoulder for the new administrative lane, and grading the shoulder.
    When: Beginning April 8th, the entrance station at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park will be limited to one lane and booth for approximately two weeks. Further coordination will be conducted if a longer closure of the lane is necessary.
    Why: Work continues on Phase One of the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Disaster Recovery Project and traffic safety and infrastructure upgrades. The latest project updates include establishing a new roundabout west of the entrance station to improve safety and traffic flow.
    How to stay informed: Construction closures and delays are updated on the park's new construction webpage.
    Plan ahead: Purchase a digital site pass from www.Recreation.gov before the visit. Download and print pass in advance due to limited connectivity at the entrance station.

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HPD ARRESTED 17 FOR DUI during the week of March 25 through March 31. Hawai‘i Police Department arrested 17 motorists for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Eight of the drivers

were involved in a traffic accident. Two of the drivers were under the age of 21.
    So far this year, there have been 233 DUI arrests compared with 256 during the same period last year, a decrease of 22.7 percent.
    HPD's Traffic Services Section reviewed all updated crashes and found 252 major crashes so far this year, compared with 231 during the same time last year, an increase of 9.1 percent.
    To date, there were 12 fatal crashes, resulting in 14 fatalities (two of which had multiple deaths), compared with four fatal crashes, resulting in five fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths) for the same time last year. This represents an increase of 200 percent for fatal crashes and 180 percent for fatalities.
    In 2024, the non-traffic fatality count (not on a public roadway) is zero compared to zero non-traffic fatalities for the same time last year.
    HPD promises DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

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MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL'S HAWAIIAN ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR wraps up Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Afook Chin Civic Auditorium and Butler Building in Hilo. Kaʻū crafters and artists are among the presenters.