Ka`u News Briefs, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016

Volcano School of Arts & Sciences is looking for community volunteers to help students with its food gardens.
Call food services manager Amalie Dorn at 808-896-1912 or email her at adorn@volcanoschool.net.
Photo from Volcano School of Arts & Sciences

FARM TO SCHOOL MONTH ends today with numerous government agencies and community groups supporting the effort to connect farmers with cafeterias in public educational institutions. With Hawai`i importing about 85 percent of its food, the Farm to School Initiative is one way the State of Hawai`i, schools and community attempt to work toward becoming food sustainable.
         The state school system services 256 public schools. Its School Food Services Branch feeds approximately 100,000 students and staff each day. The Farm to School Initiative also seeks to address the supply and demand issues surrounding the purchasing of local food for school cafeterias.

Grow food, learn science in the Plant Systems class at Ka`u High School, the
lettuce grown by students. Photo from Volcano School of Arts & Sciences

     One initiative at Ka`u High School brings production of food into a science class called Plant Systems, taught by Sonja Caldwell. In addition to understanding the biology of plants, the students grow such edibles as lettuce. At Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences, Amalie Dorn is the food services manager and sources food from farmers in the Volcano community. She said the school is looking for community volunteers to help students with the food garden. Call 808-896-1912 or email adorn@volcanoschool.net. Ka`u Learning Academy students grow food under the leadership of teacher Audra Zook. At Na`alehu School, school gardens were in place for many years but the coordinator was lost for this school year.

Volcano School sources from local
farmers. Photo from Volcano
School of Arts & Sciences

         Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui signed the Farm to School proclamation with representatives of the Ulupono Initiative, The Kohala Center, state Department of Education and state Department of Agriculture, all convening at the State Capitol in Honolulu.
     Farm to School Month in Hawai'i coincides with National Farm to School Month, designated by Congress in 2010 to showcase growing importance of farm to school programs as a means to improve child nutrition, encourage diverse careers in agriculture, support local economies, and educate children about the origins of food.
     Tsutsui said it is important to “raise awareness about the movement and school gardening programs, which empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and connecting keiki to the aina.” Tsutsui spearheads the Farm to School Initiative, in collaboration with the state Department of Education and state Department of Agriculture.
     Scott Enright, chair of the Department of Agriculture, said, “The Hawai`i Farm to School program provides an important connection between local farms and Hawai`i’s keiki. This program not only helps to strengthen the local agricultural community, but also creates an opportunity to educate our youth about agriculture, nutrition and food sustainability.”
     Statewide school superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said, “The Department is excited in finding new ways to increase the amount of local produce on the menus of our schools. While the schools as a whole currently purchase a higher percentage of local food than the average home, we would like to deliver more fresh fruits, vegetables and meats to our students’ plates.”

Tomato plantings at Volcano School of
Arts & Sciences

    In April, the Farm to School Initiative gathered information from farmers and ranchers as well as hosted a gathering to share information on how to become a qualified vendor with the State. Those events, including an invitation for bids, culminate with the Farm to School Initiative Pilot Project, which is expected to begin in 2017.
     Chief Operating Officer of The Kohala Center, Anna-Lisa Okoye, said the non-profit “has been involved in Farm to School for about a decade and we’re so thrilled that this pilot project is at this place of being ready to launch because of the potential of Farm to School to not only impact our agricultural community, but also the positive impact it can have on our school children from a nutritious standpoint and education standpoint as well. We’re so excited for this next step that we’re going to get into the schools and make some changes on how schools cook and source food and teach kids about nutrition.”

     See more at www.farmstoschool.org/our-network/Hawaii, http://kohalacenter.org/hisgn/farm-to-school and https://kokuahawaiifoundation.org/aina.

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PROTECTING LONGLINE FISHING CREWS FROM EXPLOITATION is the goal of a bill Sen. Mazie K. Hirono plans to introduce into the new U.S. Congress. In addition to helping these foreign fishermen, she said in a statement this morning, the bill aims at preserving Hawai`i’s longline fishing industry. 

The Associated Press illustrated conditions on longline
fishing boats with story and photography.
Photo from AP

    She said she is also working with non-legislative fixes to the problems that include fishermen needing temporary work visas, with wage protections, safe workplaces and contract enforcement, similar to those provided to other foreigners employed here. 

     The visas that Hirono proposes would allow fishermen to go ashore in Honolulu and travel to and from Honolulu International Airport, solving the problem of the fishermen being picked up by boats in foreign harbors to carry them here. Fishermen need U. S. permission to fly to this state to work for the longline fishing fleet based in Hawai`i, she said. 

      An Associated Press investigation recently reported that among many examples of poor working conditions, is the fact that some foreign fishermen were confined to vessels for years. A federal loophole allows them to work on the longline fishing boats, exempting the business owners from common labor law and migrant worker protections.
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Ka`u Learning Academy held its Fall Fundraiser in October with a Mystery Theater and dinner at the campus.
Photo form Ka`u Learning Academy

KA`U LEARNING ACADEMY'S fall fundraiser was held in late October featuring a mystery theatre directed by teacher Catherine Williams. The tuition free, public charter school is planning to expand to additional grades. It currently teaches grades three, four, five, six and seven. It is located in the former Discovery Harbour Clubhouse. According to its website, sponsors include Chamberlin Family Foundation, American Savings Bank, Olson Trust and CU Hawai`i Federal Credit Union. Founding Executive Director is Kathryn Tydlacka, who has a Masters Degree in Education Administration and an undergraduate degree in Elementary and Secondary Education. See more at www.kauclearning.com

HALLOWEEN DRAWS CHILDREN this evening to walking through neighborhoods and the Hawai`i Police Department promises extra patrols and DUI checks throughout Ka`u. HPD asks that drivers let off children only from the street side of vehicles and be particularly cautious of pedestrians tonight.

OBSERVE AND PARTICIPATE  IN COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS Tuesday, Nov. 1 and Wednesday, Nov. 2 through videoconferencing at Na`alehu State Office Building on Hwy 11. See http://www.hawaiicounty.gov for agendas and live-streamed and archived meetings.

    

VOTER REGISTRATION AND EARLY VOTING are available through this Friday at Pahala Community Center, the only Ka`u polling place before General Election Day next Tuesday, Nov. 8. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 

     Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

     On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voting will take place at Cooper Center in Volcano, Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School Cafeteria, Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria, Ocean View Community Center and Miloli`i Halau, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. See the sample ballots published in this Ka`u News Brief.

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Ka`u News Briefs, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016

Ka`u High quarterback Jacob Flores, No. 25, scores the last touchdown to win the islandwide
Eight-Man Football Championship. Photo by Pam Taylor

Jacob Flores, left. and John Kalahiki, both seniors,
celebrate a touchdown in the end zone.
Photo by Pam Taylor

KA`U TROJANS WON THE EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIP yesterday at home in Pahala under coaches Kainoa Ke and Greg Rush.
     To topple last year's champion Kohala Cowboys on the Ka`u High football field, the Trojans came back from a two point deficit to win 36 to 26.
     It was Senior Night for the team's six graduating Trojans who celebrated with a ceremony of appreciation on the field, receiving lei, balloons and applause. They displayed large photographs and posters, remembering their historic participation on the inaugural eight-man team that keeps high school football alive in Ka`u.
     During the game, however, underclassmen contributed much to winning play. With quarterback Jacob Flores benched the first half for missing classes, junior Brandon Ecalas ran the ball 110 yards in 19 plays from scrimmage, scoring two touchdowns. Back on the field in the second half, Flores ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. At game's end, Ka`u posted 330 yards in rushing, three two-point conversions and had blocked two of Kohala's attempted extra points.

Ka`u Trojans win their second Eight-Man Football title in three years. Photo by Pam Taylor

Six Trojans seniors celebrated Senior Night on the field and won the island
championship title. They are:  Jamal Buyuan, Daniel Garo, Kainalu
Medeiros-Dancel, John Kalahikiand Jacob Flores. Photo by Pam Taylor

     The win marks Ka`u earning two out of three island titles since eight-man was launched. Trojans and their athletic director Kalei Namohala were the impetus in establishing the fast running, high scoring, low injuries version of high school football in Big Island Interscholastic Federation competition.
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THE PROPOSED HAWAIIAN SPRINGS WATER BOTTLING PLANT, planned for the old sugar mill site on Maile Street in Pahala, is drawing questions to the county from Sierra Club Moku Loa Group. The Hawai`i Island chapter wrote to county planner Larry Nakayama, asking  how “will you address our concerns about the proposed Pahala Town Square & Hawaiian Springs Facility?” Planning director Duane Kanuha gave permission for the project plan in early October, with conditions of approvals and reviews by various government agencies.
     Cory Harden of Sierra Club wrote that the “operation would extract a public trust resource and ship it out-of-state, contribute to the worldwide privatization of water, use fossil fuel, and generate harmful waste. It is unclear how it would benefit the local community.” Her  letter, copied to Albert Kam, the bottling plant project manager for Pahala, asserted that “It appears the facility has the burden to justify its water use and show the water source will not be compromised.”

     Sierra Club pointed to its legal arm, Earthjustice, referencing a 2014 Hawai`i Supreme Court decision in a Kaua`i Springs versus Kaua`i Planning Commission case. The decision, which upheld rejection of the bottling plant permit,  "strongly reinforced principles that water is a public trust, and that private companies profiting off these resources bear the burden of justifying their diversions and showing the resources will not be unduly compromised...." The Sierra Club quoted the Hawai`i Supreme Court: “No person or entity has automatic vested rights to water."
     Regarding the Hawai`i County Planning Department’s obligation to protect Hawai`i’s natural resources, Sierra Club further quoted the state Supreme Court decision: "Private commercial users of water bear the burden of affirmatively justifying their uses…lack of information from the applicant is exactly the reason an agency is empowered to deny a proposed use of a public trust resource.”
     Sierra Club wrote to the Hawai`i County planner: “This burden includes showing the use is reasonable and beneficial and consistent with trust purposes, has no practicable alternative water source, and implements mitigation of the cumulative impact of diversions." Government agencies have “duties under the public trust independent of the permit requirements,” including a duty to hold private commercial users to their burden under the public trust, Sierra Club wrote.

Pahala Town Center & Hawaiian Springs Facility, a water bottling
plant planned for the old industrial sugar mill site.

     In addition to asserting that the  Hawaiian Springs water bottling facility would contribute to the “worldwide privatization of water,”  Sierra Club stated: “The rich can afford to live where there is clean municipal water, but the poor must buy bottled water or travel to spigots—a scenario found not only in third world countries, but also in Hawai'i Island communities with catchment water.”
     Sierra Club also brought up plastics:    “Single-use plastic water bottles have significant environmental impacts.” Sierra Club pointed to National Geographic statistics for the U.S.: “In 2015, we bought the equivalent of 1.7 billion half-liter bottles of water every week...A typical family of four is going through one of those shrink-wrapped 24-packs of bottled water each week." Sierra Club referenced The Huffington Post reporting for the U.S.: “It takes three bottlefuls of water to produce one finished bottle of water. Most of the waste water from production is contaminated and cannot be reused.” Bottling water also takes energy. “Fifty million barrels of oil a year--enough to run three million cars for a year--are used to pump, process, transport and refrigerate our bottled water."
      Sierra Club pointed out that "80 percent of water bottles—38 billion a year—end up in landfills, not recycle bins, costing taxpayers money. Often caps can't be recycled. The PET (polyethylene terephthalate) from bottles doesn't biodegrade, but breaks down into tiny fragments. These absorb pollutants, which can contaminate water and the food chain," stated the Sierra Club.

Cory Harden wrote the Sierra Club's letter to the county, questioning
the water bottling plant planned for Pahala.
Photo from Big Island Video News

     The environmental organization also pointed to potential health risks, quoting Worldwatch Institute, which reported: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water at the federal level, permits the product to contain certain levels of fecal matter, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency does not allow any human waste in city tap water. Bottled water violations are not always reported to the public, and in most cases the products may be recalled up to 15 months after the problematic water was produced, distributed, and sold."
     “Plastic can leach into the water, and bacteria can grow in the porous plastic if the bottle is reused,” stated the letter to the Planning Department. The letter also pointed out that “Concerns over bottled water have led to bans by six cities, 22 national parks, and over a dozen colleges and universities.
      Sierra Club stated that local benefits from the proposed water bottling facility are unclear. “Hawaiian Springs owner Albert Kam said, ‘We're here to provide jobs...’ but declined to estimate how many." Sierra Club reported that in 2014, Hawaiian Springs was shipping water out of Hawai'i to over 4,000 stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Canada, and Asia. It has a water bottling facility in Kea`au.
     Hawaiian Springs water bottled in Pahala could come from a tunnel on the property that leads to an old sugar plantation source, 750 feet underground near the old sugar mill site.
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"Now I'm pushing 80 and still wearing jeans," sings
Foggy at Punalu`u Bake Shop with a visitor who
 asked for a photo with him.

MAILE DAVID RESPONDED TO WATER BOTTLING PLANT QUESTIONS from the Sierra Club. In a letter to Cory Harden of the Big Island chapter, David, Ka`u's representative on the County Council, stated that before he gave his plan approval she informed county planning director Duane Kanuha of "serious concerns regarding impacts to this very significant cultural and public trust resource."
     David noted that the planning director is requiring reviews and approvals by state agencies, including Department of Health, Water Quality and Department of Land & Natural Resources before allowing the project to move forward. She wrote that an opportunity for public input may be available at the state level. "I share the club's concerns and I plan to schedule a community meeting in Pahala," David wrote, stating that "public input would be critical."
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FOGGY, THE SINGER and guitar player at Punalu`u Bakeshop in Na`alehu, quoted a Waylon Jennings' recording last week, appreciating the opportunity to entertain visitors and residents. From the song Amanda, he sang, "It's a measure of people who don't understand, the pleasures of life in a hillbilly band." Changing the Waylon Jennings song to reflect his own life here in Ka`u, Foggy continued, "I got my first guitar when I was 15. Now I'm pushing 80 and still wearing jeans."    

      Foggy, also known as Gary Cole, said, "This young lady approached me at the bakery yesterday and asked me if she could have her photo taken with me. What was I supposed to say? Playing at the bakery is better than going to the beach."

     Punalu`u  Bake Shop features live, local music from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily in an outdoor setting in front of an original mural about Ka`u by artist and former Punalu`u Bake Shop manager Patrick Edie.
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LATE VOTER REGISTRATION AND EARLY VOTING continues tomorrow, Monday, at Pahala Community Center, the only Ka`u polling place before General Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.  Hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Citizens can also register late and vote early at Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; West Hawai`i Civic Center Community Room, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Waimea Community Center, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.
     On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voting will take place at Cooper Center in Volcano, Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary School Cafeteria, Na`alehu Elementary School Cafeteria, Ocean View Community Center and Miloli`i Halau, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. See the sample ballots published in this Ka`u News Brief.
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Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016

A camper enjoys the shade at Halapē in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Jacob W. Frank

FEES FOR CAMPING IN HAWAI`I VOLCANOES National Park will be charged beginning Tuesday, Nov. 1, as part of a plan to meet national standards for parks with similar visitor amenities. A $10 fee will be charged per trip, in addition to the park entrance fee for all eight backcountry campsites: Ka‘aha, Halapē, Keauhou, ‘Āpua Point, Nāpau, Pepeiao Cabin, Red Hill Cabin and Mauna Loa Cabin. 

Tent camping at ‘Āpua Point along the

 coast at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

 Photo by Jacob W. Frank

     All require a permit, with a stay limit of three consecutive nights at one site. Campers can move to another backcountry site for the fourth night, but no more than seven consecutive nights per trip will be allowed. Permits must be obtained no more than 24 hours in advance from the Backcountry Office, open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fees for backcountry camping can be paid in person at the Backcountry Office, or online through pay.gov. Call 985-6178 for more information.

Kīlauea aglow from its summit crater is visible

 from Kulanaokuaiki Campground. 

Photo by Jacob W. Frank

      Kulanaokuaiki Campground, a drive-in, front-country campsite off Hilina Pali Road, will cost $10 a night per site, with a stay limit of seven consecutive nights, and a maximum of six people per site. The nine designated campsites at Kulanaokuaiki have picnic tables and tent pads, and are available on a first-come basis. Fees for Kulanaokuaiki can be paid at the campground’s self-registration station. Checkout time is 11 a.m.

    The new camping permit fees are similar to other public camping fees statewide. At Kulanaokuaiki, campers who hold the Interagency Senior (Golden Age) and Golden Access passes pay $5 per site.
      Nāmakanipaio Campground off Highway 11 is managed by Hawai‘i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC and is under its own fee structure.
      Pets are not permitted in any of the campgrounds, except for leashed pets in Nāmakanipaio Campground. Leashed service animals are allowed.

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THE FOAM CONTAINER ISSUE on the island with a proposed ban for county and county vendor use has drawn a group of organizations together to study it. The Fall edition of Recycle Hawai`i  newsletter reports a task force of sustainability organizations, businesses, the state Hawai`i Dept. of Health and county Research & Development and Environmental Management departments meeting and conducting research. The task force is called the Hawai`i Island Packaging Sustainability Initiative Stakeholders who came up with proposed solutions: Source reduction, education, best practices for littler control and state and local government support for action initiative. The group advocates for the proposed polystyrene ban for county agencies and county vendors, proposed by County Council member Margaret Wille and supported by Ka`u council member Maile David.

See more at www.recyclehawaii.org. To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

Get the Drift wraps up at the end of October, scouring coast and
waterways part of the International Coastal Cleanup.
Photo from Recycle Hawai`i

GET THE DRIFT AND BAG IT wraps up six weeks of beach cleanups in conjunction with the annual International Coastal Cleanup at the end of October. Hundreds of Hawai`i Island volunteers helped to clean beaches and waterways. This year's events are coordinated by Keep Hawai`i Beautiful and Recycle Hawai`i, under leadership of Terry Miura for the past 15 years. She recently retired as a County of Hawai`i' Parks & Recreation Aquatics Recreation Specialist. About the cleanups, she said, “Marine debris is everyone’s problem and we are the cause, but we are also the only solution."
     See more from Recycle Hawai`i Executive Director Paul Buklarewicz at www.recyclehawaii.org.
     To volunteer to help clean up a Ka`u beach, contact the local participating organization, Hawai`i Wildlife Fund at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

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Stan Troller and Kaida Houvener, as South Point U-Cart receives
and Keeping It Green Award. Photo by Paul Buklarewicz

SOUTH POINT U-CART in Ocean View recently received a Keeping It Green Hawai`i Award for serving on a voluntary basis as a permanent collection site for resident do-it-yourself users to bring in used motor oil for proper disposal. The cooperative project was managed by Recycle Hawai`i and the county Department of Environmental Management. South Point U-Cart owner Stan Troeller and Kaida Hoevener received the award. See more at www.recyclehawaii.org and on Facebook.

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THE EIGHT-MAN FOOTBALL 2016 TITLE for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation is on the line today. If Ka`u High School beats Kohala, Trojans win the island championship. Game time is 2 p.m. at the Pahala school field under coaches Kainoa Ke and Greg Rush. Eight-man football offers higher scores and faster play than traditional football. Entry is $6.

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New technology helps with understanding of ancient
footprints on Ka`u Desert Trail.

Keiki celebrated a safe
Halloween at Shaka's in
Na`alehu last night.

CENTENNIAL HIKE: LiDar Sheds New Light on Hidden Gems. Meet at Ka`u Desert Trailhead at 1 p.m. today along Hwy 11 in between Volcano and Pahala. Park rangers lead a 2.5 mile round trip walk within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and show how Light Detection and Ranging technology helped rescript the history surrounding the ancient footprints embedded in the landscape. 

REALMS & DIVISIONS OF KAHUKU on Sunday, Oct. 30, explores the ancient Hawaiian classifications of the land areas in Kahuku as seen from the Pu`u Kahuku Trail.  Free, see NPS.gov.HAVO. Entrance mauka from HwY 11 between South Point Road and Ocean View.

DUI CHECKPOINTS AND ROVING PATROLS are increased for Halloween weekend, according to the Hawai`i Police Department. “Drive sober or get pulled over,” is the mission statement.

Police offer tips on how to keep
Halloween safe for kids.
Photos by Julia Neal

Traffic Services Section director, Sgt. Robert Pauole, noted that many pedestrians will be out on the streets for Halloween festivities.

“Be especially careful in residential areas by slowing down and looking for children on roadways and shoulders,” Pauole said. “If you plan to drink, please don’t drive. Make arrangements to ride with a designated, sober and licensed driver before you start drinking. If you can’t find one, don’t take a chance — take a taxi.”
     Police offer the following tips for pedestrian safety: Make sure children are supervised as they cross the street. Have children get out of cars on the curb side, not on the traffic side. Drive below the posted speed limit during trick-or-treating hours. Watch for children on roadways and on medians. Slowly exit driveways and alleyways.
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