Ka`u News Briefs Nov. 27, 2012

Beach at Road to the Sea is part of more than 3,000 acres approved for preservation by Hawai`i County Council.
Photo courtesy of Megan Lamson

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC CO. has scheduled a meeting in Pahala next week for its Aloha Advisory Group, according to Lisa K. K. Giang, director of the Corporate Energy Planning Division for Hawaiian Electric Co.
      In her Transmittal of Scheduled Public meetings, the gathering is listed for Thursday, Dec. 6 at Pahala Community Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Meetings of the group are being held around the state. A public notice was printed in Sunday’s Hilo and Kona newspapers for meetings at Waikoloa and Hilo. The Pahala meeting has since been added.
      Advisory group members from the Big Island, include County Planning director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Hawai`i County Housing Office representative Niniau Simmons, current County Council chair Dominic Yagong, current state House of Representatives member Robert Herkes, businessman Barry Mizuno, Rep. Denny Coffman, Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Robert Lindsey, Jr., Hawai`i Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai`i Authority representative Gregory P. Barbour, energy expert Robert Rapier and Matthew Hamabata of The Kohala Center.

Matthew Hamabata Photo from
The Kohala Center

      Aloha Advisory Group members were selected by the Public Utilities Commission to advise HECO with its integrated resource planning to develop an Action Plan to govern how HECO will meet energy objectives and customer energy needs consistent with state energy policies and goals. According to the PUC’s order establishing the advisory group, its purpose is to “provide the Hawaiian Electric Companies with the benefit of community perspectives by participating in the utility’s integrated resource planning process and representing diverse community, environmental, social, political, or cultural interest consistent with the Revised Framework’s goal.” The document says that the “Advisory Group represents interests that are affected by the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ resource plans and possesses the ability to provide significant perspective or useful expertise in the development of the resource plans.”
      To review the advisory group documents, see www.irp.ie.com.

COUNTY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS to repeal the Public Land Development Corp, which passed all three neighbor island County Councils, may not be included in the Hawai`i State Association of Counties’ 2013 legislative package. According to a Peter Sur story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, the proposal may be nixed by the Honolulu City Council. Sur reports that last Wednesday, “minutes before the Thanksgiving weekend, five Honolulu Council members introduced a resolution for the HSAC that omits requests to introduce both a GMO labeling bill and a proposed repeal of the Public Lands Development Corp.”
      According to the Tribune-Herald story, “The passage of the resolution without a floor amendment would mean that the Hawai`i County Council’s votes requesting HSCA to introduce legislation abolishing the PLDC and mandating GMO labeling would be nullified.”
      Those supporting abolishing the PLDC and establishing GMO labeling are planning to take up the matters with the Honolulu council today, the story says.
      See more at www.hawaii-tribuneherald.com.

Hawai`i County Council approved the purchase of 3,128 acres along
the Ka`u Coast.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL LAST WEEK authorized Mayor Billy Kenoi to enter into an agreement with the state of Hawai`i, Board of Land and Natural Resources, Legacy Land Conservation Commission, and to accept funds for the acquisition of Kahuku Coastal Property accessed by Road to the Sea. The resolution passed unanimously, with Council members Fred Blas and Angel Pilago absent.

A BILL ADDING $10,640,000 TO THE COUNTY BUDGET for Ka`u Water Source and Storage Expansion Project passed its second and final reading at County Council unanimously, with Council member Fred Blas absent. Funds will be provided from general obligation bonds, capital projects funds and/or other sources such as grants. Funds will be used for water infrastructure improvements, which will add a new well source, expand water storage and replace buried water lines where appropriate.

Two bills passed by County Council expand water storage in Ka`u.
Photo from Department of Water Supply

ANOTHER BILL ADDING $9,900,000 TO THE COUNTY BUDGET FOR South Point Road Water Infrastructure Expansion Project also passed its second and final reading unanimously, with Council member Fred Blas absent. Funds will be provided from general obligation bonds, capital projects funds and/or other sources such as grants. Funds will be used for water infrastructure improvements to replace and realign an existing water line above Hwy 11, add a new well source, expand water storage and bring a new six-inch, buried, ductile pipe water line and fire hydrants to the area below Hwy 11.

THE NEXT COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Ka`u residents can now participate at Ocean View Community Center, 92-8924 Leilani Circle, with a new system that allows testimony to be given live from the site. Committee meeting agendas are available at http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/lb-council-committee, and Council agendas, along with information on how to submit testimony, can be viewed at http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/lb-council-meeting. For more information, call 961-8536 or edistrict6@co.hawaii.hi.us.

ESTABLISHMENT OF A SENIOR CENTER in Ocean View has been approved by the Windward Planning Commission. The application calls for the center to also be used as a community center and emergency shelter with a capacity of 100 people. The two-acre parcel of land, situated within the state Land Use Agricultural District on Lotus Blossom Lane mauka of Ace Hardware, would also have a certified kitchen. The decision states that, “since this recommendation is made without the benefit of public testimony, the director reserves the right to modify and/or alter this recommendation based upon additional information presented at the public hearing.”

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS has identified a priority list for $8.9 million in grant money that community organizations across the state can now apply for. At the top of the priority list are grant proposals aimed at improving nutrition and physical activity within the Hawaiian community, where OHA has stepped up efforts to combat obesity. Other prime targets for OHA grants include programs that perpetuate Hawaiian culture and preserve natural resources in a manner that would benefit future generations.
      The deadline to apply for a grant is Jan. 16. The grants fund a two-year period between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2015.
      For more information, call 808-594-1986, email grantsinfo@oha.org or visit www.oha.org.

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I is reaching out to Native Hawaiians across on the Big Island who want to pursue a college education. The effort is part of a statewide initiative to bring Native Hawaiian scholarship opportunities to underserved communities in Hawai`i.

      UH has partnered with Office of Hawaiian Affairs and GEAR UP Hawai`i to present the 2012-2013 Native Hawaiian Scholarship Aha, a series of free presentations for high school students, parents, teachers, current college students, adult students, counselors and anyone interested in learning about the resources and financial aid available to Native Hawaiian students.
      There will also be a brief workshop on filling out financial aid applications and strategies on earning scholarships.
      Other community partners supporting the workshops include Native Hawaiian Education Association, Kamehameha Schools and Pacific Financial Aid Association.
      The workshops are from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow at Kealakehe High School Cafeteria in Kona and Thursday at UH-Hilo’s Campus Center. Information about the workshops is available online at www.hawaii.edu/aha.

TONIGHT’S AFTER DARK IN THE PARK about fossilized human footprints in the Ka`u Desert has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.

Fall Turkey, by Lanaya Deily, is on display at
Volcano Art Center Gallery. Photo from VAC

SEN. JOSH GREEN APPEARS ON INSIGHTS, the PBS Hawai`i program hosted by Dan Boylan, Thursday at 8 p.m. in a roundtable discussion on the state of health care in Hawai`i. Green started his career as a physician at Ka`u Hospital and was elected to represent Ka`u from Honu`apo through Na`alehu, South Point, Ocean View and up the coast through Kona when the 2013 Hawai`i State Legislature convenes. He is chair of the Senate’s Committee on Health.

HOLIDAY WREATHS are on display at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Wreaths are made from many materials, from turkey feathers to cloth fabric. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN FOR THE HOLIDAYS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Nov. 26, 2012

A wisp of steam marks the site of lava entering the ocean this morning. Photo from USGS/HVO

NO COMMENT ON THE KA`U FOREST RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN lawsuit filed last week by Pele Defense Fund. That’s the word from the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. Comments are expected after the state Attorney General looks at the suit, which calls for an Environmental Impact Statement.

Map from DLNR shows hunting areas and proposed
fencing areas in Ka`u Forest Reserve.

      The management plan for 61,641 state-owned acres, which are surrounded on three sides by other state and federal properties, calls for fencing through some of the high elevation of the Ka`u Forest Reserve to keep out ungulates such as pigs, goats and sheep, which destroy native plants and endanger native Hawaiian birds. The plan also calls for reintroduction of the endangered `Alala, the native Hawaiian Crow, which is believed to be extinct in the wild and lives only in bird sanctuaries.

      Some hunters, however, recoil at any more access limitation in Ka`u, where new fencing has been strung for cattle ranching and by new owners of property that was left open to the community by the old sugar company. Some ranches, such as Kapapala, work with hunters and give access through pastures. However, the word “fencing” has become a hot-button issue, and some residents see it as further restricting subsistence hunters and gatherers from land where they traditionally traveled.

      The management plan calls for walkovers – stairways going over fencing – to preserve hunting trails. Much of the proposed fenced-in area would be at high elevations that are less frequently used as hunting grounds, the plan states.

      The EA lays out the general purposes of the management plan as follows:

• Develop management actions for general and specific areas that protect and restore the watershed and native species as vital natural and cultural resources. These actions include fencing and ungulate removal from the most critical area(s), predator control, invasive plant removal and control, and native plant restoration.
• Reintroduce the `Alala to the Ka`u Forest Reserve.
• Enhance public access to Ka`u Forest Reserve through development and maintenance of public access roads and other infrastructure (trails, cabins and/or campsites, etc.).
• Conform with the purpose of the Forest Reserve System and the Ka`u Forest Reserve, in particular as stated in Hawai`i Revised Statutes (Chapter 183) and associated Hawai`i Administrative Rules (Chapter 104), to protect, manage, restore and monitor the resources of Forest Reserves for the public benefit, particularly water resources.

      “Implementation of this management plan will be a huge benefit to rare, threatened and endangered plant and animal species in the ecosystem,” the DLNR statement says.
      The Ka`u forest provides habitat for 16 native Hawaiian birds, including seven listed as Endangered Species; encompasses five major native-dominated forest ecosystems, contains critical habitat for 32 rare plants (listed or candidate) and four endemic and, or, listed invertebrates and likely also provides habitat for the Hawaiian hoary bat.
      Fencing is already built on one side of the unit, and partnership opportunities are available with adjacent landowners for additional habitat protection, says a DLNR press release.
      To read the entire management plan, see http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-10-23-FEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan-5B.pdf.

Life of the Land director
Henry Curtis

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION HAS DENIED a request by several parties and participants in the docket concerning the proposed contract between Hawai`i Electric Light Company and `Aina Koa Pono. HELCO, `Aina Koa Pono, the Consumer Advocate, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and the County of Hawai`i requested a new, shorter Schedule of Proceedings. Life of the Land, an intervenor and one of the parties in the procedure, objected to the new schedule, which set the final due date for Companies’ responses to Information Requests on rebuttal testimony as May 3, 2013 instead of Aug. 2, 2013.

      The requestors had interpreted language in the original order as not requiring unanimity to make changes to the schedule, but the PUC said that interpretation is “without merit” and that the order “clearly identifies the ‘Parties’ as the Companies, the Consumer Advocate and LOL, and the ‘Participants’ as the County of Hawai`i and DBEDT.
      “In the absence of unanimous agreement, no new, proposed procedural schedule should have been filed with the commission,” the PUC statement said.
      This and other documents and public testimony can be read at puc.hawaii.gov/dockets. Docket number is 2012-0185.
      Deadline for public written comments to the PUC regarding the proposed biodiesel supply contract is this Friday, Nov. 30. Email testimony to hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov or mail to 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Cowman greets winner Alexandre Ribeiro, left, at the 28th annual
Ultraman Triathlon finish line. Photo from realendurance.com

THE 28TH ANNUAL ULTRAMAN TRIATHLON, after zooming through Ka`u, wound up in Kona yesterday with 47-year-old Alexandre Ribeiro, of Brazil, winning the swim, bike and run in 22 hours, 51 minutes and 12 seconds. Amber Monforte, of Reno, NV, won the women’s division with a time of 34 hours, 25 minutes and 29 seconds.

      Ribeiro and Monforte were last year’s winners, as well. Of the 35 who started the grueling three-day race, 27 finished.

LAVA FROM KILAUEA VOLCANO continues to flow into the ocean after reaching the coastline in lower Puna around 1 p.m. Saturday. The last lava flow to reach the ocean occurred in December last year at West Ka`ili`ili, then stopped on New Year’s Day.

HAWAI`I NEI, THE ANNUAL EXHIBIT celebrating Hawai`i’s native species, runs through the end of the month at Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center in Hilo. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m.

Dr. Jadelyn Moniz-Nakamura
Photo from NPS

DR. JADELYN J. MONIZ-NAKAMURA discusses fossilized human footprints in the Ka`u Desert at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. She examines geologic evidence and the recent discovery of hundreds of archaeological features that indicate prehistoric activity in the area, suggesting that the footprints may be much older than expected.
      The program takes place at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

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

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Nov. 25, 2012

Lo`ihi mapping shows a large volcano under the sea 22 miles off the southeast coast of Ka`u. Image from NOAA

A 4.3 EARTHQUAKE struck yesterday at 6 p.m., four miles east-northeast of Lo`ihi Seamount. The quake was 9.1 miles below sea level on the ocean floor south of Pahala and Punalu`u and east of South Point. Windows rattled in Ka`u and beyond, but no damage was reported.

      Lo`ihi is an active underwater volcano, about 400,000 years old, with its summit having risen to about 3,180 feet below sea level. Emerging from a hot spot on the Pacific Ocean floor, Lo`ihi has grown to become 10,000 feet tall when measured from the seabed and could rise above the ocean surface in about 10,000 to 100,000 years from now, earth scientists predict.

A 4.3 earthquake struck off the Ka`u Coast yesterday.

      According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Loi`hi Seamount was the site of a flurry of earthquakes Dec. 6 and 7 in 2005. Over 100 earthquakes were located by HVO. An eruption was followed by a swarm of 4,070 earthquakes in 1996. The series of quakes became the largest number recorded during a swarm in the history of studying Hawai`i’s volcanoes. 

      HVO reports: “After the
 swarm, scientists on submersible dives to Lo`ihi concluded that the
 earthquakes were accompanied by a significant collapse of the summit
 area and an apparent eruption.” The quakes led to the implosion of Pele’s Vents, which are now known as Pele’s Pit. The eruption and swarm crafted a major change in about five square miles of the underwater topography of Lo`ihi.
      The newest in the chain of volcanoes that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Lo`ihi is growing out of the flank of Mauna Loa Volcano, which is the largest shield volcano on earth. When measured from its base on the ocean floor, Mauna Loa is more than 30,000 feet tall.

Preston Barnes opposes the `Aina Koa Pono
contract. Photo from Rotary Club of Hilo Bay

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION has received more testimony in advance of the Nov. 30 deadline regarding the application for approval of Hawai`i Electric Light Company’s proposed 20-year biodiesel supply contract with `Aina Koa Pono. The plan to build a refinery off  Wood Valley Road and a biofuel farm between Pahala and Na`alehu is drawing testimony from O`ahu and the Big Island. It would raise electric bills on both islands and would reportedly fix the price of the biofuel at some $200 a barrel. The proposal is also drawing testimony from those affiliated with `Aina Koa Pono. 

      Brett Kulbis, of Ewa Beach on O`ahu, opposes the contract. He writes, “I’m opposed to the `Aina Koa Pono biofuel purchase proposal. It will raise electricity rates. I want lower rates. Over the last two years, my electrical bill has gone up from approximately $237 per month to $591; this is becoming outrageous. Purchasing biofuel at $200 per barrel is not only irrational, it is fiscally irresponsible. The Hawaiian Electric Co. monopolistic stranglehold on our electric rates and energy future must end.”

      Preston Barnes, who owns property in Wood Valley, worked as a supervisor for Ka`u Sugar and for C. Brewer for 20 years, opposes the contract. The Papaikou resident says, “I agree that we need renewable energy, but it doesn’t make sense to develop a product, any product, that is more expensive than oil, especially if you intend to have HELCO pass on the cost of this development to the consumer. Let’s use common sense and develop alternative fuels or methods that are less expensive than oil first. All you are doing is funding an alternative source which is a private company developing a product that they can’t sell because it is not economical.”

John Carroll,  left, works with `Aina Koa Pono to grow test crops in Wood
Valley and submits testimony supporting the biofuel project.
Photo by Michael Neal

      John Carroll, of the Pacific Northwest and Kona, who has worked for `Aina Koa Pono, supports the project. He says he is an agricultural engineer who has helped `Aina Koa Pono locate some of the plant varieties being used for yield trials. “The sustainable benefits far outweigh any perceived increases in electrical costs,” he writes. “Initially, there may be some slight increases, but as oil prices rise in the future, `Aina Koa Pono’s project will act as a stabilizing agent and will eventually be effective in reducing costs and providing a green, renewable source of carbon-negative energy, which Hawai`i can be proud of and works well with our agricultural heritage.”
      Carroll says AKP offers “the only technology which supplies the volumes of needed liquid fuels.” He contends that AKP will utilize marginal lands and not lands currently used for food production, will keep land in agricultural use and not for speculation, will employ farmers and agriculturalists - similar to the sugar cane days - and make Hawai`i County a destination for eco-tourism.
      The PUC is accepting testimony through Nov. 30 at hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov and 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, HI 96813.
      See more testimony and the proposal at www.puc.hawaii.gov/dockets.

Program director Yvonne Gilbert

ARC OF KONA ANNOUNCES ITS FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of providing an active project site and services in Ka`u. In the winter of 2008, Arc of Kona received two donated homes in Ocean View. After much deliberation and community input, the private nonprofit decided to develop one home as an activity center for adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. The house next door was developed as a low-cost, high-quality housing unit for people living with a disability who can live independently. “To date, we have been successful in fulfilling both goals, and we are able and willing to support more people living with disabilities,” said program director Yvonne Gilbert. “Throughout the last five years, we have been fortunate to receive ongoing support for our homes in Ocean View, including installing safe water systems and recently replacing and upgrading flooring in the residence.”

      Arc of Kona provides one-on-one services to individuals with DD/ID via the Personal Assistance and Habilitation program of the Medicaid Waiver. Staff works with individuals with disabilities on increasing their independence and skills in activities of daily living, personal care skills and community access. “There is a formal process of admission and establishing meaningful goals for the people we support, ongoing review of these goals, qualified and caring staff, and a lovely and cozy house from which to practice these goals,” Gilbert said. “We are always interested in hearing from you if you or a family member has a disability and are looking for supports and services. We are also interested in hearing from you if you are skilled or interested in working with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities.”
      Arc of Kona has been serving Hawai‘i Island for over 40 years and is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
      For more information, contact Gilbert at 323-2626.

Ka`u Coffee Pageant winners for 2011-2012, Miss Ka`u
Coffee Brandy Shibuya and Miss Ka`u Peaberry Rebecca
Lynn Kailiawa-Escobar. Photo by Julia Neal

CALLING FOR MISS KA`U COFFEE CANDIDATES: Young women wanting to become Miss Ka`u Coffee contestants for 2013 are welcome to sign up for the competition by Jan. 15 for the spring pageant. Categories will be Miss Ka`u Coffee for young women ages 17 to 24 and Miss Ka`u Peaberry for girls ages 7 to 9. The winners will reign over the annual Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 4. 

      Candidates must be age 17-24 by May 13 for Miss Ka`u Coffee. Candidates must be age 7-9 by May 13 for Miss Ka`u Peaberry. Pick up and drop off applications at R&G Store in Pahala, Pahala Community Center, Grandma’s Closet in Na`alehu and Kahuku Gift & Garden Shop in Ocean View. For more, contact Gloria Camba at 928-8558 or call Pahala Plantation Cottages at 928-9811. Organizers also welcome volunteers to help produce the pageant.

VOLCANO VILLAGE ARTISTS HUI Art Studio Tour & Sale continues today until 4 p.m. Artists display their work in several studios throughout the village. Maps are available at local businesses and VolcanoVillageArtistsHui.com.

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY continues today at Volcano Art Center Gallery with art demonstrations and a selection of handcrafted decorations and gifts offered only during the holiday season are available until 5 p.m. Park entrance fees apply. For more, visit volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-7565.

After Dark in the Park examines fossilized footprints in the Ka`u Desert.

FOSSILIZED HUMAN FOOTPRINTS IN THE KA`U DESERT are the topic at After Dark in the Park Tuesday at 7 p.m. Archaeological research at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park suggests that the story behind the creation of may be more complex than originally thought. Footprint impressions found in desert ash layers were believed to have been created by the army of the Hawaiian Chief Keoua in 1790 on their way back from battle over land and power with Chief (later King) Kamehameha. With his army split into three groups, Keoua passed by Kilauea Volcano. Kilauea is said to have erupted, sending ash down on one group and suffocating them. The others made it out alive, apparently leaving their footprints in the wet ash. The ash dried, forever memorializing this event, or did it? Dr. Jadelyn J. Moniz-Nakamura examines geologic evidence, coupled with the recent discovery of hundreds of archaeological features that may indicate much more prehistoric activity in the area suggesting others contributed to the footprint impressions.
      The program takes place at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Park entrance fees apply.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN FOR THE HOLIDAYS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.