Kaʻū News Briefs Jan. 19, 2025

Land maps show numerous Hawaiian names and some families are filing court claims.

CLAIMING FAMILY HAWAIIAN LANDS in the courts can lead families to gaining access to the properties that were assumed lost long ago to sugar companies and nowadays to developers and other entities. That was some of the messaging among Hawaiian families who met on Sunday at the Herkes Kaʻū Distrct Gym Activities Room to learn how to fill out forms claiming land.

Lanakila Willard teaches Hawaiian
families to file land claims.

    Leading the group was Lanakila Willard, who has helped Hawaiians to retrieve their lands that have titles dating back to the Hawaiian Kingdom. A resident of Maui, who regularly meets with Kaʻū native Hawaiians on land issues, her volunteer work dates back to 1978 at Hawai'i's last state Constitutional Convention.
    She is known for her work across the state and especially Maui where she took on large property owners set on developing lands, including those with Native Hawaiian titles that included names from her family and others dating back to the Hawaiian Kingdom.
    Earl Louis of Pāhala attended the meeting and said that Willard helped him and that he is once again taking care of a heiau on his family lands from Hawaiian Kingdom Days, after being evicted several years ago. Louis and Willard encouraged other

Earl Louis who encourages Hawaiians to
file court claims for family lands.
Photo by Julia Neal

Hawaiians to know their geneaology and to find family names listed on the properties on maps of Kaʻū. She said that for Native Hawaiians to be recognized as having a claim to their family lands, they must be able to show ancestry back to the names on the properties, which can be through birth certificates, death certificates, notes in family Bibles, affidavits from people who remember who was born to whom and other evidence.
    On Sunday she focused on a group of Hawaiians who have been attending her meetings explaining how they can document their ties to the land and complete their filings to the court. She said she will be back for another session in February and encouraged Hawaiians to invite other Hawaiians to attend. She noted that many Hawaiian descendants of those who owned Hawaiian properties in Kingdom Days each have rights to the properties and can file for them separately, with each having proportional rights depending on the number of descendants.
     Willard said the top priority is the proof of the inheritance of the properties, rather than which developer or other entity now claims to own them. In the past, sugar companies and others went to court to quiet title properties after paying property taxes and growing sugar or conducting other enterprise. Many times Hawaiian families did not know about the court cases and lost for not showing up.

      Willard can be reached at Hulihawaii@gmail.com and 808-446-6522.

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Cynthia Monteleone with her gold medal
for Masters Heptathlon

CYNTHIA MONTELEONE, 48, of Nāʻālehu, just won the U.S. Adult Track & Field Masters Indoor Combined Events National Championship gold medal in the women’s 45-49 Heptathlon. The Track & Field meet took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jan. 11-12. This win makes her ranked #1 in the world for Women Masters in both indoor Heptathlon and outdoor Decathlon, which recently opened up to women, said a statement from her team.

     Monteleone is connected to the new management and ownership of Hana Hou Restaurant in Nāʻālehu.

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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION TO VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH ART & POETRY CONTEST is Monday, Jan. 20. The contest celebrates recognizing the dynamic volcanic landscapes of Hawaiʻi nei.
    "We welcome submissions from Kamaʻaina, visitors, anyone with an interest in Hawai'i’s volcanoes," says the statement from the organizers at USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. See more information at https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/2025_VAM_art_poetry_contest_final.pdf

5,000 delivered in the mail, 2,500 on the streets.

 

Kaʻū News Briefs Jan. 18, 2025

 Keanakākoʻi viewing area pre-dawn on Friday, Jan. 17. Park visitors are silhouetted as they watch side-by-side volcanic cones eject fountains of hot orange lava and plumes of gas and water vapor. Photo by Janice Wei

EPISODE FOUR OF THE CURRENT ERUPTION OF Kīlauea ended at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park described the displays as "awe-some with dual fountains feeding a large lava lake at the summit," and noted that "this activity could pause, end or decrease at any time." The eruption began on Dec. 23.
    The glow remained at the crater Saturday evening but the fountaining was gone. USGS reported that pele's hair formed in earlier stages of Episode 4 may continue to be remobilized by winds within the park and in nearby communities over the next few days.
    See and learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/eruption-viewing.htm

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DLNR First Deputy Ryan Kanaka‘ole, whose family roots are in Wai‘ōhinu, joined Gov. Josh Green to announce that 2025 is
The Year of Our Community Forests. Photo from Gov. Green

2025 IS THE YEAR OF OUR COMMUNITY FORESTS, according to a proclamation signed this month by Gov. Josh Green. The idea was developed by the state Department of Land & Natural Resources' Division of Forestry & Wildlife, and its Kaulunani Urban & Community Forest Program, along with a multitude of partners. The designation recognizes trees and forests in the wao kanaka: where humans live, learn, and play. The year-long campaign has the goals of increasing awareness of community forests and strengthening connections between people and these forests.

     “Community forests are the trees in our neighborhoods, yards, parks, schools, and along our streets,” said Green. “These forests can include native species, but also non-invasive beneficial trees like ‘ulu, niu, mango, and others.
    Also speaking at the proclamation signing was DLNR First Deputy Ryan Kanaka‘ole, who comes from Wai‘ōhinu in the District of Kaʻū with the state's largest native forests and historic villages with many mature trees. He said, “We all live in a community forest, they’re not just mauka, but all around us. Our trees are what makes Hawai‘i home. They’re not only ornamental landscaping, but also provide food, shade, oxygen, habitat, and many other benefits. Trees are also great for hanging ornaments and holiday lights.”
    DOFAW has established a website where people can learn about all the benefits of community forests, about volunteer opportunities associated with the Year of Our Community Forests, and statistics and data on how forests help grow communities.

Gov. Josh Green after signing the proclamation declaring
2025 The Year of Our Community Forests.  Photo from Green

   “We tend to view forests for the conservation values associated with them,” said DOFAW Administrator David Smith. “They also have great economic value, with urban forestry having a $64 billion footprint nationwide in 2017. The same report indicated urban forests support more than a half million jobs. Another study found employees are more productive and less stressed when trees are nearby and they also increase property values.”

    “Most importantly,” the Governor added, “is what trees provide for our environment. They make water cleaner by filtering pollutants and holding onto soil to reduce runoff into the ocean. Trees clean the air by filtering pollutants, and they capture carbon dioxide (CO2) which helps to mitigate climate change.”
   Hawai‘i municipal trees store more than 25,000 tons of CO2, remove a net 3,340 tons of CO2 each year, and manage 35 million gallons of stormwater runoff each year.

    Learn more and see community opportunities at www.dlnr.hawaii.gov/trees.

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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION TO VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH ART & POETRY CONTEST is Monday, Jan. 20. The contest celebrates recognizing the dynamic volcanic landscapes of Hawaiʻi nei.

    "We welcome submissions from Kamaʻaina, visitors, anyone with an interest in Hawai'i’s volcanoes," says the statement from the organizers at USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. See more information at https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/2025_VAM_art_poetry_contest_final.pdf

5,000 delivered in the mail, 2,500 on the streets.

 

Kaʻū News Briefs Jan. 17, 2025

High Lava Fountains, Some Unhealthy Air
View from the southwest rim of Kaluapele, the summit caldera of Kīlauea, where the temporary S2 webcam is located. This view looks down on the active north and south vents on the morning of January 17 as lava fountains reached 100-115 ft (30-35 m) high and fed lava flows in the western part of Halemaʻumaʻu. The volcanic plume was going almost straight up from the lack of wind. USGS photo by D. Downs

UNHEALTHY AIR GREETED Pāhala Friday morning with haze hanging in the village and blanketing the mountains and coast. At 8 a.m., the air quality was rated Unhealthy, with the red symbol on the state Department of Health's air quality map. Nāʻālehu's air was rated Moderate. By noon, the intermittent breeze had blown much of the vog away and air quality became Moderate, then Good. For Pāhala and Nāʻālehu, air quality returned to Moderate in the evening.

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A TRAGIC 2024 TRAFFIC FATALITY & DUI REPORT FROM HAWAI'I POLICE DEPARTMENT has been released. 
    In 2024 there were 26 fatal crashes on Hawai'i Island, resulting in 29 fatalities, compared with 14 fatal crashes resulting in 15 fatalities in 2023. This represents an increase of 85.7 percent for fatal crashes and 93.3 percent for fatalities.
    For the year 2024, there were 964 Driving Under the Influence of an intoxicant arrests compared with 955 in 2023, an increase of 0.94 percent.

    Impaired drivers involved in traffic collisions and impaired drivers under the age of 21 both saw increases in 2024 compared to the preceding year. There were 277 drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were involved in traffic collisions in 2024, compared with 254 in 2023, an increase of 9.1 percent. Meanwhile, 71 drivers arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant who were under the age of 21 in 2024, compared with 65 in 2023, an increase of 9.2 percent. Major traffic collisions increased in 2024, with 987 major collisions compared to 843 in 2023, an increase of 17.1 percent.
    HPD promises that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

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A cone along the Maunaiki Trail. A hike begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Kaʻū Desert Trailhead on Highway 11
in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, one of the many Volcano Awareness Month events. NPS Photo by A. LaValle

HIKE THE KAʻŪ DESERT TRAIL ON SATURDAY MORNING at 10 a.m. as Volcano Awareness Month continues. Traverse Mauna Loa’s Keamoku ʻaʻā lava flow and find the footprints in Kīlauea’s 1790 
explosive ash deposit during this guided hike to the Footprints shelter in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National
Park.
    University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Geology Department faculty and geologist Cheryl Gansecki will talk about the geologic features along the trail in this unique region where Mauna Loa, Earth’s largest active volcano, and Kīlauea, one of Earth’s most active volcanoes, meet. Gansecki will tell the story of the fatal explosive eruption of Kīlauea in 1790, which deposited ash that preserves footprints of that time period.        Adventurous hikers can continue on to Maunaiki to explore vents and lava flows of the 1919–1920 eruption (adds an additional moderate hike of +2 miles roundtrip). Meet at 10 a.m. at the Kaʻū Desert 
Trailhead on Highway 11 in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
    To read more about the trail and history Footprints area, see: https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/footprints.htm

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See upcoming events, print edition and archive at kaunews.com.

5,000 delivered in the mail, 2,500 on the streets.