The Kaʻū Calendar News Briefs, Hawaiʻi Island

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Kaʻū News Briefs June 20, 2024

Kaulunani forestry grants are available from state Department of Land & Natural Resources for Arbor Day events, growing and distributing trees and fighting invasive species. See dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/lap/kaulunani/grants/
Photo from DLNR

PROMOTE TREES IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, WORK, LEARN AND PLAY. That is the purpose of Kaulunani forestry grants for Hawai‘i communities and organizations that are encouraged to apply. State Department of Land & Natural Resources Kaulunani Urban & Community Forestry Program provides support to entities that promote. protect and enhance community forests in their community spaces.
Grants come in two categories, General Community, and Arbor Day 2024. Eligible applicants include schools, religious centers, community groups, state and county agencies, and organizations. Projects can

Kaulunani promotes tree distribution for planting.
Photo from DLNR

comprise community celebrations on or around Arbor Day on Saturday, Nov. 2 and also tree plantings and giveaways, tree nursery establishment or capacity building, invasive species management for trees, and more. Deadline to appy for both categories is Monday, July 15.
Awards are $3,000 – $5,000 for Arbor Day 2024 Grants and $5,000 – $15,000 for General Community Grants. Applications are due on or before July 15. Kaulunani staff will host online question and answer sessions to provide more detail about these funding opportunities. For additional information and to apply: dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/lap/kaulunani/grants/
Also contact Heather McMillen, Kaulunani Program Coordinator, at heather.l.mcmillen@hawaii.gov.

See https://www.sare.org/resources/building-sustainable-
farms-ranches-and-communities/

THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 21 IS THE KAʻŪ COFFEE GROWERS, FARMERS & RANCHERS RESOURCE WORKSHOP, sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture from 3 p,m. to 5 p.m. at Pāhala Community Center. USDA invites coffee growers and other agricultural producers to learn about USDA programs and practices at the free session. Spanish translation will be provided. Pāhala Community Center is at 96-1149 Kamani St.

PETROLOGISTS GATHER TO UNDERSTAND CHEMISTRY OF KILAUEA VOLCANO. That's the topic of this week's Volcano Watch, written by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and affiliates. This week's article is by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa graduate student Rose Gallo:
During the most active portion of their life cycle, called the shield stage, Hawaiian volcanoes erupt frequently and mostly produce a rock type called basalt. Basaltic lava flows formed during the shield stage make up the majority of the rock of the Hawaiian Islands. Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is a modern example of a volcano in the shield-building stage.

Color photograph of scientists examining a map in the field

Participants of the May 2024 Kīlauea petrology workshop discuss the local geology near lava flows that erupted during the lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea in 2018. USGS photo by A. Lerner.

Kīlauea primarily erupts basaltic lava flows during its frequent eruptions, such as the most recent brief eruption on June 3, 2024. In addition to being dominantly basalts, Kīlauea's lavas are limited in their chemical makeup by a consistent and predictable pattern of mineral formation. Magmas entering the volcano deep beneath the surface have a narrow range of chemical compositions; with time, those compositions change cyclically. As magma is stored, first in the magma reservoirs beneath the summit caldera, and sometimes later in smaller magma reservoirs beneath the volcano's rift zones, it cools and minerals begin to form.
Minerals—such as olivine, plagioclase, and pyroxenes—form from elements in the magma. The quantities of each element are relatively fixed as part of the mineral's structure. When the minerals form, they deplete those elements from the remaining magma. Formation of the same minerals in the same order under similar conditions of temperature and pressure results in the generation of very similar magmas over time in Kīlauea's magma chambers.
The consistent nature of lava chemistry at Kīlauea both helps and hinders us in understanding the volcano's behavior. The predictability and limited range of magma compositions at Kīlauea allows for reliable forecasting of the style of future eruptions, and thus the associated hazards, compared to most other volcanoes.
The consistent pattern of chemical changes in Kīlauea's magmas also provides a robust data set to validate tools designed to simulate the chemical behavior of magma. However, distinguishing between the deposits of past eruptions can be very difficult because of the limited variability in lava flow compositions. It can be challenging to answer questions such as: How many eruptions produced a particular set of lava flows? Did two lava flows formed at different times come from the same magma reservoir?

Color photograph of scientists in a lava tube

Participants of the May 2024 Kīlauea petrology workshop, hosted in Hilo, visited the Kaumana Caves State Park during one of their field trips. The lava tubes at Kaumana Caves State Park formed during the 1880-1881 eruption of Mauna Loa, which occurred on the Northeast Rift Zone. During the Mauna Loa 1880-1881 eruption, lava flows approached Hilo; read more about this eruption here: pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2019/5129/sir20195129.pdf.

USGS photo by A. Lerner.

In May of this year, a group of volcano geochemists and petrologists (scientists who study the chemistry, textures, and origins of volcanic rocks) met in Hilo to discuss how to improve our understanding of magma storage and evolution at Kīlauea with these considerations in mind. The meeting, organized by Dr. Tom Shea from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa included USGS scientists as well as professors and graduate students from Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and France.
Participants shared information on the current state of knowledge at Kīlauea and about potentially useful techniques for chemical analysis of Kīlauea rocks. Some of the topics of the meeting included: 1) discussing how chemical elements that occur at very low concentrations in the earth could be used to identify similarities and differences between lavas, 2) comparing several types of scientific software used to model the pattern of lava compositions observed at Kīlauea and considering needed improvements, and 3) sharing methods for using the concentrations of elements and molecules such as water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur to make interpretations about the depths at which magma was stored before eruption.
Participants in the meeting also had the chance to observe Kīlauea's volcanic features in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the lower East Rift Zone. The combined workshop and field experiences led to productive discussions on future avenues of research in these areas. Just a couple of weeks after the workshop, Kīlauea erupted basaltic lava flows again and petrologists are eagerly examining the geochemistry and minerals in the new lava for clues about the magma's journey.

USGS Volcano Activity Updates
Kīlauea is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY.
Following the June 3 eruption, magma has been repressurizing the storage system beneath Halemaʻumaʻu and the south caldera region, activating earthquakes in the upper East Rift Zone and in the caldera south of Halemaʻumaʻu. About 225 events occurred in this region over the past week, which is about half the number of the previous week. Inflationary ground deformation has also continued in the summit region. The most recent summit sulfur dioxide emission rate measured was approximately 50 tonnes per day on June 10, 2024. Currently, there are no signs of an imminent eruption, but changes can occur quickly, as can the potential for eruption.
Five earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week: a M3.1 earthquake 10 km (6 mi) NE of Pāhala at 31 km (19 mi) depth on June 16 at 12:08 p.m. HST, a M3.1 earthquake 15 km (9 mi) ESE of Nāʻālehu at 36 km (22 mi) depth on June 15 at 7:40 a.m. HST, a M3.3 earthquake 15 km (9 mi) ESE of Nāʻālehu at 36 km (22 mi) depth on June 15 at 3:31 a.m. HST, a M4.1 earthquake 15 km (9 mi) ESE of Nāʻālehu at 36 km (22 mi) depth on June 14 at 1:43 p.m. HST, and a M2.7 earthquake 14 km (8 mi) S of Fern Forest at 6 km (3 mi) depth on June 13 at 7:18 a.m. HST.
HVO continues to closely monitor Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Visit HVO's website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

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Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Kaʻū News Briefs June 19, 2024

Deisha Davis checks in the recipient family for Kaukau 4 Keiki as Krystal Eder loads the food and
Glenn Okumura and Tina Eder prepare for the next group at Pāhala Hongwanji. Photo by Julia Neal

KAUKAU 4 KEIKI'S FIRST DAY OF FOOD GIVEAWAYS launched at Volcano, Pāhala and Nāʻālehu on Wednesday with Ocean View beginning on Thursday.
Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School is running the Pāhala operation this year, led by Deisha Davis, with help from community volunteers. On Wednesday, Football Coach Conner Norton and players Zylin Loftus, Sefefano Aina, Dayton Keohuloa and Jeremy Felipe helped with the unloading of the trucks bringing food to Pāhala Hongwanji. Also helping were volunteers Glenn Okumura, Tina Eder, Krystal Eder, Chrysa Dacalio. Bridgette Kaleohano and Julia Neal. Also helping was a leader for a Wilderness Adventure group of high school girls who are learning and volunteering in Kaʻū this week.
Fresh foods given out included apples, bananas, keiki greens, lettuce, carrots and celery. There is fresh frozen poi, when can be finished off in a microwave. Proteins include canned salmon, tuna, peanut butter and milk. Carbs included whole wheat bread and oatmeal.

A long lineup of cars from families of many incomes came for the free Kaukau 4 Keiki food on Wednesday.
Photo by Julia Neal

The offerings are designed to give keiki seven days of food for six weeks during the school break, as many students depend on school for daily nutrition. Kaukau 4 Keiki significantly increased the number of families served this summer over the number last year.
Vibrant Hawai'i administers the Kaukau 4 Keiki program for the U.S. Department of Agriculture across the island for 5,000 recipients at 32 locations. All recipients registered ahead of time. Pickup times are Wednesdays at Volcano School of the Arts & Sciences from noon to 3:30 p.m., at Pāhala Hongwanji from noon to 12:30 p.m., and at Nāʻālehu Resilience Hub from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The free food pick up at Ocean View is at St. Jude's Church on Thursdays from 11 a.m to 1 p.m.
There is no selection of individual families by need. All of Kaʻū is considered low income and has free meals for all students during the school year. According to USDA guidelines, any family getting free meals when school is in session can apply to sign up for Kaukau 4 Keiki unless getting free USDA meals elsewhere during the summer break.
Families who miss any two pick up days during the summer program will have their names removed and their food given to families on the waitlist. Those who don't arrive during the pickup time will also have their food given to families on the waitlist.
The online application requires families to agree to "not receive summer meals from another USDA Summer Meal program, such as Summer Fun or DOE meal sites; this is considered 'double dipping' and is against USDA rules and regulations."

Wilderness Adventures volunteers, under
the direction of Bert and Tina Eder, pull invasive
glycine vines that were killing Norfolk pine trees
at the entrance to Pāhala. Photo by Julia Neal

GLYCINE VINES CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS KAʻŪ, KILLING TREES and taking over other vegetation and even out buildings on open land. The invasive plant was brought in for cattle feed.

Wilderness Adventures, an entity founded in 1973 for students through high school to make friends, explore wilderness and participate in community service, took on the glycine in Pāhala on Wednesday during their Hawai'i Explorer program. The volunteer group of nine girls and three leaders came from around the country. See Jackson Hole, Wyoming-based Wilderness Adventures at www.wildernessadventures.com.

Their volunteers worked on pulling the vines from the iconic Norfolk pine trees that line the Maile Street entrance to Pāhala. The trees have recently been climbed by glycine vines, which have killed many branches. Earlier volunteer groups pulled down vines and uprooted them, but new beds of glycine are growing again and starting to climb the trees.

KAʻŪ COFFEE GROWERS, FARMERS & RANCHERS RESOURCE WORKSHOP, sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture, is this Friday, June 21, 3 p,m. to 5 p.m. at Pāhala Community Center. USDA invites coffee growers and other agricultural producers to learn about USDA programs and practices at the free session. Spanish translation will be provided. Pāhala Community Center is at 96-1149 Kamani St.

A FREE INDEPENDENCE DAY BREAKFAST has been announced for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., June 29 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 95-5682 Mamalahoa Highway, Na'alehu 96772. "We're celebrating before the Na'alehu Independence Day Parade starts at 11 a.m. No free lunch, but yes free breakfast!" said the notice from William Vogeler.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Kaʻū News Briefs June 18, 2024

The NPS Photo by Y. Baur shows an earth crack that bisects Maunaiki Trail, evidence of recent elevated seismicity and volcanic unrest in the SWRZ of Kīlauea. This image was taken on May 15, 2024.

MAUNAIKI AND KA'U DESERT TRAILS have reopened in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The two trails were closed when the short-lived June 3 fissure eruption began near Kīlauea volcano's remote upper Southwest Rift Zone.
Hikers are required to stay on trail due to hazards that include volcanic gas emissions from the new fissures and flow areas, ground fractures, and subsidence features that may continue to widen and have unstable overhanging edges. In addition, hikers on Maunaiki Trail should watch out for new earth cracks that have bisected the trail in several places.
The recent lava flows and fissures are not accessible and are in an area south of Kīlauea caldera that has been closed since 2008 due to volcanic unrest and damage from the 2018 eruption and summit collapse.
Kīlauea is not erupting but seismicity beneath the summit, upper East Rift Zone, and upper Southwest Rift Zone have returned to slightly elevated levels. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS HVO) states that "changes in the character and location of unrest can occur quickly, as can the potential for an eruption, but there are no signs of imminent eruption at this time."
Visitors should plan ahead and check the park website for updates.
The fissure eruption started on Monday, June 3 around 12:30 a.m. in a remote area in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, about about 2.5 miles (4 km) southwest of Kīlauea caldera near the volcano's upper Southwest Rift Zone. The eruption lasted 8.5 hours, according to USGS HVO.

A PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPERTY TAX DEDUCTIONS ON AGRICULTURALLY ZONED LAND will be held on Thursday, July 18 at 5 p.m. , sponsored by the County of Hawai'i Department of Finance . The county's Non Dedicated Agricultural Program is ending for parcels where either a portion or the entire parcel is in this NDA program.
The County proposed three new categories for property tax reductions: Community Food Sustainability, Short Term Commercial Dedication for three years and Long Term Commercial Dedication for ten years. A county letter to property owners says to see the proposal at www.hawaiipropertytax.com under Finance Director Rules & Regulations.
The meeting can be attended and oral testimony submitted by Zoom or in person at Hilo County Council Chambers. Written testimony by email, fax or U.S. mail.

POLICE ARRESTED 25 FOR DUI during the week of June 10 through June 16, The motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Five of the drivers were involved in a traffic

accident. Two were under the age of 21.
So far this year, there have been 451 DUI arrests compared with 462 during the same period last year, a decrease of 2.38 percent.
Hawai'i Police Department’s Traffic Services Section reviewed all updated crashes and found 453 major crashes so far this year, compared with 393 during the same time last year, an increase of 15.26 percent.
To date, there were 16 fatal crashes, resulting in 18 fatalities (two of which had multiple deaths and one crash was reclassified as a suicide), compared with 8 fatal crashes, resulting in 9 fatalities (one of which had multiple deaths, and one died at a later date) for the same time last year. This represents an increase of 100 percent for fatal crashes and 100 percent for fatalities.
In 2024, the non-traffic fatality count (not on a public roadway) is zero compared to zero non-traffic fatalities for the same time last year.
Police promise that DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue island wide.

Winners in the Little League Home Run Derby in the front row are Recyen Fukunaga , who won for the Majors with 8, and Derek Higashi. who won for the Minors with 11. In back row, Caleb Crook and Devin Alpin both hit 20 home runs.

Photo by Rosyln Fukunaga

T-MOBILE AND KAʻŪ LITTLE LEAGUE recently hosted a Home Run Derby for all registered Kaʻū Little League players. Each player got two minutes to hit as many home runs as they could.

The winners of the Home Run Derby were, for the Minors teams Derek Higashi with 11 home runs. For the Majors team Reycen Fukunaga with 8 home runs. Caleb Crook and Devin Alpin both hit 20 home runs.
Kaʻū Little League is almost done with the season. The 50/70 team played in the district tournament at the beginning of the month. Hilo Little League won that tournament.
The Majors team plays Friday in Kona against North Hawai'i and will play again on Saturday against Kona Little League or Hilo Little League.
The Minors team plays on June 28 in Kona.
Kaʻū Little League will begin again at the start of the New Year. A message from the organizers, including Joshua and Elizabeth Crook, says, "We would like to thank all the sponsors, those who donated equipment and money, coaches, umpires, parents and players for a successful year."