Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016

Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists discuss Ka`u's Kamakai`a Hills in the current
current issue of Volcano Watch. See more below. Photo from USGS/HVO

LAST WEEK’S INCLUSION OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN BEES on the federal Endangered Species List is supported by Ka`u’s state Sen. Josh Green.

Ka`u's state Sen. John Green supports inclusion of Hawai`i's
yellow-faced bees on the Endangered Species List.
Photo by John Kaia from the Xerxes Society

      “Federal authorities confirmed what many of us have been concerned about for some time: The decimation of several species of bees in Hawai`i,” Green said. “Why is this important? First of all, bees are critical pollinators that sustain many parts of our agro-ecosystem. Bees also function as the ecological canary in the coal mine, serving as a crucial indicator of the health and development of people. Dead bees suggest toxic exposure to our children.
      “Efforts to decrease the use of toxic pesticides have fallen on deaf ears for years in our state. Now we see the result of that negligence.
      “I'm calling on the governor to take immediate action to assess all possible ways to protect these pollinators, and us, from reckless spraying.
      “I’ll also be pursuing legislative solutions (as in past years) to protect both people and critical species from the effects of man-made agrochemicals.”
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HAWAI`I EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY monthly test of the statewide outdoor siren warning system, coordinated with the test of the live audio broadcast segment of the Emergency Alert System, is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:45 a.m.

      The siren test is a steady, one-minute tone on all sirens. The steady tone is used to alert the public to any emergency that may pose a threat to life and property. Besides natural hazards, the Emergency Alert System could be used for terrorist incidents or acts of war.
      Contact the county civil defense/emergency management agency to report siren operations issues at 935-0031.
      When the siren signal is sounded, tune to any local radio or television station for emergency information and instructions broadcast by emergency management agencies. Participating stations will carry a detailed explanation of what the sirens mean, as well as other related information, during the monthly test.
      Tests of outdoor warning sirens and the Emergency Alert System are conducted simultaneously, normally on the first working day of the month, in cooperation with Hawai`i’s broadcasting industry. Emergency management and disaster preparedness information is located in the front section of telephone directories.
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Sen. Hirono holds up a bottle of HC&S sugar as an example
of industries negatively affected by trade agreements.
Photo from Office of Sen. Hirono

THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED by Congress until it is renegotiated, Sen. Mazie Hirono and others told the Obama Administration. In a letter to the Administration, the senators outlined TPP’s fundamental flaws and the need to fix them before Congress votes on the agreement, which is the biggest trade agreement ever negotiated.

      “Although we hear that every new trade deal is supposed to ‘level the playing field’ for workers, these agreements end up doing the opposite,” Hirono said. “This is particularly true for Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company workers who will lose their jobs after illegal subsidies on Mexican sugar irreparably damaged our domestic sugar industry. Congress should not consider an agreement as massive and far-reaching as the TPP until it has been renegotiated to ensure it protects American jobs, raises American wages and safeguards the environment.”
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KA`U’S KAMAKAI`A HILLS ARE THE TOPIC of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s current issue of Volcano Watch.
      “Visitors to the Jaggar Museum and Ka`u Desert in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, struck by the appearance of three dark, symmetrical volcanic cones on the western slope of Kilauea Volcano, often ask ‘what are they?’ and ‘why are they there?’” the article states.
      “The cones are the Kamakai`a Hills. Their Hawaiian name means ‘the eye of the fish,’ possibly because the cones, each dimpled with a cup-shaped crater, reminded early Hawaiians of the eyes on prized fish, such as ulua.
      “The Kamakai`a cones are merely the largest of a series of vents, including older, more eroded cones, spatter ramparts and large ground cracks, that spewed lava clots and blocks of older rock for short periods. Multiple eruptions have originated along this three-mile long ‘mini-rift’ over a period spanning at least 500 years.
      “The two largest eruptions, each probably lasting weeks to a few months, produced far-travelling flows and rootless lava shields similar to those that have grown around Kilauea’s East Rift Zone Pu`u `O`o vent over the last three decades. The big Kamakai`a cones developed during explosive phases of the eruptions, producing fields of volcanic bombs, rubbly scoria and spatter. The largest bombs in these ejecta beds exceed one meter (three feet) in diameter.

Kamakai`a Hills are between Pahala and Volcano Village.
Map from Google

      “Unusual eruption products at the Kamakai`a Hills correspond with a form of lava that has no equivalent elsewhere on Kilauea –pasty pahoehoe with a distinctively stretched ‘skin’ that resembles the grain one might find on pieces of old driftwood. This lava is also chemically distinctive.
      “Preliminary analyses of the lava indicate that at least some of it contains much more silica than ordinary Kilauea basalt. In fact, it is similar to basaltic andesite, a type of lava abundant in the Coast Range of Oregon and northern California. This suggests that the magma beneath the Kamakai`a Hills was stored for a long time before it erupted to the surface, which allowed it to evolve to a greater degree than lava found anywhere else on Kilauea. Such chemical evolution might also explain its explosiveness.
      “Initial efforts to establish the ages of the Kamakai`a Hills lava were based on palemagnetism – measurements of ancient orientations of Earth’s magnetic field preserved in the basalt. That study concluded that the Kamakai`a flows were older than the Footprints Ash from the A.D.1790 explosive eruption, which marked the onset of historically recorded eruptions at Kilauea.
      “However, current investigations of the Kamakai`a Hills show that two flows are younger than the 1790 Footprints Ash. These flows probably erupted sometime between 1790 and 1823, when the first Euro-Americans visited the volcano. Reverend William Ellis, leader of that first expedition, commented that he observed ‘smoking chasms’ in the vicinity of the Kamakai`a cones – highly suggestive of recent volcanic activity there.
      “Geologists also recently discovered sets of fossil human footprints in the Footprints Ash deposit within the Kamakai`a Hills. This significantly extends the area in which people are known to have been moving immediately following the 1790 eruption.
      “To explain why the Kamakai`a Hills exist requires combining several critical strands of research, including geophysics, structural geology and geochemistry. Findings from a study presently underway at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will likely revise the known geologic history of Kilauea's Southwest Rift Zone.
      “The Kamakai`a Hills are positioned where the Koa`e Fault System, which National Park visitors can easily view along the Hilina Pali Road, merges with Kilauea's Southwest Rift Zone. They terminate westward at a bend in the rift zone near Pu`ukou, a site of ongoing shallow earthquake activity.
      “Seismicity over the past few decades suggests that magma periodically intrudes from Kilauea’s summit reservoir southward to the Koa`e Fault System, then bends to follow the Southwest Rift Zone into the area beneath the Kamakai`a Hills. Pu`ukou could act as a ‘log jam,’ causing long-term storage of the trapped magma beneath the Hills.
      “Repeated eruptions in the Kamakai`a Hills might occur because occasional intrusions of fresh magma drive the older, more evolved magma to the surface. Continuous southward sliding of Kilauea’s seaward slope might also keep the Kamakai`a Hills corridor open and volcanically active.
      “Past events provide important insights into Kilauea’s future. Knowing this, we certainly expect that eruptions of unusual character are likely to break out again in this remote and interesting area on the volcano.”

      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
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KA`U RESIDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE in Hawai`i County Council meetings this week. Committees meet Tuesday, with Public Safety & Mass Transit at 9 a.m.; Finance, 10:30 a.m.; Public Works & Parks & Recreation, 1 p.m.; Planning, 1:30 p.m.; Agriculture, Water & Energy Sustainability, 2 p.m.; Environmental Management, 2:30 p.m.; and Governmental Relations & Economic Development, 4 p.m.
      The full council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m.
      All meetings take place at Council Chambers in Hilo.
      Videoconferencing is available at Na`alehu State Office Building. See hawaiicounty.gov for agendas and live streaming of the meetings.

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Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016

Explore Pu`u o Lokuana during a free, guided hike tomorrow.
See more below. Photo from NPS

HAWAIIAN YELLOW-FACED BEES yesterday became the first bees in the U.S. placed on the Endangered Species List. Seven species of the bee which live in many of the eco niches around the islands were given endangered status following an application submitted in 2009 by the Xerces Society, which helps protect invertebrates. 

      The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service conducted studies. Matthew Shepherd, of the Xerces Society, wrote Friday that “the USFWS decision is excellent news for these bees, but there is much work that needs to be done to ensure that Hawai`i’s bees thrive. There is only one genus of bees that is native to the Hawaiian Islands, Hylaeus, commonly called yellow-faced bees because of colored markings on their faces. These bees are often found in small patches of habitat hemmed in by agricultural land or developments. Unfortunately, the USFWS has not designated any ‘critical habitat,’ areas of land of particular importance for the endangered bees.”

Hawaii`'s native yellow-faced bees are now protected.
Photo by Karl Magnacca, University of Hawai`i

      Xerces recognized work of researcher Karl Magnacca, who has spent years studying Hawai`i’s bees and provided evidence for these listings. Photographer John Kaia captured images that “have done much to lift these bees out of obscurity,” wrote Shepherd.

      On Xerces.org, the organization states its mission is to “protect nature’s pollinators and invertebrates, which play a vital role in the health of the overall ecosystem.”

      Threats to the seven species of Hawaiian include the present or threatened destruction, modification or curtailment of their habitat by urbanization, land use conversion, nonnative plants and animals; predation by nonnative ants and the western yellow jacket wasp; inadequate habitat protection; small population sizes; and competition with nonnative invertebrates such as the European honeybee. These threats are ongoing and, in some cases (such as some nonnative species) are considered irreversible. Fire is also a potential threat to the habitat of these species in some locations.
      On March 23, 2009, FWS received five petitions from the Xerces Society requesting that FWS list seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees as endangered and designate critical habitat for the species. FWS determined that emergency listing was not warranted at that time. On June 16, 2010, FWS published a 90-day finding that indicated the listing may be warranted. After reviewing all available scientific and commercial information, FWS on Sept. 6, 2011 determined that listing the bees as endangered throughout their range was warranted. However, Kevin Foote, of Pacific Islands Fish & Wildlife Office, announced that listing the bees “is not possible at this time due to higher priority actions to amend the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.”  

      Following Friday’s announcement, FWS spokesman Brent Lawrence said, “Pollinators play such an important role. Listing these species as endangered will certainly help draw attention to the threats that have brought them close to extinction, and it also allows us to begin the process of bringing about recovery.”  

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Dr. Clifford Kopp at the crest of Hwy 11 in Hawai`i Volcanoes
National Park.

AFTER REACHING NA`ALEHU ON WEDNESDAY, Dr. Clifford Kopp hit the mid-point of his 500-mile walk around Hawai`i Island, with an aim to bring light to the issue of unsheltered homelessness in Hawai`i County.

      The 500-mile trek began on Friday, Sept. 23 and is Kopp’s fifth walk in less than a year. Adding an additional 200 miles to previous walks, Kopp said the number is more closely aligned with how many unsheltered women and children he believes are on the island.
      “According to my accounts, half the homeless on our island are women and children. They don’t deserve the way they are treated,” Kopp said. “There is probably nowhere else in the country where women and children who are unsheltered are as ignored as they are in our county. I am walking to raise awareness for them.”
      Earlier this year, the Kailua-Kona dentist outlined an idea for 12- and 48-bed concepts that would provide shelter needs to 300 people in West Hawai`i. Kukuiola Village would offer a practical way of sheltering the homeless before providing services to transition into more permanent living situations.
      Kopp began his 16-day journey in West Hawai`i, walking the island clockwise. He is now about to embark on his second loop of the island, totaling an additional 200 miles from previous walks conducted in December/January, January/February, March and June. He will conclude his current walk on Oct. 8 as he travels on that day from an area about nine miles out of Hawi to his home in Kailua-Kona.
      “I’m walking most of the time, not feeling well. The only thing that gets me though it is knowing the travesty that’s happening on our island, where the people who have done nothing wrong are being treated so poorly,” Kopp said. “Keeping them in mind allows me to keep walking mile-after-mile, even when I don’t think I have it in me.
      “You could never do this type of walk if it was for a personal reason, but you can do it with an understanding of the number of good people being absolutely ignored by the government.”
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HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will use aircraft this month as it continues its centennial celebration. Park management requires flights to monitor and research volcanic activity, conduct search-and-rescue missions and law enforcement operations, support management of natural and cultural resources, and maintain backcountry facilities.

      On Oct. 6 and 8 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., crews will shuttle equipment and camp supplies to Napau Campground for resource surveys/
      On Oct. 17 and 20 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., crews will shuttle equipment and camp supplies to Keauhou, `Apua Point, and Halape campgrounds for invasive Guinea grass control work and hawksbill turtle monitoring project.
      During the week of Oct. 17, two flights between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. will monitor petrel from the summit of Kilauea to Mauna Loa at about the 9,000-ft. elevation.
      In addition, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory may conduct flight operations over Kilauea and Mauna Loa to assess volcanic activity and maintain instrumentation.
      Dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather.
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U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted for funding to combat Zika, a virus
spread by mosquitoes. Photo from Hawai`i Department of Health

KA`U'S U.S. REP. TULSI GABBARD VOTED to pass the bipartisan Continuing Resolution and the Water Resources Development Act to fund the government and combat the Zika virus.

      “For months, Congress failed to answer the calls for help from communities in need across the nation,” Gabbard said. “After more than seven months of delay, we also passed a $1.1 billion package to combat the Zika virus in states across the country. As we saw in Hawai`i with the rapid spread of dengue fever earlier this year, a disease carried by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito as the Zika virus, many of our communities are under-equipped to handle and control the spread of these dangerous mosquito-borne illnesses. This funding will help to support mosquito eradication efforts, lab testing, education and outreach, vital healthcare services, research and more, and will reimburse state and local health departments that have taken on much of the financial burden of this public health pandemic.”

      Gabbard voted in favor of the CR to fund the federal government through Dec. 9, which includes more than $200 million for Hawai`i military construction and and the Zika. It maintains current levels of funding for programs included in last year’s omnibus bill, including Native Hawai`i Education Act grants, through Dec. 9.
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Ron Ebert

HULA, FIREFIGHTERS AND HAWAIIAN MONARCHS were honored in September as Pahala Volunteer Fire Captain Ron Ebert won third in the Kupuna Kane Hula competition in Kona.

      Ebert, of Punalu`u, danced He`eia, a surf hula. Ebert said he dedicated the hula to King Kalakaua, a volunteer firefighter. According to Ebert, Hawaiian monarchs were firefighters dating back to King Kamehameha III, who started volunteer fire departments in Hawai`i in 1850. All succeeding monarchs participated, Ebert said.
      The kupuna hula competition is more than three decades running, sponsored by Hawai`i County Office of Elderly Services.
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EXPLORE PU`U O LOKUANA TOMORROW from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.     Participants learn about formation and various uses of this grassy cinder cone and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka`u on this free, moderately difficult, 0.4-mile hike to the top.

DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR KAHUKU `OHANA DAY is Monday. Keiki 17 and younger and their families can help the park’s natural resources staff restore native forest by planting native trees in the Kahuku Unit on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
      Bring lunch, snacks, water, a re-usable water bottle, sunscreen, hat, long pants and shoes.
      Call 985-6019 to register.

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Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Friday, Sept. 30, 2016

Almost two tons of debris were cleaned from the Ka`u Coast at Kamilo Point last weekend, including a large derelict fishing net.
See more below. Photo by Dr. Drew Kapp/UH Hilo & HawCC

A MORNING BLESSING AND EVENING OPEN HOUSE AT THE NEW KA`U DISTRICT GYM & SHELTER will welcome the public next Wednesday, Oct. 5.
     Mayor Billy Kenoi and the County of Hawai`i invite the public to the blessing and opening at the gym, adjacent to Pahala High & Elementary School at 10 a.m. The open house will be at 5 p.m. to give the public the opportunity to tour the facility. Students at Ka`u High &  Elementary School have been getting a peak at the new 43,000 square foot facility, some of them having their photos taken inside. There are three basketball and volleyball courts, activity room, workout room, a kitchen, offices, locker rooms, storage space for disaster relief organizations, and meeting spaces.
     "The facility will provide a safe haven for Ka`u residents in the case of a natural disaster or compromised air quality," says a statement from the county. The project was funded by the State of Hawai`i, constructed by the County of Hawai`i, and will be cooperatively managed by the Department of Parks & Recreation for both school and public use."
     Nona Makuakane is the Recreation Director of Pahala for the county and in charge of the new gym. She and her assistant Elijah Navarro also operate the Pahala Community Center & Park, county athletic field, tennis court and outdoor basketball court in Pahala.

Nona Makuakane and Elijah Navarro will manage the new gym.

     The new Pahala office for the county Department of Parks & Recreation will be inside the new gym. and will be the place for community to reserve space for activities. Unlike the community center, parties will not be entertained for the gym. They will remain at the community center. Community organizations and others can apply for special events to be considered. School sports competition and practices will have priority over other events.

     County Council member Maile David said she plans to attend the morning session and encourages everyone to come. 

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KAMILO POINT CLEANUP RESULTS from last weekend are in. At the International Coastal Cleanup event on Saturday, 75 people helped to remove around 3,765 pounds of marine debris from along a one kilometer stretch of coastline in a matter of hours, including a one-ton large derelict fishing net bundle and 101 bags of miscellaneous non-net debris items. 

Derelict fishing net bundle on the Ka`u Coast.
Photo by Megan Lamson/Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

Baby hawksbill turtle struggles in the plastics.
Photo by S. Breining/HWF

      In total, 11,705 pieces of marine debris were collected, tallied and removed (97.6 percent plastic). The group also helped three Honu'ea hawksbill hatchlings found struggling in the swash line. The one shown here was returned to the ocean with help and guidance from the Hawai'i Island Hawksbill Sea Turtle Recovery Project team member after it was given a blessing.    According to the Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, this is the second time this endangered species has been recorded at Kamilo. "However, we are unsure at this time if the nest was nearby or they washed ashore with the plastics," said a statement from the organization.
      Hawai`i Wildlife Fund cleanup coordinator Megan Lamson said, “Many thanks to Take 3 for the Sea Ambassador Tim Silverwood and Nurdle in the Rough’s Kathleen Crabill for your help with this event, Mahalo to Don Elwing for setting up your education and awareness art display at the park before we started the event. A special mahalo goes out to Mike, Ken, Trice, Zach, Terry, Don and the rest of the drivers of the 4WD vehicles. Thanks to Dr. Drew Kapp for bringing your huge group of geography students from UH-Hilo and Hawai`i Community College, too! "

Megan Lamson holds up a recycle bin from Los
Angeles, found on the Ka`u coast. Tim, of Take 3
for the Sea, holds up a small plastiglomerate.
Photo from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

     Funding for this cleanup was provided by a NOAA Marine Debris Program grant. Hawaii Kombucha donated a keg of lilikoi kombucha for volunteers to share and enjoy. Documentary footage was filmed about the health of the ocean and cleaning up the coast.

     Lamson encoraged the Ka`u community to join in  the next cleanup, and until then to help reduce the  marine debris footprint by doing the 6Rs: Reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse (single-use plastics), "rethink and respect our mother earth!"
     She also encouraged Ka`u residents to attend Hawai`i Wildlife Fund's  20th anniversary ho`olaule`a on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Mokupapapa Discovery Center in Hilo. Adult tickets are $30 each or two for $50 and can be purchased at wildhawaii.org in advance. Tickets will be $35 at the door. 

      For more details regarding the celebration or to make a donation to the silent auction, contact Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or meg.HWF@gmail.com.
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Gabbard receives Friends of National Park award
from Clark Bunting, President and CEO of
National Parks Conservation Association, and Craig
Obey, Senior Vice President  Government Affairs.

TULSI GABBARD IS A CHAMPION FOR NATIONAL PARKS. Ka`u's representative in the U.S. Congress earned the title when she recently received a 100% score from the National Parks Action Fund. The Action Fund, affiliated with National Parks Conservation Association, evaluated park-related votes taken by the House and Senate in the 114th  Congress and tracked a variety of issues affecting parks, including clean water and wildlife protections, funding levels for the National Park Service. See more at Rep. Tulsi Gabbard received a 100% score for her pro-parks voting record.
     “For 100 years, the National Park Service has worked to share the diverse beauty, natural resources and history of our country through our awe-inspiring national parks. From breathtaking Haleakalā National Park on Maui and fiery Volcanoes National Park on Hawaiʻi Island, to the incomparable story of Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Molokaʻi, each of our national parks has a story to share. As we celebrate this centennial year of our National Parks Service, I will continue working to ensure our national parks are protected for generations to come," said Gabbard.”
      Gabbard also received the Friend of the National Parks Award in the 113th Congress for her record of support for national parks.

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HAWAIIAN ADZE PRODUCTION HIKE takes place Saturday at 11 a.m. at Kilauea Overlook in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Ranger Jay Robinson leads an easy, hour-long hike around an abandoned adze quarry. The site was covered in large basalt rocks erupted from Kilauea during its summit eruptions of 1790. Hawaiians covet the rocks for stone tools (adze).
Sturdy footwear, water, raingear, sun protection and a snack are recommended. Free; park entrance fees apply.

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