Ka`u News Briefs April 21, 2011

Olivine beach at the end of Road to the Sea, where a mile of coastline and 3,000 acres will be preserved.
Photo by Triplecee

ROAD TO THE SEA and surrounding lands, including a one-mile stretch along the Ka`u Coast, was approved for purchase by the full Hawai`i County Council, and negotiations begin between the county finance department and the landowner, a group of investors called Sands of South Kona, LLC. The 3,000 acres is makai of Ocean View and has black and green sand beaches and numerous archaeological sites and sea cliffs for pole fishing. The Road to the Sea is a rugged four-wheel-drive path that crosses lava flows. Council member Brittany Smart, who has lobbied for the purchase, said she plans to make sure that public access will be retained for traveling down the Road to the Sea. The acquisition is part of a decades-old community effort to conserve the Ka`u Coast, the longest uninhabited shoreline in Hawai`i. The conservation effort is not only considered important to the small population of Ka`u but also to the entire state, as there are few coasts without development, and this coast has served as a preserve for wildlife and archaeological sites as well as a remote recreational site for everyone.

Special permits are needed to fly over lava.
Photo courtesy of Tropical Helicopters

FLIGHTSEEING OVER HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK and tribal lands was the subject of days of public presentation by the FAA and the national park, with meetings in Puna and last night in Na`alehu. Public comments in Puna centered on air tour companies flying over residential homes, creating unwanted noise. Comments in Na`alehu included whether helicopters should be allowed to fly over wilderness areas at all, and whether a heliport between Pahala and the national park would adversely affect the park. Also discussed was trying out alternate routes planned for helicopter and fixed wing tours, to give the public a chance to try them out. 

     Calvin Dorn, owner of Paradise and Tropical Helicopter companies, suggested that telling the flightseeing operators where they shouldn’t go would be the best way to keep helicopters and planes away from sensitive areas. He said that giving them a specific route concentrates the flying, so there will always be complaints from someone. Saying they can fly over most of the landscape but not in sensitive areas gives the pilot lots of leeway to handle weather and to change flights so they are not always flying over the same places to get to the volcanoes, waterfalls and scenic coastline. 

Various height limitations are set in the alternatives in the
federal flight plan.  Photo courtesy of Paradise Helicopters

     The preliminary plan is available at the offices of this radio station on Maile Street in Pahala and the offices of The Ka`u Calendar newspaper at the corner of Maile and Pikake in Pahala. The plan is also available online. Google Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Air Tour Management Plan. Comments are due by June 6.
     Ten helicopter companies and four fixed wing tour companies currently have operating permits to fly over the national park. The plan shows alternative options, including no flying over the park, status quo and some hybrid plans. The plans also limit the number of flights per year.

THE $56 MILLION BOND FLOAT passed this week by the County Council will include $3 million for planning and construction of the permanent recycling and trash transfer station in Ocean View, according to council member Brittany Smart. Ocean View is the only community in Ka`u without one and has the largest population.

Jayme Kaneshiro

Taylor Kekoa Burgos

Shailei-Marie Penera

THE MISS KA`U COFFEE PAGEANT presents a third category of candidates this Saturday evening. In addition to Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Ka`u Peaberry there will be a Young Miss Ka`u Coffee crowned. The contenders for Miss Ka`u Coffee are: Jaeneise Cuison, Brandy Eder, Alina Jerilong, Kayla Nishimura, Kathline Diane Pataray and Brandy Shibuya. Miss Ka`u Peaberry contenders are Taylor Burgos, Cherrise Calumpit, Tatiana Ka`awa, Rebecca Kailiawa-Escobar, Jayme Kaneshiro, Bernadette Ladia and Johnette Llanes-Masters. Young Miss Ka`u Coffee candidates are Dayse Andrade, Alyssa Bivings, Malia Corpuz, Dacy Davis-Andrade, Aiyana Galletes-Alapai and Shailei-Marie Penera. The pageant takes place at 5:30 p.m. at the Ka`u High School Gym. Food will be available for sale before the event and during intermission. 

A MEETING OF THE NA`ALEHU Elementary School Community Council is scheduled for this afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in room P-7. For information, call 939-2413.

THY WORD MINISTRIES’ annual Easter Family Fun Day happens this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Na`alehu Hongwanji. There will be food, games, prizes, an Easter egg hunt, music and hula.

ALSO ON SATURDAY, a program about the Art & Traditions of Hula at Kilauea takes place in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The program includes hula kahiko performances and talk story sessions from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Entrances fees to the park are waived through Sunday as part of National Park Week.