Ka`u News Briefs June 4, 2012

Search and rescue teams covered more than 1,500 square miles of ocean and Ka`u Coastline looking for Ceasare "Chaz" Moses, whose body was found this morning. Photo by Peter Anderson

THE SEARCH FOR CHAZ MOSES, of Pahala, ended this morning with the fire department rescue team locating his body in waters off of South Point, ending an all out search since Saturday afternoon.

Ceasare "Chaz" Moses

      After searching the coast and the ocean, buoys were launched Sunday to follow currents that could have taken him out to sea after a series of unexpected large waves pulled him away from shore while he was retrieving a throw net at South Point on Saturday before 3 p.m.. According to a report to KHON2 News from close friend Cyboy Lopez, friends cast flotation devices toward Moses but were unable to reach him. Friends lost sight of Moses as he floated about 200 yards offshore.
       Ceasare “Chaz” Moses was 29, a year 2000 graduate of Ka`u High School, a father and an ardent fisherman who was planning to enter an ulua fishing contest this summer at South Point, reported Hawai`i News Now. He was planning to attend college this fall in Hilo and hoped to become a police officer. He is the son of Jovena and John Moses, Jr. of Pahala.
      County helicopters, Choppers One and Two, searched for Moses over the weekend, along with a Coast Guard helicopter, C-130 plane and search and rescue boats covering more than 1,500 square miles.

`Aina Koa Pono's vision of its biofuel farm and refinery in Ka`u.

BIOFUEL RESEARCH ON NAPIER GRASS, SUGAR CANE, ENERGY CANE SWEET SORGHUM received a boost from Congress last week, when Hawai`i’s congressional delegation announced a $6 million grant for University of Hawai`i. A press release from Sen. Dan Inouye, Sen. Dan Akaka, Rep. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa said the money will be used to “continue efforts to convert grass and other biomass into sustainable, commercial biofuel.” The money comes from a grant administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

      U.H. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources “will use the funds to help pay for the Biomass Research and Development Initiative, a project designed to convert napier grass, sugarcane, energy cane, sweet sorghum and other plant products into sustainable, economically viable biofuel,” the press release states.
      Said Inouye, “Continuing to invest in a sustainable energy future is vital to the health of our environment and our economy. At this time, fuel used for air, sea, and land transportation accounts for more than 60 percent of the oil imported into Hawai`i. These funds will help convert various species of grass and plants into clean fuel.” The senator wrote that “Hawai`i is at the forefront of clean energy research and development, and the projects and initiatives underway in our islands are helping to lessen our dependence on imported oil and moving us toward a time when the majority of our power is generated from clean, sustainable sources.”

Napier grass is one of the biofuel crops to
be studied by University of Hawai`i.

      Akaka stated that “biofuels offer much promise for our economy and environment since they can be locally produced and have the potential to significantly reduce pollution. The University of Hawai`i is a leader in renewable energy technologies, including biomass-to-biofuels research, and I look forward to continued advancements being made at CTAHR.”
      Hirono stated that “part of our challenge when it comes to making our state energy independent is determining how Hawai`i’s unique climate and year-round growing season affect things like crop yields for biomass. Research conducted on the mainland doesn’t take those factors into account. That’s why investments like this help us learn the types of yields we can expect or the requirements we’d need to plan for when growing various biomass crops. That information is essential for companies and potential investors interested in developing alternative energy projects.”
      The press release said that Hirono has long supported this program and recently released an energy sustainability plan. “I congratulate the University of Hawai`i for winning this important investment that will help Hawai`i create more of our own energy," the congresswoman sated
      Wrote Hanabusa: “Hawai`i is the ideal laboratory for developing biofuel because our climate allows a diverse array of plant species to grow in the quantities necessary to test and convert to energy.” Hanabusa, a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, stated: “Investing in and promoting renewable energy initiatives helps lessen our dependence on imported fossil fuels, protects our environment and creates jobs. I would like to thank the administration for their continued support of Hawai`i’s renewable energy industries.”

      One biofuel farm is planned by investors and several landowners in Ka`u. `Aina Koa Pono plans a biofuel farm on pasture land between Pahala and Na`alehu and a refinery off Wood Valley Road above Pahala.

BAY CLINIC IN NA`ALEHU has reduced hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Previous hours were 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monica Adams, Bay Clinic’s director of Development, Public Relations and Marketing, said that although hours of operation are being reduced, more appointments will be made available during those hours. She reported that most patients typically request appointments within the timeframe of the new hours. Provider schedules have been reworked to better serve the needs of Bay Clinic patients, she said. 

      For more information and appointments, call 929-7311.

DEADLINE TO FILE to run for the Aug. 11 primary election is 4:30 p.m. tomorrow. Candidates for Congress, the state Legislature, mayor, County Council and other elected positions must already have petitions from voters to qualify.

Phases of last night's lunar eclipse were captured by Ka`u photographer Peter Anderson.

A PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE was easily seen in Ka`u skies last night, with about a third of the moon in shadow. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle.

A 3.7 EARTHQUAKE HIT the ocean floor just before 1 a.m. this morning between the Loihi Seamount and the Ka`u Coast, eight miles southeast of Na`alehu and 13 miles east- northeast of South Point. Neither damage nor tsunami threat was reported. The depth of the quake was 23.6 miles.

Venus' orbit lines up between the Earth and sun tomorrow
to create a transit. Image from NASA

DON’T LOOK AT THE SUN tomorrow to see the planet Venus transiting across the sun’s surface, unless you are wearing welding goggles or special glasses made for the event. It will take place from 12:09 p.m. to 6:42 p.m., when Venus will be seen by those wearing the glasses as a small dot marching across the sun. The next time that Venus, which is closer to the sun than the Earth, will cross the Earth’s orbit will be more than a century from now. The next Venus Transit will occur in 2117, even though the last one was eight years ago in June 2004. 

      The rarity of the event has to do with the shape and speed of the orbits of the two planets around the sun. Other Venus transits were in 1631 and 1639, 1761 and 1769, and 1874 and 1882.

KA`U SCHOOL OF THE ARTS celebrates King Kamehameha Day a week from today with its Summer Creations event at Pahala Plantation House. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., guided art activities take place. They will include macrame with Alma Gorali, stitchery dolls with Kepi Davis, poetrix with Jym Duncan, traditional Pacific Island dances with Betina Wajar, batik with Terri Chapot, clay miniatures with Bobbie Beebe, metal intaglio with Suzshi Lang, acrylics on textile with Iris Bishoff and more. The event is free, and some activities may have a modest materials fee.

      KSA aims to introduce and practice Aloha, `Ohana, Ho`olaulima, Lokahi, Malama and Kokua in an active art setting and provide a safe, encouraging environment for creativity within the community. Call Theresa at 938-9767 for more information.

Image from www.awaiaulu.org

`IKE KU`OKO`A: LIBERATING KNOWLEDGE is the topic at After Dark in the Park tomorrow. Project director Puakea Nogelmeier discusses making over 125,000 pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers printed in more than 100 different papers from 1834 to 1948 readily available. It possibly the largest native-language cache in the western world, he said. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs June 3, 2012

Ka`u Farmers Market, shut down yesterday without notice, has been an outlet for farmers, crafters and artists for more than a decade.

KA`U FARMERS MARKET shut down indefinitely yesterday with no apparent notice to farmers, crafters and others who depend on the Na`alehu venue to make a living.
      Ka`u Coffee farmer Lorie Obra said vendors started setting up at 5 a.m. and were selling when they were told they must pack up and leave the grounds of Ace Hardware, where the market has been held for 11 years. Farmers Market manager Shari Quensel said she was told by the Ace manager to send the vendors home. Police were on hand to prevent a disturbance. Apparently, a woman fell at the market several weeks ago, and there is a disagreement over whether she, the farmers market or Ace is responsible. One produce and flower vendor who depends on farmers markets to support her children went across the street and sold at the Island Market parking lot, but whether the owner, 300 Corp., would allow a market in its parking lot is in question. About 60 vendors used Ka`u Farmers Market to sell, some of them always coming on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Vendors paid fees that covered a $3 million liability insurance policy, organizers said.
      The market started on Dec. 1, 2001. Ace Hardware has provided the space for the farmers market free of charge since it opened. Sokha and Ellis Hester, Jean Shibuya and Lorie Obra have been selling there for more than a decade.

Palikapu Dedman, left, a key campaigner in saving the Wao Kele O Puna
`ohi`a forest, and Pahala hunter Mike Silva, discuss the Ka`u Forest
Reserve Plan with Ron Terry, who is working on the Environmental
Assessment. Photos by Geneveve Fyvie

HUNTERS AND SOVEREIGNTY SUPPORTERS filled the Na`alehu Community Center yesterday to tell planners and government officials that they are afraid of losing hunting grounds, access to the forest and access to water. Much of the testimony was directed toward an increase in fencing over the last 16 years since the sugar industry shut down in Ka`u and sold off land. Fencing for cattle ranching and farms, and fencing designed to protect native species from invasive pigs, goats and sheep, have blocked off some traditional paths to hunting and gathering grounds that local families have used for generations. 

      The meeting was for public input on the state Department of Land and Natural Resources draft plan for the 61,641-acre Ka`u Forest Reserve. Hunters who testified said that hunting to feed families is a right and a long-held practice. They talked about Ka`u being one of the last places left for people to have the freedom to hunt and gather in the forest.

Cultural traditions and native Hawaiian rights became
part of the discussion concerning Ka`u Forest Reserve.

      Comments, however, extended to such accusations as environmentalists plotting to destabilize the high standard of living of the U.S. and government protection of native forests being a conspiracy of the United Nations to control local people. Some speakers also talked about Hawaiian sovereignty, saying that government had no right to manage the forest. Another accused the federal Department of the Interior of being the most corrupt government agency.
      Planners for the state, which owns Ka`u Forest Reserve, presented maps and ideas to the public before the meeting, showing plans for paths through the forest for hunters, gatherers and hikers and stairs that walk over fences that could be constructed in an area planned for fencing at a high elevation in the reserve. The purpose would be to exclude ungulates for protection of the watershed, native plants and animals, as well as possible reintroduction of the endangered Hawaiian crow, the `alala, into the wild.

Maps show plans to protect Ka`u Forest Reserve while
providing trails for hikers and hunters.

      Public officials attending the meeting included Ka`u County Council member Brittany Smart and South Kona County Council member Brenda Ford. Some speakers asked why state senators and representatives and more state agency officials were missing from the meeting.
      The DLNR plans to come up with a final Environmental Assessment for the Ka`u Forest Reserve. Copies of the plan’s Draft EA can be read at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20-Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/-Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.
     For more information, contact Ron Terry at 969-7090 or rterry@hawaii.rr.com.

Yagong prepares bills regarding hunting on Hawai`i Island.
Photo from Big Island Video News

COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIR DOMINIC YAGONG told Big Island Video News that he will introduce an ordinance this week asking the state to prohibit ungulate eradication by helicopter. The practice is used to rid forests and open areas of invasive ungulates on terrain difficult to access from the ground, in order to protect the watershed and native species. Local hunters have long said they want to be the ones to help manage overpopulation of pigs, goats and sheep that take out native plants, diminish the watershed and contribute to the spread of avian malaria that kills off native birds. The ordinance says that the shooting by marksmen in helicopters is “completely and unequivocally in conflict with the values of the people of Hawai`i.” Yagong writes that it is “not pono.” The bill goes before the Council on Wednesday. 

      A second initiative of Yagong is a proposed charter amendment for the county to set up a Game Management Advisory Commission.

THE COUNTY COUNCIL PASSED Mayor Billy Kenoi’s $360 million county budget last week with few changes. The budget passed 8 – 1, with Council chair Dominic Yagong casting the only negative vote. Yagong had been expected to challenge the budget and attempt to force the administration to make advance payments toward health care funding for retirees, a move supported by Council members Brenda Ford and Brittany Smart. Instead, however, he is expected to propose legislation this week that would require using any excess funds over $5 million in county coffers to go toward paying ahead on the health insurance. The payments are called GASBY45.

A MAN THROWING NET AT SOUTH POINT was swept out to sea yesterday. County helicopters Chopper One and Chopper Two searched until sundown along with a rescue boat and divers. The Coast Guard searched by helicopter offshore last night, and the search resumed this morning. The man and a friend were throwing net before 3 p.m. when he was pulled from nearshore waters and started drifting west, last seen about 200 yards offshore. According to the fire department, attempts by friends to throw him flotation devices failed.

After Dark in the Park's topic is `Ike Ku`oko`a: Liberating Knowledge.
Image from www.awaiaulu.org

THE TOPIC AT AFTER DARK IN THE PARK this Tuesday is `Ike Ku`oko`a: Liberating Knowledge. Director Puakea Nogelmeier describes the project to make over 125,000 pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers printed in more than 100 different papers from 1834 to 1948 readily available. It possibly the largest native-language cache in the western world, he said. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply

KING KAMEHAMEHA DAY at Pahala Plantation House a week from tomorrow will be hosted by Ka`u School of the Arts. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., there will be guided arts activities. 

Kepi Davis, left, will share art of stitchery dolls at Summer
Creations. Photo from Ka`u School of the Arts

    They will include: macrame with Alma Gorali, stitchery dolls with Kepi Davis, poetrix with Jym Duncan, traditional Pacific Island dances with Betina Wajar, batik with Terri Chapot, clay miniatures with Bobbie Beebe, metal intaglio with Suzshi Lang, acrylics on textile with Iris Bishoff and more. The event is free, and some activities may have a modest materials fee. 

    KSA aims to introduce and practice Aloha, `Ohana, Ho`olaulima, Lokahi, Malama and Kokua in an active art setting and provide a safe, encouraging environment for creativity within the community.  Call Theresa at 938-9767 for more information. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs June 2, 2012

A slow earthquake, unnoticed by most residents, moved the south slope of Kilauea about an inch and a half this week.
Map from USGS/HVO

A SLOW-SLIP, SILENT EARTHQUAKE moved the south flank of Kilauea Volcano about an inch and a half into the ocean this week, according to scientists at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The team predicted the event, strung monitors around the crater and recorded the silent quake that went unnoticed by most Big Island residents. It was such a slow slide that it didn’t generate any large seismic waves. Instead, the scientists recorded 144 tiny earthquakes from last Sunday through Thursday morning as the slope was sliding south.
      These silent earthquakes are predictable and happen all over the world - at Kilauea, about every 26 to 30 months. Scientists will study data gathered this week to help them predict more sudden earthquakes.
      It was the team at Kilauea who discovered the slow earthquake phenomena about a decade ago. Global Positioning System stations began recording slow earthquakes around the world in such places as Japan, Mexico, Alaska, Costa Rica and the Pacific Northwest. See more at Volcano Watch:
http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/view.php?id=126.

Rep. Jerry Chang

REP. JERRY CHANG, a powerful Hilo politician who chairs the state House of Representatives Committee on Water, Land & Ocean Resources, will not run for re-election. Reapportionment following the 2010 U.S. Census puts Chang and incumbent Rep. Mark Nakashima in the same district. Chang has represented the Big Island for 24 years. He did not rule out running for another office. 

      Reapportionment also changed the state political map of Ka`u. One Senate district runs from Honua`po to Kona Airport, where Sen. Josh Green is the incumbent. The other Senate district runs from Honu`apo into Puna. The redistricting left Ka`u’s current senator, Gil Kahele, unable to run here as his residence is in Hilo, and he is seeking election there. It also left Rep. Bob Herkes out of the House district serving South Kona, Ocean View and Na`alehu. Herkes is running for the new Senate district from Honu`apo through Volcano and Puna.

Harry Kim

FORMER MAYOR HARRY KIM may run for the mayor’s seat again, according to a report in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald. The Nancy Cook Lauer story says he will make the decision on Monday, the day before the deadline. Also in the primary race for the Democratic nomination are incumbent Billy Kenoi – formerly a Kim aide, and County Council chair Dominic Yagong. The primary is Aug. 11. 

      Cook Lauer writes that “Kim is expected to prove a formidable foe. He’s generally regarded as a popular mayor who led the county during flush times when there was plenty of money for employees and projects. He also has a reputation as a mediator, more likely to try to work things out between opposing views than to impose his own will on others.”
      The story reports that Kim says he is motivated by the recent attempt to waive environmental assessments for proposed geothermal exploration drilling on the island. Kim gave impassioned testimony before the state Environmental Council in Honolulu recently, and the Council voted to prohibit the skirting of environmental studies. Kim said he supports geothermal but “he wants to ensure it’s done safely,” the Hawai`i Tribune Herald story states.

Ka`u Forest Reserve Water Sources

PAHALA POOL HAS REOPENED after being closed to install safer drains. The new larger drains are designed to make it impossible for even the smallest person to become trapped at the bottom of the pool. The pool, free to the public for swimming, is open all summer. 

      Public Recreational Swim hours are 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Monday through Friday; 12:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; and 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
      Adult Lap Swim hours are 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. daily including weekends; and 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
      Water Aerobics classes that last 45 minutes are scheduled at 8 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Monthly fee for the classes is $15.

KA`U FOREST RESERVE PLANS go to a public meeting today at 10:30 a.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Food and childcare will be provided during the meeting. Copies of the plan’s Draft EA can be read at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online-_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf. For more information, contact Ron Terry at 969-7090 or rterry@hawaii.rr.com.

KILAKILA O KA`U takes place today, tomorrow and Monday at Aikala Ranch on South Point Road. The events celebrates the lunar eclipse and Venus transiting the sun. Activities include Hawaiian Language Scrabble Tournament, astrology, palmistry, tarot cards, psychics, psychic mediums, gems, stones, Reiki and massage.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.