Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Helicopters joined ground crews to battle yesterday's fire at Green Sands subdivision. Photo by Pamela Taylor

A BRUSHFIRE DESTROYED ONE HOME in Green Sands subdivision yesterday. Residents of that home and several more had evacuated after Hawai`i County Civil Defense warned of danger due to high winds and heavy smoke. The Red Cross opened a shelter an Na`alehu Community Center.

Winds move clouds and smoke from the Green Sands fire west.
Photo by Shalan Crysdale

      At 9 p.m., Civil Defense reported the fire 50 percent contained and allowed evacuated residents to return home.
      Fire and emergency personnel were on scene all night working to contain the fire.
      As of 5 p.m. yesterday, 15 acres of dry brush had burned, which according to resident Bob Martin on his Facebook page, is the equivalent of 60 lots on Pele, Mark Twain and Mauka Streets. Wind and rough terrain made the fire difficult to control.
      According to Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, Assistant Chief Gantry Andrade said a caller to Hawai`i Fire Department said he “had started a controlled burn, but the fire got away from them.”
      Firefighters worked on the ground and in the air to stop the blaze. A fire department helicopter and another private one made water drops.
      Andrade said two bulldozers, one county and one private, cut firebreaks.
      Martin thanked Hawai`i County Police and Fire Departments, volunteers and neighbors for a job well done. “I’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight, after all,” he said.
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Keawe Lanakila Liu

KEAWE LANAKILA LIU IS VICE PRESIDENT of advancement and innovation at The Kohala Center. Liu assumes the newly created role on July 1. 

      Over the course of his 20-year career, Liu has established a successful track record in advancement, educational leadership, small business administration and developing innovative partnerships and collaboration strategies to build collective support for community-based programs. He joins The Center from his current role as the executive director of the Pauahi Foundation, where he is responsible for developing strategic initiatives for the advancement of Native Hawaiian education. While at Pauahi, he co-founded Mahi`ai Matchup, a program that provides local farmers with access to agricultural lands held by Kamehameha Schools, and started the Paka Ua Movement, which leveraged community and corporate partnerships to increase scholarships for Native Hawaiians in schools across the islands and continental United States.
      “Hawai`i Island is a special place for me, and I’ve long admired The Kohala Center’s efforts to uphold it as an example of sustainable living – for Hawai`i and the world,” Liu said. “I’m thrilled and honored to be part of the momentum The Kohala Center has already created and to play a role in developing new and innovative ways to further its progress, especially through the development of its spectacular new campus on Kohala Mountain. This opportunity to join The Center and contribute to expanding its community of support for resource management, education and sustainability in agriculture and energy is one I simply could not pass up.”
     Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer, The Kohala Center’s president and chief executive officer, said, “Given his dedication to expanding educational opportunities for Hawai`i’s youth and his work to move our islands toward greater food and energy independence, Keawe’s interests and accomplishments are in perfect alignment with The Kohala Center’s values.” 

      The Kohala Center’s connections to Ka`u include annual Mellon Fellowship retreats, advising residents on formation and operation of cooperatives and school garden programs.
     To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Judy Mohr Peterson

JUDY MOHR PETERSON, PH.D. is the state Department of Human Services’ new Med-QUEST Division Administrator. Mohr Peterson, who is a nationally recognized leader in Medicaid, health care transformation and Affordable Care Act implementation, begins work on July 1 and brings 18 years of public health care experience to Hawai`i. She has served as Oregon’s State Medicaid Director since September 2009 and in that role was an architect of Oregon’s successful health system transformation and coverage expansion. During her tenure, local community and primary care increased through coordinated care organizations, which reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations for chronic conditions for Medicaid clients. Oregon also began publicly reporting on health disparities, believing that is the first step to reducing those disparities and improving health for everyone. 

       “Dr. Peterson’s leadership as Medicaid director in Oregon is ideal for Hawai`i as we consider innovations within our own Medicaid programs,” said Gov. David Y. Ige. “I expect she will work closely with DHS Director Rachael Wong to reshape the culture of government and improve services for our keiki, kupuna and all Hawai`i people.”
      Throughout her career, Mohr Peterson’s work has focused on improving care for people who need it the most. Using the tools available as a major health care purchaser in Oregon, she brought physical, mental and dental services together in a way that puts patients at the center of care.
      “Health care services work best when they are focused on the people we serve,” Mohr Peterson said. “I look forward to working with Hawai`i communities to help bring new innovations for better health, better care and lower costs for everyone.”
      Mohr Peterson currently sits on the board of the National Association of Medicaid Directors and serves as an advisor to the National Organization for State and Local Officials. She also is a contributor to multiple organizations focused on health care delivery system and payment reform. In 2010, Mohr Peterson was named one of six Medicaid Director Fellows in the Robert Wood Johnson’s Medicaid Leadership Institute.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Last week was National Small Business Week. Image from SBA

DURING NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK, Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, introduced two pieces of legislation to help small businesses in Hawai`i and across the country grow and succeed. 

      “All small businesses in Hawai`i and across the country deserve a fair shot to succeed, and National Small Business Week serves as a reminder that small businesses create 90 percent of Hawai`i’s jobs, and entrepreneurs are at the forefront of building a more sustainable economy that creates opportunity and prosperity for all,” Hirono said. “The bills I’ve introduced this week focus on two things: helping make it easier for entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground and making it easier for clean energy entrepreneurs and manufacturers to access new markets and opportunities. As a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, I’ll continue fighting to make sure that anyone with ingenuity and commitment to working hard has the resources and support to start, build, and grow their business.”
      The Small Business Start-Up Savings Account Act would allow entrepreneurs to contribute up to $10,000 a year into an account that could be used for purchasing equipment or facilities, marketing, training or paying incorporation and accounting fees for starting a new business. Similar to an individual retirement account, spending from the account would not be included in gross income. Over a lifetime, entrepreneurs could accumulate $150,000 in their accounts, which could be taken out tax free.
      The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing And Export Assistance Act will help small and medium-sized clean technology businesses find new markets in the United States and around the world by creating a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund administered by the International Trade Administration. The fund would assist clean technology firms with export assistance, including finding and navigating foreign markets to export their goods and services abroad. The bill would expand domestic clean technology manufacturing industry by promoting policies that reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment and productivity in the domestic clean energy technology industry, which would help domestic companies increase demand and create jobs.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Hu, or kukui nut top Photo from NPS

HAWAI`I PACIFIC PARKS ASSOCIATION staff members share their knowledge and love of Hu: Kukui Nut Tops tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hu is one of Hawai`i’s popular traditional arts. 

BIOBLITZ AND BIODIVERSITY & Annual Cultural Festival are coming up on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. For BioBlitz, Hawaiian cultural practitioners, students and the public join forces to discover and inventory as many living plants and creatures as possible in the park. The Biodiversity & Cultural Festival offer hands-on science and cultural exhibits, food, art and entertainment, plus the opportunity to meet individuals and organizations at the forefront of conservation, science and traditional Hawaiian culture – and learn how to join their efforts. Park entry fees are waived.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.

Ka`u News Briefs Monday, May 11, 2015

Ka`u photographer Peter Anderson took this photo of Kilauea's lava lake last Thursday, prior to the lake beginning to slowly recede during a deflationary cycle.

PRESERVING THE KA`U COAST was a major topic at the Ka`u Community Development Plan meeting on Saturday at Na`alehu Community Center. 

      County Planner Ron Whitmore said that the Ka`u community has made it “clear that Ka`u doesn’t want coastal development.” He said the community supports human activities on the coast related to education, research and recreation, including fishing.
      Challenges addressed in the CDP regarding coastal management include development entitled in flood-prone Punalu`u areas, residential allowed in Conservation District, no local hearings by the state Land Use Commission, shoreline setbacks established without site-specific considerations and Special Management Areas inconsistent with other zone boundaries.
      The CDP advocates for restrictive subzone designations and local LUC hearings. It also can provide shoreline setback options, guide public ownership of coastal lands and priortize SMA boundaries review.
      Several community members said they were very protective of the coast.
      Aric Arakaki of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail system said he was there to support the community and its effort to maintain an “ancestral connection.” The National Trail runs along the coast of Ka`u with feeder trails running mauka-makai through the traditional ahupua`a from the mountains to the sea. Arakaki works with landowners and community members to protect the trail and provide maintenance and public access, without taking them out of private ownership.

Management of the Ka`u Coast was the topic of a focused discussion Saturday.

      Ralph Roland said he worries that the traditional Hawaiian ahupua`a system for managing land is being ignored.
      John Replogle, who has testified in public forums that lighting from housing and other buildings should be shielded from reaching the coast and to protect the night skies for stargazing, said he favors a coastal setback and keeping the Ka`u Coast in conservation. He said a quarter mile setback would keep development away from coastal resources.
      Shaylan Crysdale said that he supports a policy of holding public hearings in Ka`u for any proposed developments in Ka`u.
      There was discussion about the public desire for access to the coast in numerous places and the responsibility of taking care of the coastline. Bill Gilmartin, of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, talked about public access with responsibility, “instead of tearing up the coast.” Richard Taylor, of Ka Lae, talked about the balance of economic opportunity for local tour guides for Green Sand Beach versus the impact on the landscape from four-wheel-drive vehicles.
      Earl Louis talked about proposed coastal setbacks, including one that would be 1.5 miles from the shore. He said a half-mile option “is not that much.”
      He also talked about Punalu`u and asked why the owner is not required to clean up the abandoned and falling-down restaurant and museum area, which is next to the large pond mauka of Punalu`u Black Sand Beach.
      County planner Ron Whitmore said this is an enforcement matter rather than a planning matter and suggested calling the county Department of Public Works.
      Punalu`u was discussed as a place where there is already zoning for resort and multifamily housing. Whitmore said such entitlements are difficult to remove once they are granted. He said there is a possibility that landowners, including Robert Iwamoto and partners who own the resort property and golf course, could work with the community and surrounding landowners, including the state and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, to come up with a viable plan for Punalu`u that would protect the shore but also have an economic development and local housing component.

      Whitmore discussed the frequent challenges of attempting to develop along the coast, including requirements for Environmental Impact Statements, Special Management Area permits, archaeological surveys and complying with any proposed setback. He noted that a 1,000-foot setback was established for an area along the Kona Coast. He said that county ordinance allows for setbacks and that they have not been interpreted as a taking of property rights if the land is conservation and ag, since those uses would not be denied by a setback. 

     Concerning protecting the coast from sewage, the county planner noted that 50 units of development requires a sewage treatment plan. He also reported that the location of a treatment plant for Na`alehu has not yet been determined.

Mahealani Taganas, left, and Lono Grace

      The draft Ka`u CDP is available for public review at local libraries and community centers and online at kaucdp.info.

      Another focused discussion is set for tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Discovery Harbour Community Center about a proposed development there.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U RURAL HEALTH COMMUNITY Association, Inc. recently presented two nursing scholarships at its annual Rural Health and Membership Conference. Luzviminda Miguel, Chair of KRHCAI’s scholarship committee, presented awards to Mahealani Taganas and Lono Grace. Both attend University of Hawai`i/Hawai`i Community College Allied Health & Practical Nursing Program.
      Ms. Mahealani is the daugher of Jay Taganas, who is employed at Ka`u Hospital. Ms. Grace is the daughter of Pahala coffee farmers Roland and Rayven Grace.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

A SLOW DEFLATIONARY TREND CONTINUES at the summit of Kilauea, where the lava lake within the Overlook Crater is receding. When measured yesterday afternoon, the lava lake surface was about 10 yards below the Overlook crater rim and two to three yards below the original floor of Halema`uma`u Crater.

Awili Hala Kai, by Alan Stafford, took first in its category.
Photo by Nancy Stafford

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA`U TOOK a first place in the recent Kauluwehi lei contest, a juried contest and exhibition in Hilo celebrating native species. Entitled Awili Hala Kai, the lei was designed and made by Alan Stafford. Made of lauhala and opihi shell, it won in the lei `a`i style, `auana category, lau sub-category. The lei is currently on display at Wailoa Center.

      Second-place winner for lei po`o, kahiko category, pua sub-category was created by Liz Kuluwaimaka and also entered by Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u. It was made with a`ali`i, pukeawe, `ohi`a lehua and raffia. 

      Lei were judged on craftsmanship, creativeness of design, uniqueness of material and complexity or effort put into them. Amateur and professional lei artist of all ages were invited to enter.
      The contest and exhibition was sponsored by Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hawai`i Island Natural Area Reserves, Three Mountain Alliance and Wailoa Arts and Cultural Center.

Liz Kuluwaimaka's lei won second in its category.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

MAY MARKS ASTRONOMER LEW COOK’S 108th contribution – nine years’ worth – to The Ka`u Calendar. “It is a continuing pleasure to write these articles,” Cook said. In the current issue of Stars Over Ka`u, Cook discusses interstellar space. 

      “What is in interstellar space – the area between the stars?” Cook asked. “If you answered, ‘Nothing,’ then in some ways you are right. In other ways you are wrong. At its least dense areas, those where it is very hot and atoms are split into two or more parts – the proton and an electron in the case of hydrogen. In the case of some warm areas, there may be less than one atom per cubic centimeter. Now that is what I call a real vacuum! In denser areas, the interstellar medium can exceed a million molecules per cubic centimeter. That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?

Barnard 68 Photo from Wikipedia Commons

      “The interstellar medium is a better vacuum than we can produce in a lab. Even the dustier regions in interstellar space contain a million molecules per cubic centimeter. A person could be excused for thinking, 'A million! That’s a lot!' and you’d be right. But a high performance lab vacuum chamber at its best will have over a billion molecules in the same volume. Interstellar space will occasionally have dust clouds where there are large volumes of very thin dust.

      The dust particles are about the size of that in cigarette smoke. What the dust lacks in density, it makes up for in volume – so much so that that it blocks out optical light from the stars behind it. It has two times the mass of the sun spread over a volume that has half a light year in diameter. 

      “Pictured here is one of these dark blobs – Barnard 68. The dust in Barnard 68 isn’t very thick, but there’s lots of it! Deep infrared studies have shown that the apparent lack of stars is only an optical illusion. It only looks like there are fewer stars in the area, but these studies have shown there are a similar number behind it as surrounding it. Barnard 68 is about 500 light-years distant.”
      The Ka`u Calendar sends out a stellar Mahalo to Cook for encouraging Ka`u residents to appreciate their dark night skies.

      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life tomorrow and every other Tuesday during A Walk into the Past at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center for a short walk to the Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

Students and public can join in BioBlitz species count in Hawai`i
Volcanoes National Park this Friday and Saturday.
Photo from National Geographic

HAWAI`I PACIFIC PARKS ASSOCIATION staff members share their knowledge and love of Hu: Kukui Nut Tops Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hu is one of Hawai`i’s popular traditional arts.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK CULTURAL FESTIVAL has moved from July to this Friday and Saturday, May 15 & 16. This year, the festival is part of the BioBlitz and Biodiversity & Cultural Festival, hosted by National Geographic and the Park Service. Entrance is free both days. Join scientists, keiki, and Hawaiian practitioners for the two-day BioBlitz species count and celebration of culture, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.  No registration is required for the festival, but to guarantee a spot on an inventory team, sign up at nationalgeographic.com/bioblitz.     

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Direectory2015.swf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf.

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, May 10, 2015

Preserving Ka`u's agricultural lands was the topic of a Ka`u Community Development Plan focused discussion yesterday.
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

STRATEGIES FOR PRESERVING KA`U’S AGRICULTURAL AND COASTAL LANDS for this and future generations were center stage at public meetings on the Ka`u Community Development Plan yesterday at Na`alehu Community Center. 

      One objective of the CDP is to preserve prime and other viable ag lands and enhance viewscapes that exemplify Ka`u’s rural character. The CDP identifies urban areas that preserve surrounding ag lands and establishes firm urban growth boundaries. It prohibits rezones that would increase residential density in agricultural areas. It also guides expansion of lands held in public trust, including ag conservation easements.
      One of the challenges identified for farmers and ranchers is limited land tenure. County planner Ron Whitmore reviewed planning tools designed to help farmers come up with leases or ownership strategies for land security. Included were strategies to put farmers in a position that would be secure enough to allow banks to lend money for farming enterprises.

Ka`u CDP calls for using ag lands for ag.

      Several members of the coffee industry were present, including growers who built Ka`u Coffee farms at Moa`ula and Pear Tree over the last two decades but find themselves with no long-term leases where their coffee is grown. The land is currently for sale. Should the land be sold and subdivided with housing allowed, high prices could preclude most Ka`u Coffee farmers from buying their plots though some have said they would like to buy their farms.
      Hawai`i Farm Bureau President Chris Manfredi brought up the idea that Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions on farm property could preserve substantial acreage for agriculture with houses built by new owners on only a small area of the land.
      Whitmore mentioned a possible planning tool where ag properties could accommodate small farms, with parcels leased out, without the possibility of building houses on them. This could keep farmland out of the speculative housing market with leases secure enough to allow financing for ag.
      Another option would be to seek private and public funding to buy ag land to preserve it under some kind of ag park or cooperative arrangement.
      Whitmore explained that any existing agricultural lot of record is already zoned for a farm dwelling, farm labor housing, farm buildings and such structures as mills and commercial kitchens for manufacturing of farm products. Ag parcels are also available for alternative energy projects, ag tourism and open area recreational use.
      He said oversight for tax breaks aimed at keeping land in agriculture needs to be improved as does the method by which the county ensures that farm dwellings on farmlands are being used by farmers rather than gentleman estates.
      Regarding proposed land use changes on ag properties coming before government decision makers, Whitmore said that the “decision is based on what the current owner pitches” and that it is very difficult to hold them to it once permission to subdivide or otherwise allow additional housing on the land is granted.
      Another idea put forth was to look closely at state-owned parcels to establish ag parks.
      Ralph Roland brought up the idea of issuing temporary dwelling permits, when needed, for farm labor.
      Whitmore noted that there is a large excess of buildable lots for housing in Ka`u, including the Pahala area. He said the reason to plan for concentrating housing in existing settlement areas includes affordability – infrastructure such as water and electricity are already developed there.
      Manfredi asked why more land was not planned for urban use in Pahala in the proposed CDP draft. Whitmore said planners did not see a demand for more and said that planners’ studies show that infilling could accommodate future needs. Manfredi said he could envision more land needed for housing in the long term and noted that it was recommended in the CDP draft to delete land along Hwy 11 on the Volcano side of Pahala from the General Plan for urban expansion.
     Whitmore presented maps showing existing agriculture in Ka`u. The entire draft Community Development Plan is available at libraries, community centers and online at kaucdp.info. Public comment online and by mail is welcomed.
      At another Ka`u CDP Focused Discussion this Tuesday at Discovery Harbour Community Center at 10 a.m., the topic is a proposed development there.
      See more on the Ka`u CDP draft meetings on ag and the coastline in tomorrow’s Ka`u News Briefs.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

DO YOU OWN NON-INDUSTRIAL PRIVATE forest land and want to restore on it to native forest habitat for threatened and endangered species? The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has federal funds to help landowners do this, and they are encouraged to apply. 

      NRCS partners with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to engage local and regional stakeholders in science-based collaborative, community-driven land management activities. Specifically, the partnership will focus on planning, prioritization, implementation and monitoring of non-industrial private forest lands. Funds are now available, as DLNR was Hawai`i’s first recipient of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
      “We are very excited to partner with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to protect Hawai`i’s native forests,” said Suzanne Case, DLNR Chairperson. “These forests are critical to Hawai`i’s economy because they capture and supply our fresh water. Forests prevent erosion that muddies our coral reefs and fisheries and protect the native plants and animals unique to our islands.”
      “Now that the watershed boundaries have been identified, we look forward to this partnership in protecting and improving healthy forests across the islands,” said Bruce Petersen, NRCS Director for the Pacific Islands Area.
      Through the Farm Bill, funds are being provided from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Through EQIP, there will be an application, evaluation and ranking process to address resource concerns such as improving surface water, improving ground water quality, reducing soil erosion and increasing native forest habitat for threatened and endangered species.
      The deadline to apply for the RCPP Healthy Forest initiative is June 5. Only agricultural producers in the watershed partnership areas may apply for this RCPP Healthy Forest Initiative. Land enrolled in this initiative must meet EQIP eligibility.
      For more information, see www.pia.nrcs.usda.gov.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

Sen. Brian Schatz

A BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING contributions of tourism to the United States passed the Senate. Introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz and others, the resolution supports goals of National Travel and Tourism Week and acknowledges the important role travel and tourism play in boosting the U.S. economy. One out of every nine jobs in the U.S. depends on travel and tourism, and the industry supports 15 million jobs across the country. Schatz is a co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Tourism Caucus. 

      “Tourism and travel gives us the chance to share Hawai`i’s natural beauty and culture with the rest of the world,” Schatz said. “It’s not only a great way to share Hawai`i’s vibrant culture, it’s one of the most important sectors of our local economy, creating good jobs and supporting thousands of small businesses. I’m proud to join my colleagues to recognize the important role our visitor industry plays, and I look forward to continue working on policies that promote travel to Hawai`i and boost our local economy.”
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

SENIOR ID CARDS ARE AVAILABLE tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Pahala Housing Center and 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Nā‘ālehu Community Center. For ages 60 and over. Call 928-3100 for more information.

KA`U RESIDENT DICK HERSHBERGER brings Hawaiian Volcano Observatory founder Thomas Jaggar to life every this and every other Tuesday during A Walk into the Past at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Participants meet at Kilauea Visitor Center for a short walk to the Whitney Vault in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_May2015.pdf.

See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and
kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf.