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Sunday, September 13, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015

Registration is still open for the second annual Ka`u Coffee Trail Run coming up on Saturday.
Photo from Taylor's Treasures Photography
SEN. MAZIE HIRONO EXPLAINED her support of President Obama’s international agreement to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program on the Senate floor Thursday. “I’d ask my colleagues to set politics aside and focus on the facts,” Hirono said. “The fact is, this agreement is the best option we have to stop Iran from getting a bomb.
Sen. Mazie Hirono
      “First, we’ve reached this agreement with the backing of our international partners, including China and Russia. I met with the ambassadors of these countries and asked them point blank — would they come back to the table to negotiate a new deal? The answer was no. The UK ambassador to the U.S. also said no. I’d remind my colleagues that after decades of U.S. unilateral sanctions, it was the weight of international sanctions that forced Iran to the table. We need our partners to make this deal work, and our partners have committed that if we choose this path they will be there.
      “Second, the terms of the agreement, implemented effectively, cut off Iran’s ability to create a bomb. Their uranium stockpiles will be all but eliminated. We’ll have unprecedented oversight over the entire nuclear supply chain.
      “The U.S intelligence community has indicated that it will gain valuable new insights through this agreement. We’ll have veto authority over what goes into Iran, and we know what has to come out of Iran. 
      “These unprecedented oversight provisions have the support of arms control experts, nuclear scientists, diplomats, military and intelligence leaders who believe that this deal will make the difference.
      “Finally, this agreement isn’t about trust. The deal requires verification that Iran is cooperating before sanctions are lifted. If Iran cheats, we can snap back sanctions with international support.
      “We can initiate military operations if need be.
      “Let me repeat: the deal before us doesn’t prevent the U.S. from taking military action if needed.
      “This agreement is not perfect. However, rejecting this deal means risking our international cooperation, our security and our ability to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
      “Based on the facts before us, this agreement deserves our support. Let’s put the politics aside. I urge my colleagues to support the agreement.”
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Trojans begin the second half kicking
to the Daggers. Photo from KHPES
KA`U HIGH’S EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL TEAM won in a fiercely fought battle Thursday when they met Pahoa at Kea`au Field. The game was originally scheduled for yesterday but was moved to accommodate other changes. The Trojans led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter. Pahoa took over the lead 22-26 at halftime and kept it until Ka`u tied the game 48-48 with only one minute remaining. Then, with only four seconds left, Evan Manoha ran two yards for a touchdown. Final score, 54-48.
      The Trojans dedicated their win to Kobie Bivings, a classmate who lost his battle with cancer last week. Josh Pacheco, of Big Island Now, said Manoha “dug deep in memory of his friend.”
      Manoha told Pacheco, “Every time we needed that score, I just tried to focus and play hard for our classmate that passed, because he could’ve been out here with us.”
      Coach DuWayne Ke told Pacheco that Bivings “was a good boy. He loved playing football, but he couldn’t be on the field. That was the hardest part about it all.”
      On Twitter, a tweet from Ka`u High after the game read “For Kob.”
      See bigislandnow.com.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

IN GIRLS VOLLEYBALL, WAHINE TROJANS traveled from Ka`u High to Christian Liberty Academy Friday. Junior Varsity won 25-15 and 25-16. Varsity’s match went three games, with Ka`u taking the second game 25-18 after CLA overcame them in the first game 27-25. CLA finished off with a third game score 25-15.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY scientists remembered a colleague in the current issue of Volcano Watch.
      “During the 1950s, a decade of major change in volcano monitoring, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory was moving from the mechanical into the electronic age, and staff were needed who could fulfill the requirements of the new technology,” the scientists wrote.
      “In late 1958, George Kojima was hired by HVO, initially to work with equipment for analyzing volcanic gases. But these early days of modernization were not a time only for specialists. No matter what the job or when it had to be done, George was there. Wet tilt surveys, done in the middle of the night, working on seismic instrumentation, precise leveling along roads and remote parts of Kilauea Volcano, gas sampling—George did all these things, and much more.
George Kojima, c. 1959, analyzing volcanic gases
using HVO's mass spectrometer. Photo from USGS
      “As HVO’s seismic network grew, George became an integral part of building, expanding, and maintaining seismic equipment. This job proved to be a perfect intersection of person, interests, requirements, and technology, especially because the seismic network was still, to a large extent, designed and developed locally.
      “In a career that spanned five decades, George was the epitome of a dedicated and reliable colleague, known for his helpful manner and hearty laugh. As scientists learning about volcano monitoring rotated into and out of assignments at HVO, George was one of several threads that held the observatory together.
      “George understood how things worked, or should work, and how things went together. An innovator and inventor, he could fix anything. He was also an insightful, resourceful, caring, and diligent person.
      “Through the 1960s, radios replaced miles and miles of cable stretched across the volcano to bring data from remote sites back to the observatory. This greatly expanded the electronics component of George’s work, which required, and provided opportunities for, innovation.
      “HVO scientists remember field missions in the shadow of a volcanic plume, when they struggled with the electronics for sending data back to the observatory. With little more than a screwdriver, a couple of strands of wire, and electrical tape (much like the television character MacGyver), George repeatedly resurrected the reassuring hum of radio transmission.
      The scientists describe another of Kojima’s innovations that resulted in a United States patent for an Annunciator System, filed in 1968. “This system was able to discriminate among the durations of elevated seismic signals coming from various stations on the Island of Hawai`i. It automatically activated upon sustained volcanic tremor and swarms of small earthquakes that indicated a likely eruption, but would not activate on individual small earthquakes that are otherwise common in Hawai`i. Eventually, this annunciator system was connected to the HVO alarm system that would notify scientists in the observatory of the changing activity. It also led to an automated 24/7 volcano monitoring capability that provided telephone notifications of earthquake swarms and tremor to HVO scientists when they were not at the observatory. 
      “As HVO’s seismic capabilities grew, George eventually specialized in seismic electronics and became widely recognized for his expertise. He trained scientists and technicians visiting from foreign countries and carried HVO’s technology beyond the U.S. to monitor volcanoes in the Northern Marianas Islands and in Indonesia. After retiring in 1990, he helped with the international volcano monitoring summer training programs conducted by the University of Hawai`i at Hilo’s Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes.
      “In early August, after a brief struggle with cancer, George, a native of Kaua`i and a U.S. Army Korean War veteran, passed away.
      “Looking back, we remember and honor George Kojima’s work and his central place in the evolution of volcano monitoring. Although current monitoring technologies have advanced far beyond those used when George retired, his contributions to the science of volcanology and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will not be forgotten.”
      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

KA`U RUNNERS AND WALKERS can still sign up for Saturday’s Ka`u Coffee Trail Run. Fees through tomorrow are $55 for the Half Marathon, $45 for the 10K and $35 for the 5K. Rates are $20 higher on race morning. High school team members can sign up for any race for $10.
      Runners will receive a massage, lunch and a race goodie bag, including a T-shirt and more, race organizers say.
      Invite your friends and family to cheer you on and enjoy local food, live music and a Silent Auction.
      Register at race360.com/21357.

KA`U RESIDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE in Hawai`i County government meetings on Wednesday via videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building. In Kona, County Council meets at 9 a.m., Planning Committee at 2 p.m. and Finance Committee at 2:30 p.m. 
      Agendas and live streams of the meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

An Experimental Watercolors workshop takes
place Saturday. Photo from VAC
PATTI PEASE JOHNSON INVITES Ka`u artists to register for her Experimental Watercolors workshop on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Each student will create three to five separate 8×8-inch watercolor paintings on hot press paper using pre-broken glass as a catalyst to spark creativity. Fees are $60 and $54 for VAC members plus a $10 supply fee per person. Beginner and intermediate artists are welcome. 
      For more information or to register, see volcanoartcenter.org or call 967-8222.

UHANE POHAKU NO MOKU O HAWAI`I, a nonprofit that works with challenged youth though agriculture and traditional Hawaiian skill building, sponsors a roast pork dinner featuring music by Mark Yamanaka on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House. Yamanaka is a multiple Na Hoku Hanohano award winner famous for his songwriting and falsetto.
      Donation is $25 per person. Call 315-7032 for reservations. 

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_September2015.pdf.






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


Saturday, September 12, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015

Ana Cariaga, left, with Edwina, Jessica and Molly Akana, manage a Hawaiian Kingdom voting booth at the Olson Trust
 Building today in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal
NO-SHOW AT THE HAWAIIAN RANCHOS SOLAR MEETING last night by representatives of the solar project planned for Ranchos was the situation at the meeting in Ocean View. The gathering turned into an educational session and rally on how to stop the industrial solar installations from being placed within the neighborhood. State Rep. Richard Creagan told the group that he was proud of what they have done, how they "stepped up to the plate."
Ranchos residents are concerned that native trees
will be bulldozed for industrial solar farms.
Photo from phrc.us.
     The complex situation includes approvals already gained by solar project developers from the state Public Utilities Commission and approvals yet to be considered by the county and PUC, including one to allow high voltage lines into the neighborhood.
     Creagan said he, other legislators and Gov. David Ige are planning to look at revising laws that allow unintended consequences like industrial solar being installed in a residential setting. Laws allowing solar projects on land zoned ag didn't take into consideration that residential areas with ag zoning could be used to cobble together separate lots into an industrial project over numerous parcels, he explained.
     Creagan said the price of the electricity to be sold to Hawaii Electric Light Co. is too high, doesn't benefit ratepayers, and violates the spirit of the law to make electricity less expensive. The location at Ranchos is far away from the electrical load requirements of more populated areas. There is already more electricity than can be used, coming from the windmills at South Point, he noted. He said the project "could be seen as defrauding ratepayers and the people of Hawai'i. We are very hopeful that PUC will see that this is not in the public interest."
     Reasons for no show given by the representatives of those planning the project, according to attendees at the meeting, were missed plane and heavy rains on road from Kona.
    The organizers against HOVE industrial solar have set up a website Preserve Hawai'i's Rural Communities to deal with this and broader issues affecting ag neighborhoods. See phrc.us.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.


HAWAIIAN KINGDOM VOTING took place at polling sites set up around the state today. In Ka`u voting by Hawaiians is at the Olson Trust Building in Pahala and at Ocean View across from the swap meet location near Malama Market, until  5  p.m.
     According to documents at the Pahala polling place, the 2015 National Elections are to select Noble and Representative Legislators of the Manakau Kanawai and a Prime Minister for the Lawful Hawaiian Government of the Hawaiian Islands. Organizers of the The Lawful Hawaiian Government state in their presentation that "On March 13th, 1999, at Punalu`u on the island of  O`ahu, Indigenous Aboriginal Kanaka Maoli elders from throughout the Hawaiian archipelago sat in an assembly representing the legislative offices of the Hawaiian Kingdom government.
     "In an exercise of their perfect human rights, their goal was to remanifest and reinstate their inherent sovereign Lawful Hawaiian government which had been suspended in an act of war and treaty violation by armed forces of the United Staes of America under the direction of a President Minister Plenipotentiary in the year 1893."      Those elected vow to work on sovereignty, land, human rights and health and welfare issues for Native Hawaiians.
      Up for election is one Prime Minister candidate named Henry Maile (write-ins are allowed). Candidates for Representatives for  District 7, which includes all of Ka`u, are Dwayne T. Kuilipule, Jansen J.K. Kuilipule,  Sam M Keli`iho`omalu, Jonas I. Solliday, Preston Alan Ku`ilipule and John Kalu`ulu.
New Book Bag nets a bag of books,
shown by treasurer DD Daivs, Pres.
Ann Fontes and VP Linda Morgan.
Photo by Julia Neal
     See more at www.thelawfulhawaiiangovernment.org.
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FRIENDS OF THE KA`U LIBRARIES have announced a way to grab a free bag of books through their fundraiser, selling their new book bags with new logo for $7 each.
     During the annual meeting this weekend, President Ann Fontes was reelected and other officers named. Sandra DeMoruelle is vice president, Linda Morgan is secretary and Doris DD Davis is treasurer. Directors are Trish Gerbo, Myra Jean Sumida, and Deborah Lynn Dickerson.
     The bag-of-books promotion raises money for the organization when book lovers buy the $7 book bag at Na`alehu Library or Pahala Library and fill it with books for $3 more. FKL will also offer the promotion at Ka`u Plantation Days on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House on Saturday, Oct. 17.
    Another fundraiser is the Friends of the Library of Hawai`i's Links to Literacy Golf Ball Drop. See www.friendsofthelibraryofhawaii.org.
      A recent fundraiser came from the estate sale from the late Millicent May, of Discovery Harbour who supported Friends of Ka`u Libraries. A check was presented to Friends of Ka`u Libary at the annual meeting.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

MILOLI'I OPELU PROJECT ORGANIZERS ARE OFFERING TO HOST Ka'u school children for field trips to Miloli`i and also will come to Ka`u schools. Sponsored by Pa`a Pono Miloli`i, this week, they taught school children at Miloli`i about the ʻōpelu, feeding, harvesting and
Pa`a Pono Miloli`i with Keala Figueroa. 
drying. Visiting were Kehau Springer and Kalaionamoku Luka Mossman of Conservation International as they demonstrated dissection, and gonad identification as well as fish tagging. Reservations for one day workshops and school presentations are available beginning Oct. 1. Email paaponoinc@gmail.com for registration and information forms. Also see Pa`a Pono Miloli`i on Facebook.
  Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

PAHALA PLANTATION DAYS COMMITTEE met this week to plan the Saturday, Oct. 17 annual event with the 2015 theme For the Good Times. The next organizing meeting will be Sept. 23 at Pahala Community Center and Oct. 7 at Pahala Plantation House.
     Organizer and Ka'u Multicultural Society President Darlyne Vierra said Plantation Days, in its fifth year, begins with the the arrival of the sugar cane truck and pa'u parade of horses and riders bedecked in lei, colors and costumes representing each island.
     The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Pahala Community Center and will travel down Maile Street to Old Pahala Clubhouse, with emcee Clyde Silva. Derrick Andrade will drive a decorated sugar cane truck that hauled sugar from the fields to the mill in Pahala until the plantation closing in 1996. A mounted pa'u court with queen Lorilee Lorenzo will follow. Walkers and riders will include representatives of the many ethnic groups who built the agricultural community of Ka'u, which has evolved from sugar plantations to ranching, macadamia and coffee orchards and food and tea farms. Educational groups such as Friends of Ka'u Libraries and Ka'u Rural Health Community Association will participate, Community groups and those wanting to honor their family roots are invited to carry the colors of a Hawaiian Island. Call Liz Kuluwaimaka to join the parade at 339-0298.

A sugar truck from the days before the plantation closed in 1996,
will lead Ka`u Plantation Days Parade at 9 a.m. on Oct. 17.
Photo by Julia Neal
   Following the parade will be presentations, entertainment and food on the grounds of Pahala Plantation House. Na'alehu Hongwanji will offer its famous sushi. The history of ranching and dairy will be presented in the Plantation Carriage House. The contribution of the Japanese sugar communities whose sons fought in World War II will be presented by veterans now in their 90s. Food, educational, and arts and crafts booths are available. Call Yvonne Ke at 929-9834.
    For the first time, Samoan dancing and music will be featured, along with music from South Side Serenaders and other entertainers. Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder will open the entertainment with a chant and her halau will perform as will Hannah Makana hula dancers.
   Organizers are hoping to put together a traditional Social Box for public dancing and games like greased pole climbing, three legged races and tug of war, as well as native games presented by the Hawaiian Civic Club. Also helping will be O Ka`u Kakou. For more information, call Darlyne Vierra at 640-8740.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

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

See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_September2015.pdf.



Friday, September 11, 2015

Ka`u News Briefs Friday, Sept. 11, 2015

Stewards of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's rainforest take a break on historic Crater Rim Trail, one of the focal areas for Stewardship at the Summit, which is seeking volunteers for programs through December. Photo from NPS
PRESERVE HAWAI`I’S RURAL COMMUNITIES, a group of Ocean View-area residents who oppose a proposed 26-lot solar project in subdivisions makai of Hwy 11 as well as similar projects in other areas, has a new website at phrc.us.
Christine Gallagher's home of 36 years could be surrounded by solar arrays.
Photo from PHRC
      “We are supportive of renewable energy, but this farm will consist of 1.6 acres of solar panels on 26 lots, 18 of them in the Ranchos, and a new substation,” the website states. “The entire area, mauka and makai, will be affected by issues including fire safety, toxic waste disposal, forced industrialization of the communities, destruction of natural and cultural resources, (and) night light pollution.
      “The Project will result in radical and irreversible changes on both sides of Highway 11.
      “HELCO has said that the solar farm will not lower energy costs in the community.
      “New Hawai`i Revised Statute §205-2:6 was rushed through the Legislature. It does not require Environmental Impact Statements or community input for large solar installations on agricultural land.
      “Please join us in opposing this unwanted and dangerous solar farm.”
      A meeting with the project’s developer Ian Craig and director Dominic Lopez is scheduled for 6 p.m. today at Ocean View Community Center. According to PHRC member Christine Gallagher, meeting organizers expect representatives from Hawai`i Electric Light Co., County Council member Maile David and state Rep. Richard Creagan to attend. Mayor Billy Kenoi may also attend.
      Residents wishing to testify will each have three minutes to do so.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

IS UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR in Hawai`i Island’s future? The first utility-scale solar array and battery storage system designed to supply power to the grid in the evening is being planned on Kaua`i, where Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative has signed a power purchase agreement with SolarCity for electricity from the project.
      The project is believed to be the first utility-scale system in the U.S. to provide dispatchable solar energy, meaning that the utility can count on electricity being available when it’s needed, even hours after the sun goes down.
KIUC is expanding it current solar system to include a utility-scale solar array
and battery storage system. Photo from KIUC
      The 52 megawatt-hour battery system will feed up to 13 megawatts of electricity onto the grid to lessen the amount of conventional power generation needed to meet the evening peak, which lasts from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. By using the solar energy stored in the battery instead of diesel generators, KIUC will reduce its use of imported fossil fuels and also cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
      Under terms of the 20-year contract, KIUC will pay Solar City a lower rate than the current cost of conventional generation and only slightly more than the cost of energy from KIUC’s two existing 12-megawatt solar arrays, whose output is available only during the day.
      “KIUC has been investigating energy storage options for more than two years, and price has always been the biggest challenge,” said David Bissell, President and CEO of KIUC. “This is a breakthrough project on technology and on price that enables us to move solar energy to the peak demand hours in the evening and reduce the amount of fossil fuel we’re using.”
      Jon Yoshimura, Director of Policy and Electricity Markets for Solar City, said, “Solar City is excited to bring the first dispatchable solar storage system to the island of Kaua`i. Hawai`i has been and continues to be at the forefront of new technology and research for solar and storage. This solution will allow for more efficient load balancing and will reduce dependence on fossil fuel-based power.”
      KIUC has requested an accelerated timetable for approval by the Hawai`i Public Utilities Commission. To qualify for federal investment tax credits that will substantially reduce the cost of the project, construction work must begin by April 2016 so the project can be in commercial operation by Dec. 31, 2016.
      Solar City was the contractor on KIUC’s first 12-megawatt solar array, which went into commercial operation in September 2014 and supplies about five percent of Kaua`i’s electricity.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

Abnormally warm waters are contributing to coral bleaching
in Hawai`i. Map from NOAA
RESEARCHERS ARE SEEING EVIDENCE of a long predicted, severe coral bleaching event in Hawai`i for August-October 2015. The Department of Land and Natural Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Hawai`i Institute of Marine Biology are collectively monitoring the extent of coral bleaching from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands/Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to the main Hawaiian Islands.
      Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching, and Hawai`i is seeing warm ocean waters due to El Nino weather conditions. When water is too warm, corals expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues, causing the coral to turn completely white.
      According to NOAA, when a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE Departments of Agriculture holds its annual meeting in Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa next week. The meeting, hosted by NASDA President and Hawai`i Chairman of Agriculture Scott Enright, will focus on a theme of “Agriculture’s Traditions, Agriculture’s Future.” During the opening session, Enright will launch NASDA’s new five-year strategic plan. Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, who was responsible for the development of a genetically engineered papaya that saved the state’s valuable papaya industry, will also make remarks during the opening session. Additional speakers for the meeting include USDA Under Secretary Michael Scuse and former Hawai`i Attorney General Margery Bronster.
      During the meeting, NASDA members will vote on over 20 policy amendments (changes to permanent policy) and action items (specific action requests supported by existing policy). These items demonstrate the diverse portfolio of state Department of Agriculture responsibilities from child nutrition to antimicrobial resistance to environmental protection.
      Complementing the theme of agriculture’s traditions and future, tours will focus on Hawai`i’s unique coffee industry and the state’s innovative green energy development at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai`i. The state’s unique agricultural products will also be on display with exotic fruit tastings and products from Hawai`i Seal of Quality agricultural producers.
      According to GMO-Free Hawai`i, the group is considering holding a protest on the highway in front of resort on Sunday at the Sheraton Kona Resort. See GMOFreeHawaiiIsland on Facebook.
Stewardship leader Jane Field lops Himalayan ginger, one of the world's
top 100 invasive species. Photo from NPS
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

STEWARDSHIP AT THE SUMMIT SEEKS volunteers for programs scheduled through December. 
      Programs begins at 9 a.m. and end at 12 p.m. on Sept. 18 and Sept. 26 (National Public Lands Day); Oct. 2, 17, 23 and 30; November 6, 13, 21 and 28; and December 4, 9, 18 and 26.
      Volunteers help remove invasive, non-native plant species that prevent native species from growing. Meet project leaders Paul and Jane Field at Kilauea Visitor Center at 9 a.m. on any of the scheduled dates. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. Bring a hat, raingear, day pack, snacks and water. Gloves and tools are provided. No advance registration is required, and there is no cost to participate. Park entrance fees apply.
      Volunteers have dedicated more than 5,000 hours of their time and have restored more than 25 acres of native rainforest within the national park since 2012. Countless Himalayan ginger, faya, strawberry guava and other invasive, non-native plants that threaten the native understory have been removed. In their place, once-shaded `ama`u and hapu`u tree ferns have re-emerged, and pa`iniu, kawa`u and other important native plants are returning to the stewardship plots.
Hikers head for the summit of Pu`u o Lokuana. Photo from NPS
      Read comments, add your own, and like The Ka`u Calendar News Briefs on Facebook.

KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I Volcanoes National Park offers free programs this weekend. The Birth Of Kahuku is the topic of a free, guided, easy-to-moderate hike tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Participants traverse the vast 1868 lava flow, see different volcanic features and formations, identify many parts of Mauna Loa’s Southwest Rift Zone and learn about the Hawaiian hotspot and the creation of Kahuku.
      Pu`u o Lokuana is a short, moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top of the grassy cinder cone on Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Participants learn about the formation and various uses of this hill over time and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka`u.
           For more information, call 985-6011.