Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, June 1, 2017

The view today from Mauna Loa Observatory where the elements of climate change are documented, as
Pres. Donald Trump withdraws from the global agreement to mediate climate change.
Photo from NOAA

IT'S ON US NOW, proclaimed former President Barack Obama when Pres. Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement today, separating the U.S. from all nations with the exception of Syria, which is at war; Nicaragua, which wanted the agreement to go further in preserving the planet; and the Vatican, which doesn't sign such measures but encouraged Trump to honor the agreement.

     Obama issued a statement calling for towns, counties and states to step up and continue the work to reduce global warming, something that Trump has called "a hoax." Hawai`i quickly stepped up and agreed to join a group of states that today founded the U.S. Climate Alliance to uphold the Paris Agreement. Other states include California, New York and Washington, along with Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Virginia.
    Gov. Jerry Brown, of California, said that an additional coalition of states, cities and other nations plans to continue the drive toward clean energy and a clean economy. He noted that California is the sixth largest economy in the world and that solar and wind create many jobs.

   In his statement, Obama said, “I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack, but even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations to reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got. A year and a half ago, the world came together in Paris around the first-ever global agreement to set the world on a low-carbon course and protect the world we leave to our children.”      

     Sen. Brian Schatz, who was involved in the Paris negotiations, tweeted after the Trump announcement, "This is immoral. Remember this gut punch. Then run for office. Donate. Organize. Just do something. What happens next is entirely up to us."
     He noted that the U.S. cannot officially pull out of the Paris agreement until November of 2020. "So let's win the next one. The Planet depends on it. The future is clean energy. The past is this administration."
     He pointed out that Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, with its electric car and solar shingles; Solar City; as well as as Space X and PayPal, said today that he will leave his role in advising the Trump White House. Tweeted Musk, "Am departing presidential councils. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world."

    Sen. Mazie Hirono released the following statement: “President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement is irresponsible, hasty, and short-sighted. In Hawai`i we understand why it’s important to take care of our land, ocean, and air – our way of life depends on it. Today, it’s more important than ever for states like Hawai`i to boldly take the lead on clean energy innovation and good stewardship of our `aina.”

      Rep. Tulsi Gabbard released a statement, saying, “President Trump’s decision today to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, making us just one of three countries in the world not to participate, is short-sighted and irresponsible. Without global action to drastically curb carbon pollution, climate change threatens the safety and security of the planet, especially in places like Hawaiʻi where we are already experiencing its’ devastating effects. 

     Said Gabbard, "The 2015 hurricane season set a record of 15 tropical storms in Hawaiʻi, acidification of our oceans has killed marine ecosystems and fisheries, bleached coral reefs, while causing damage to local economies. As recently as April of this year, the Honolulu Harbor tide gauge peaked at more than nine inches above predicted tides - the highest daily mean water level ever recorded over 112-years.

Sen. Mazie Hirono and Hawai`i Federal
Judge Derrick Kahale Watson

     “The United States should be leading by example, leveraging innovation through science and technology, investing in clean energy, creating renewable energy jobs that cannot be outsourced, growing the economy, enhancing U.S. energy independence, and lowering energy costs for families and businesses, while reducing carbon emissions. We must continue to persevere and do our part to support efforts in the private sector and at all levels of government to combat climate change and protect our environment.”

      Gabbard co-sponsored H.Res.540, which supports combating climate change, including goals for 50% of electricity derived from renewable sources by 2030, as well as the transition to 50% near-zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% clean renewable energy by 2050.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S TRAVEL BAN was sent to the U.S. Supreme Court this evening by Trump administration attorneys. They are asking the Supreme Court to immediately revive the temporary ban on foreigners arriving from six majority-Muslim nations and for the Justices to hear the case.

Hawai`i AG Doug Chin

   The ban was set aside through the effort of the Sate of Hawai`i and its Attorney General Doug Chin and other Attorneys Generals from Washington and other states. 

     On May 25, the Fourth Circuit Court in Virginia upheld an injunction on the ban, declaring it unconstitutional and the Hawai`i Attorney General commented:

      “Terrorism must be stopped, but not by sacrificing our constitutional principles or denigrating entire classes of people. Not even the President of the United States is above the U.S. Constitution.”

     The Fourth Circuit ruling noted that the text of the revised Executive Order “speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination.” 

      On May 15, 2017, Hawai`i argued in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Hawai`i federal district court Judge Derrick K. Watson’s order enjoining President Trump’s Executive Order nationwide on grounds that the Executive Order violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Ninth Circuit’s decision in that case, Hawai`i v. Trump, is still pending.
     Trump claimed the ban would protect the country from terrorism. Opponents claim it is discriminatory. The Supreme Court, if it chooses to hear the case, would also decide whether the president has the final say on admission  and immigration regulations for foreigners.

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 THE PROPOSED INCREASE IN THE GASOLINE TAX, which by law would be used only for the Hele On Bus system and county road maintenance and repairs, faced opposition from about 20 testifiers at yesterday's public hearing before the County Council.

    Mayor Harry Kim, who proposed the hike, said he understands why people would be opposed and testified that the decision is up to the County Council. Some of the comments focused on the tax driving up the cost of transportation for goods and services, and construction, as well as transportation to travel for work.

Register for keiki swim classes on Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Photo by Tanya Ibarra

   The proposal is to more than double the tax to 19 cents per gallon this year and take it up to 23 cents in two years. At the current rate, the tax of 8.8 cents per gallon brings in about $8 million a year and hasn't been adjusted since 1988.

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Keiki Learn to Swim Registration, Fri, June 2, 1 – 4 p.m, Pāhala Pool. $15 per student, per nine-class session. 928-8177.

Pu‘u o Lokuana, Sat, June 3, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Learn about formation and various uses of this grassy cinder cone and enjoy a breathtaking view of lower Ka‘ū on this free, moderately difficult 0.4-mile hike to the top.

Ecstatic Dance, Sat, June 3, 2 – 4 p.m., Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village. Jo Caron offers a dynamic way to both workout and meditate all in the same breath. $15, $20 at the door. 967-8222 .

Ham Radio Operators Potluck Picnic, Sun, June 4, Manukā Park. All American Radio Emergency Service members, anyone interested in learning how to operate a ham radio and families are invited to attend. Dennis Smith, 989-3028.

Volunteer Fire Department Meeting, Mon, June 5, 4 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-7033.

http://kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory_2017

Ka`u News Briefs Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Andres Magana Ortiz raised a family, bought a coffee farm, built a house and and is facing
deportation to Mexico. Image from www.hawaiinewsnow.com

"EVEN THE GOOD HOMBRES ARE NOT SAFE," blared a headline in the Los Angeles Times. The Ka`u and Kona Coffee communities are a brew about a farmer on this island being deported.  "A federal judge called the Trump administration deportation order of a coffee farmer  'inhumane," stated an NBC News headline.
      On Tuesday, the Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals denied an emergency appeal to overturn a deportation order for Big Island coffee farmer Andres Magana Ortiz. Judge Stephen Reinhart described the man as being treated unfairly. "President Trump has claimed that his immigration policies would target 'the bad hombres.' The government's decision to remove Magana Ortiz shows that even the 'good hombres' are not safe," wrote the judge, noting that the court did not have the legal means to grant a stay in the deportation matter, since the Trump administration recently changed the deportation guidelines. "We are unable to prevent Magana Ortiz's removal, yet it is contrary to the values of this nation and its legal system," wrote Reinhardt.

Magana Ortiz is known for opening his farm to help research pest
control and coffee plant health.
Photo from Kona Coffee Farmers Association

    Magana Ortiz is a Kona Coffee farmer in Holualoa who moved to Kona to pick coffee nearly three decades ago. He entered the U.S. illegally when he was smuggled across the Mexican border by human traffickers in 1989 at age 15 to join his mother who found a job in California. After moving to Kona to pick coffee, he began to farm and saved money. He married and raised his children who were born here - his wife and three children all citizens. He said he has applied for legal status and has never hidden his illegal status as he works, pays taxes, bought and developed his own El Molinito Farm and mill and manages numerous other coffee orchards.
     Kona Coffee Farmers Association President Suzie Shriner said he is a good citizen and has provided his farm to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct pest control studies for the coffee industry.

Kona Coffee Farmers Association stands up for Magana Ortiz
as a good citizen who has contributed to the coffee industry.

   The eldest Magana daughter will soon turn 21, and as a citizen, she could apply for an immigrant visa for her father to return, if he is in fact deported, or stay if the federal government gives him more time. The deportation order comes with a ten year ban on his returning to the U.S. Magana Ortiz is 43 year of age.
     His business partner Brian Lindau told Hawai`i News Now, "When you get a guy like Andres who's a model citizen, been in business for years, pays taxes and is one of the heavy hitters in the coffee industry here, you're shooting yourself in the foot and you're shooting down the Kona coffee business."
     The federal judge concluded, “Magana Ortiz is by all accounts a pillar of his community and a devoted husband and father. It is difficult to see how the government’s decision to expel him is consistent with the President’s promise of an immigration system with ‘a lot of heart.' I concur as a judge, but as a citizen I do not.”

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THE U.S SHOT DOWN ITS OWN MISSILE NORTH OF HAWAI`I after launching it from Kwatjalein Atol in the Marshall Islands on Tuesday. The mock Intercontinental Ballistic Missile test was aimed to fortify U.S. defenses against the threat of a nuclear North Korean missile, which could reach Guam, Hawai`i and possibly the mainland.

        Rep. Tulsi Gabbard released the following statement: “There are a wide range of threats posed by North Korea that we must be prepared to defend against, including those raised by Admiral Harris about the threat posed to Hawaiʻi, and the need to ensure our missile defense infrastructure includes layers of protection for Hawaiʻi.  Our successful tests against an ICBM threat are a positive development, which further reinforces the need for continued strengthening of our ballistic missile

A U.S. missile launched from Kawjalein Atol  (1) in the Marshall Islands
yesterday was intercepted and destroyed (3) by a U.S, Missle launched
from California (2) in  order to test defense against a possible nuclear
 missile launch from North Korea in the future.
Image from U.S. Department of Defense

defense infrastructure. I'm continuing to look at all options available to us and pursuing those which will ensure Hawaiʻi is defended from simple and complex attacks now, and into the future.”

     Gabbard stated that missile defense and the protection of Hawaiʻi have been among her top priorities throughout her time in Congress. Last year, she passed two amendments in the National Defense Authorization Act —one to provide funding to begin the process of bringing an MRDR (Mid-Range Discriminating Radar) to Hawaiʻi, and the other to require the Missile Defense Agency to brief Congress on their short-term plan to enhance missile defense capabilities in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.  She also questioned then Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about the need to increase Hawaiʻi’s missile defense. She has had ongoing conversations and meetings with the Missile Defense Agency Director, Vice Admiral James Syring, to discuss possible options for the defense of Hawaiʻi, to deal with short term and long term needs. This includes quickly deployable options that may be available to further strengthen the defense of Hawaiʻi within the state.

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MORE LIMITS ON AQUARIUM FISH COLLECTING in nearshore waters are on Gov. David Ige's desk and the Humane Society of the United States is asking him to sign the bill. A new poll shows that 90 of citizens favor the sustainability measures and the caps on the permits contained in SB 1240 which just passed the Hawai`i Legisllature. Some 83 percent favor ending the fish collecting trade in Hawai`i altogether, according the poll conducted by QMark Research.

     A statement today from the Humane Society says that "The Department of Land and Natural

Collecting in Hawaiian waters to sell fish, crabs and other sealife to
aquarium shops and collectors would face more regulations if
Gov. David Ige signs the bill. Photo from Earth Justice

Resources is tasked with protecting Hawaii’s reefs from activities, especially those of a commercial nature, that may 'disturb, degrade, or alter the marine environment.' DLNR has long held the position that no take or permit limits are necessary to protect reefs. That position is in sharp contrast to the growing concerns of the vast majority of Hawai`i residents who cited environmental impacts as the most important issue related to the aquarium trade. Compared to a similar poll conducted five years ago, which showed 66 percent supported ending the trade, results from this poll show a 17-point surge of public awareness and support for ending the trade to 83 percent.

     "Catch reports filed with DLNR document that at least 700,000 fish, hermit crabs and other reef creatures are captured and sold for personal aquariums outside Hawai`i each year."

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Worldwide Voyage: Hawai‘i Shares its Culture with the World, daily through July 2, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Artwork inspired by Hōkūleʻa’s Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage and curated by Gary Eoff. Reception Friday, June 30, 3 – 5 p.m.

Ka‘ū Community Development Plan Meeting & Hearing, Thu, June 1, 9 a.m., Aupuni Center Conference Room in Hilo. Public is invited to Windward Planning Commission’s review of the plan.

Keiki Learn to Swim Registration, Thu/Fri, June 1/2, 1 – 4 p.m, Pāhala Pool. $15 per student, per nine-class session. 928-8177

Ocean View Neighborhood Watch meeting, Thu, June 1, 7 p.m., Ocean View Community Center. 939-2442 & 928-2015

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Ka`u News Briefs Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Ka`u ranches and farms will be visited in June by surveyors for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, attempting
to include every farm and ranch in the U.S. Agricultural Census. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U FARMERS AND STATE AND U.S. LEGISLATORS, supporting the future of hemp growing in Hawai`i, are headed to the inaugural Hawai`i Hemp Conference at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel on Saturday, June 10.
    A panel discussion, After Sugar: Making a Living from the Soil with hemp, microgreens, sugar cane, canoe plants and regenerative farming, will be moderated by Hawaii Farmers Union president Vincent Mina. The panel features "Ginger" John Caverly, Bobby Pahia, and Greg Smith, of Earth Matters Farm on South Point Road in Ka`u.
     Keynote speaker, hemp farmer Doug Fine, will host #LetsTalkHempHawaii with presentations and panels covering a broad range of topics for farmers, processors, manufacturers, legislators, entrepreneurs, and investors interested in participating in the emerging Hawai`i hemp industry.

Industrial hemp is the subject of the inaugural Hawai`i Hemp Conference
which will feature two of Ka`u's state legislators and its U.S. Rep. Tulsi 
Gabbard. Image from HERB

     Along with speakers, panels and practical demonstrations in hemp construction, health and wellness, and local soil regeneration, the weekend activities include farm field visits on Sunday June 11, where common to complicated questions will be answered by local farmers.
     U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who co-sponsored HB525- the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, will talk via recorded video about the federal legislation. The Future of Hemp Legislation in Hawai'i panel will include Ka`u state legislators Rep. Richard Creagan and Sen. Russell Ruderman, who have supported hemp cultivation and production in Hawai`i, joined by Sen. Mike Gabbard. They will discuss the current hemp legislation and a Hawai`i Department of Agriculture Pilot Program.
     State Rep. Cynthia Thielen, who has advocated a local hemp program since the 1990's, will also make an appearance via recorded video.
    "The time is now to get into hemp," says event coordinator Morris Beegle. "Sales continue to grow by 25-30 percent annually on the mainland, over 30 states have passed pro-hemp legislation, and Hawai`i is about to come online in a big way." The conference features the #LetsTalkHemp Speaker Series and is produced by Colorado Hemp Company and presented by Functional Remedies.

Ka`u legislators Sen. Russell Ruderman (l) and Rep. Richard Creagan
(third from right) attended the blessing of an industrial hemp trial
project in 2015 on O`ahu. Photo from state Dept. Agriculture

      Support and sponsorship for the education, economic and regulatory development segment of the conference programming comes from Hawai`i Department of Agriculture, which is working closely with local stakeholders and state and federal agencies to ensure a well-defined hemp program.
     A mini-expo and marketplace, free and open to the public on June 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will offer such hemp products as bodycare, clothing, food and supplements, animal treats, nutraceuticals, paper, building materials, bioplastics, chemical replacement ingredients, nano-fiber technologies, and more.
     Hawai`i Hemp Conference includes additional networking and entertainment activities including a welcoming E Komo Mai Happy Hour, Dinner and Concert on Friday June 9 with music from Off the Grid, Lava and Green Flash, Saturday night June 10 offers up another networking, dinner and after conference party with musical artist Damon Williams. On Sunday, June 11 there will be A Hui Hou (Farewell) Brunch with live jazz followed by a Hawai`i Farm Tour to conclude the inaugural Hawai`i Hemp Conference.
     For complete details, ticket information and registration, please visit: HawaiiHempConference.com

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PRODUCTION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP SEED, to be made available to licensees in an upcoming industrial hemp pilot program, is a project of the state Department of Agriculture. The DOA project includes: Awarding seed development contracts to contractor/(s) selected at the end of an RFP process; obtaining a controlled substance registration from Hawai`i state Department of Safety; importing seeds to be further developed into a line of industrial hemp for Hawai`i by the contractor/(s) selected upon receipt of all necessary licenses.

Ka`u's pastures will be documented and ranchers visited druing the
Census of Agriculture surveys in June. Photo by Julia Neal

     Proposals are being reviewed through May and a program coordinator is expected to be selected this summer, with a program inspector this winter. Growers will be able to apply for licenses from Jan. 1-April 1, 2018. See http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/hemp/

FEDERAL CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE representatives will visit local ranches and farms through June. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will survey for crop acreages and livestock in an attempt to ensure all farms and ranches are recorded for the nationwide Census of Agriculture. The survey covers demographics, crop diversity and value of production. For more information, contact the NASS Pacific Region-Hawaii Field Office at 808-522-8080. See surveys at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.

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ERUPTIONS ARE NOT THE ONLY HAZARDS  created by volcanoes, notes the latest Volcano Watch column from Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Scientists:

Portion of a landslide map of the western Columbia River Gorge
centered on the previously known Cascade landslide complex.
Gray areas are presumed stable terrain. Landslides presumed
now to be inactive are shown in orange or brown (submerged parts).
Active landslides are shown in buff color.

     They can create havoc millions of years after their fires have grown cold, because with time, their deposits can weaken to produce landslides. This happens because volcanic deposits are commonly rich in volcanic glass, a non-crystalline form of silica. In wet climates, this glass can readily transform into soft, weak minerals (primarily clay) through chemical weathering.
     Both volcanoes and landslides are important for landscape evolution in Hawai`i and worldwide. In Washington State, an old legend makes the connection between them.
    In one version of a legend of the Klickitat people, the chief of all gods (Tyhee Saghalie) and his sons (Pahto and Wy'east) came to the land along the Columbia River and decided to stay, but the sons quarreled over which area each would get. To settle the dispute, the chief sent Pahto to the north side of the river and Wy'east to the south. He then built a great bridge across the river, the Bridge of the Gods, so that the family could continue to meet. 

     But the brothers renewed their quarrel, this time over a beautiful maiden, Loowit. The quarrel escalated. Massive rocks were hurled; the ground shook. Villages were buried, forests were destroyed, and the great bridge collapsed into the river. As punishment, the father turned the angry sons and the maiden into volcanoes—Pahto became Mount Adams, Wy'east became Mount Hood, and Loowit became Mount St. Helens.
     Geology tells the same story. Northwest Indians really could walk across the Columbia River atop the massive Bonneville landslide, which slid across and dammed the river almost 600 years ago. When the landslide-dammed lake overtopped the blockage, the bridge "collapsed" to form a great rapids—the Cascades of the Columbia. This landslide is part of a legacy left by ancient Cascade volcanoes. Until recently, the extent of this legacy had not been fully appreciated.

A recently completed USGS study (https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/sim3358) mapped and
dated many landslides not previously recognized in a rainy corner of the Pacific Northwest—the Columbia River Gorge in Skamania County, Washington. These landslides, formerly hidden by dense forest, occurred over at least tens of thousands of years, and about a dozen are still moving. Their slip planes (sliding surfaces) occur entirely within volcanic deposits laid down by eruptions that occurred about 25 million years ago in the ancestral Cascade Range—deposits from volcanoes that have long since eroded away.
     Tectonic forces operating over

View of headscarp of Red Bluffs landslide adjacent to the Bonneville 

landslide, looking northwest and showing the bedded volcaniclastic

sediments (gray layers) that are dipping about 7 degrees toward the 

viewer and in which sliding has occurred. The slightly darker gray and

orange-brown unit in the top quarter of the scarp face is Columbia River 

Basalt. The slowly creeping Crescent Lake landslide, on which the 

photographer is standing, is a reactivated part of the Red Bluffs landslide.

USGS photo by T. Pierson

the last few million years have tilted the beds of volcanic deposits southward toward the downcutting Columbia River, which facilitates sliding along weak zones within the weathered, clay-rich sediment beds. The discovery of so many previously unknown landslides was made possible by the availability of three new technologies—LiDAR, GPS, and InSAR, which were essential for this project.
     The discovery of these landslides has implications for hazards today. The Bonneville landslide has a volume of about 1 cubic kilometer (think of a box a half a mile wide, long, and high) and runout distance of about 6 km (3.7 mi). Another such large landslide rapidly sliding into the Columbia River today could have a catastrophic impact on downstream communities and on the transportation and energy-distribution infrastructure of the Pacific Northwest.
     Hawaiian volcanoes have their own landslide stories. In fact, over the last several million years, 17 distinct landslides have occurred throughout Hawaiian Islands. These landslides were the subject of a Volcano Watch article on January 23, 2014 https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hvo/hvo_volcano_watch.html?vwid=212.

http://kaucalendar.com/TheDirectory_2017

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KA`U LIBRARIES are offering their annual Summer Reading Program beginning on june 4 at both the Pahala and Naalehu branches. Weekly movies, crafts, and activities illustrate this year's theme, Build a Better World.
     Children, teens, and adults are invited to participate, and can sign up at one of our branches. This year participants will be able to earn badges for rewards and lucky prize drawing entries. They will earn a badge for every 100 minutes of reading.
     For more information or to sign up for the program, everyone is invited to call us 939-2442 or 928-2015, or visit http://www.librarieshawaii.org.