Ka`u News Briefs May 31, 2012

Kanonone Waterhole at Pohue Bay is an anchialine pond that hosts endemic and native species and could be more accessible to the public if the County purchases the property.
Photo by Shalan Crysdale

KAHUKU LANDS AT POHUE BAY and the entire 16,000 acres around it could be protected as county land, if a resolution passes the County Council and money is found to purchase it. 

Pohue Bay has the only
white sand beach in Ka`u.
Photo by Megan Lamson

Council member Smart

     The resolution calls for negotiations with landowners, and buying the property with Two Percent money raised from county property taxes as well as additional funding from other sources.

     County Council member Brittany Smart is introducing the resolution to purchase part or all of the 16,000 acres recently known as the proposed site for the Nani Kahuku `Aina hotel, condominium and golf course development. Years ago it was known as the proposed site for the Riviera Resort, with a resort and marina.
     Smart’s proposal gives the following reasons for preserving these Kahuku lands:
     *The Hawksbill Sea Turtle is a federally listed endangered species and is the rarest sea turtle in the Pacific Ocean and the Pohue Bay area is known for sighting and nesting sites; 

Artist's rendering of the never-built
 Riviera Resort at Kahuku,  proposed in
the 1980s with hotels, condos and
marina. Geologists testified that
the area is susceptible to inevitable
lava flow and earthquakes.

 Pohue Bay Petroglyphs.
Photo by Andrew Zenk from azenk.org

     *Pohue Bay is the only white sand beach in Ka`u (within a forty mile radius) and has limited public access;

     *Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park 2010 Hawksbill Sea Turtle Report recorded Pohue Bay with “nine nests from two returning hawksbills [that] were protected and over 1,300 hatchlings reached the ocean at this important nesting site;” 

Nani Kahuku `Aina, 16,000 acres just makai of the
 Kahuku section of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park,
 would become a preserve and recreational area rather
than a resort under a resolution before the County
 Council.

     *Feeding sites for the threatened green sea turtle and for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, rare anchialine ponds that host endemic and native shrimp species and insects, intertidal pool complexes that provide nursery habitat for marine invertebrates and fish, all exist in this area; 

     *Purchase of this parcel in the Ka`u region would benefit the island community as well as nearby towns by allowing access to Pohue Bay, which is currently under private ownership, previously planned for resort development, and currently restricted for private use only; and

*If the property is developed by a private party, the future use of this significant natural resource, historical, and cultural area would be subject to construction activities, possibly without input from the residents of Ka`u and the Native Hawaiian community.

A BAN ON SCUBA SPEAR FISHING, from South Point along the entire western Ka`u Coast and extending into Kona and to North Kohala’s `Upolu Point, is proposed by the state Board of Land & Natural Resources. The BLNR voted last Friday to take the issue to public hearing.
     Calling for participation in the hearing, the Lost Fish Coalition issued a statement saying that “there has been a decade long endeavor to develop and fine tune a number of essential fisheries management recommendations for West Hawai`i. This effort is finally coming to fruition; but to ensure that, we all need to help.”

Traditional spear fishing in Hawai`i was done
without the use of scuba.
Photo from Bishop Museum Archives, Honolulu

     The hearing date is yet to be set but is expected this summer with a decision possibly this fall.
     Scuba dive spear fishing is considered particularly detrimental at night since fish are often sleeping and can’t swim away. Hawai`i is one of the few places left in the Pacific Islands where spear fishing with scuba is still allowed and islands south report recovery of the reef life that maintains native fish populations and attracts visitors for snorkeling.
     The regulations would make it illegal to have scuba diving gear, spears and speared fish on a boat, or otherwise in one’s possession on land or sea.
     The BLNR proposal also calls for more regulations to restrict aquarium fish gathering.
     The rules would cover the 147 mile nearshore waters in the West Hawai`i Fishery Management Area, formed in 1998.
     The public hearing will be held in Kona and perhaps in Ka`u and is expected sometime this summer, with a decision sometime this Fall.
     The West Hawai`i Fisheries Council supports and helped develop the proposals to restore and maintain reef populations. In places where aquarium fish collecting has been banned, yellow tang and goldring surgeonfish that are popular with collectors have seen a population rebound. Achilles tang and multiband butterfly fish have yet to see a resurgence. Pebble Beach at Kaohe Bay in South Kona would be designated as a Fish Replenishment Area and collecting for aquariums would be banned.
     Outside the restricted area, the state would limit collecting to a list of 40 fish. The proposal is considered a test case for the rest of the state. 

     The following list of fish have robust populations that would be still available for aquarium collecting outside of Fish Replenishment Areas: Yellow Tang, Zebrasoma flavescens; Chevron Tang, Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis; Goldring Surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus; Achilles Tang, Acanthurus achilles; Tinker’s Butterflyfish, Chaetodon tinkeri; Orangespine Unicornfish, Naso lituratus; Forcepsfish, Forcipiger flavissimus; Goldrim Surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigricans; Potter’s Angelfish, Centropyge potteri; Fourspot Butterflyfish, Chaetodon quadrimaculatus; Yellowtail Coris, Coris gaimard; Ornate Wrasse, Halichoeres ornatissimus; Orangeband Surgeonfish, Acanthurus olivaceus; Bird Wrasse, Gomphosus varius; Eyestripe Surgeonfish, Acanthurus dussumieri; Multiband Butterflyfish, Chaetodon multicinctus; Saddle Wrasse, Thalassoma duperrey; Brown Surgeonfish, Acanthurus nigrofuscus; Flame Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus jordani; Thompson’s Surgeonfish, Acanthurus thompsoni; Peacock Grouper, Cephalopholis argus; Bluestripe Snapper, Lutjanus kasmira; Redbarred Hawkfish, Cirrhitops fasciatus; Psychedelic Wrasse, Anampses chrysocephalus; Hi Whitespotted Toby, Canthigaster jactator; Fisher’s Angelfish, Centropyge fisheri; Hi Dascyllus, Dascyllus albisella; Milletseed Butterflyfish, Chaetodon miliaris; Blacklip Butterflyfish, Chaetodon kleinii; Pyramid Butterflyfish, Hemitaurichthys polylepis; Shortnose Wrasse, Macropharyngodon geoffroy; Black Durgon, Melichthys niger; Spotted Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris; Blackside Hawkfish, Paracirrhites forsteri; Hi Longfin Anthias, Pseudanthias hawaiiensis; EightlineWrasse, Pseudocheilinus octotaenia; Fourline Wrasse, Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia; Smalltail Wrasse, Pseudojuloides cerasinus; Lei Triggerfish, Sufflamen bursa; and Gilded Triggerfish, Xanthichthys auromarginatus. 
     For more see www.lostfishcoalition.com LOST stands for Leave Our Shallow Tropical Fish in their Sea Habitat.

The Ka'u Forest Reserve watershed.
Photo from Department of Land and Natural Resources

KA`U FOREST RESERVE’S Draft Management Plan is the topic at a public meeting this Saturday at Na`alehu Community Center, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
     The plan would be implemented over a 15-year time frame. To help preserve native species, it includes options for fencing portions of the 61,641 acre Ka`u Forest Reserve mostly in the upper elevations. The plan would provide trails for hunters and hikers.
     Copies of the plan’s Draft EA can be read at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.
     Food and childcare will be provided during the meeting. For more information, contact Ron Terry at 969-7090 or rterry@hawaii.rr.com. 

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND has its third annual beach cleanup at Manuka Natural Area Reserve on Saturday. Volunteers should be able hikers wearing sturdy shoes and bring bag lunches, water bottle, snacks and sun and wind protection. Sign up for the events with Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629. 

Photo from Friends of Hawai`i
Volcanoes National Park

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK sponsor a sneak preview of Kahuku Unit’s Kona Trail this Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park ranger John Stallman guides this four-mile roundtrip trek through highland pastures that offers participants excellent bird-watching opportunities along with information about the area’s natural and cultural heritage. $50 for Friends members; $70 for non-members. Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price. Non-members are welcome to join the nonprofit Friends in order to get the member discount. Call 985-7373 or email institute@fhvnp.org.

KILAKILA O KA`U celebrates the lunar eclipse and Venus transiting the sun this Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Aikala Ranch on South Point Road. Activities include Hawaiian Language Scrabble Tournament, astrology, palmistry, tarot cards, psychics, psychic mediums, gems, stones, Reiki and massage. For vendor spaces, call 968-1781; for camping, call 557-7043.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 30, 2012

Haze in Ka`u from Halema`uma`u Crater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Photo by Julia Neal

HAZE WILL BE THE SUBJECT of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency public hearings on the proposed Clean Air Act Regional Haze Federal Implementation Plan for Hawai`i. In Ka`u, haze comes mostly from the Ka`u desert wind, macadamia nut harvesting and volcanic fumes and particulates. The Hilo hearing will be this Friday, June 1, with an open house, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and a public hearing, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., 
in Waiakea High School Cafeteria 
at 155 W. Kawili St.
 

     A statement from the EPA says, “Regional haze is a visibility impairment caused by the cumulative air pollutant emissions from numerous sources over a wide geographic area. This haze obscures the views of scenery at a distance, reducing the beauty of national parks. 

     “The EPA plan is designed to achieve progress toward achieving visibility goals at the Haleakala National Park and the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park in the first planning period through 2018.”

     The EPA takes aim at Hawai`i Electric Co., saying the proposed plan would impose a cap on pollution from oil-fired electric generating units on the Big Island. “It is likely that the Hawaii Electric Light Co. could meet this cap through improvements in energy conservation and increased reliance on renewable energy already planned as part of Hawai`i’s Clean Energy Initiative.” The EPA is not planning to impose any other additional pollution controls as part of this stage of the Regional Haze Program.
     The Clean Air Act requires states, in coordination with EPA, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other interested parties, to develop and implement air quality protection plans to reduce the pollution that causes visibility impairment in 156 national parks and wilderness areas.
     Agencies have been monitoring visibility in national parks and wilderness areas since 1988. In 1999, the EPA announced a major effort to improve air quality in national parks and wilderness areas through the Clean Air Act Regional Haze Rule.
     To read the proposed plan for Hawai`i, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/air/actions/hawaii.html.

AIR UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE PEOPLE registered on vog monitors in Pahala from 1 a.m. until 8:15 a.m. today and moved into the Ocean View area at 8 a.m., where the vog scale remained orange for an hour. The S02 blew away as the winds started. Vog and high S02 are more likely during windless nights when fumes from Kilauea Volcano can cover the Ka`u Desert and blanket Pahala village, staying there until the winds come. Health officials recommend closing windows at night before going to sleep for protection from vog. Air cleaners and air conditioners can be used for warm nights and for clean-air sleeping, significantly reducing overall daily exposure to vog. Sulfur dioxide levels are available online at www.hiso2index.info.

Bon Dance at Na`alehu Hongwanji in 2009.

BON DANCE SEASON BEGINS NEXT WEEK around the island, and some enthusiasts from Ka`u travel to the hongwajis to take part in the annual dance and celebration of ancestors and harvest. Here is the schedule islandwide throughout the summer:

• Saturday, June 9, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Keauhou Shopping Center. 
• Saturday, June 23, 7 p.m. Papaikou Hongwanji Mission, 964-1640
. 
• Saturday, June 30, 7 p.m. Honomu Hongwanji Mission, 963-6032. 
• Friday and Saturday, July 6 & 7, 7:30 p.m. Puna Hongwanji Mission, 966-9981
 
• Saturday, July 7, 7 p.m. Kohala Hongwanji Mission 775-7232
. 
• Friday and Saturday, July 13 & 14, 7 p.m. Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin, 961-6677
. 
• Saturday, July 14, 7:30 p.m. Paauilo Hongwanji Mission, 776-1369
. 
• Saturday, July 21, 7:30 p.m. Honoka`a Hongwanji Mission, 775-7232
. 
• Saturday, July 28, 7 p.m. Papa`aloa Hongwanji Mission 962-6340
. 
• Saturday, July 28, 7 p.m. Kona Hongwanji Mission, 323-2993. 
• Saturday, Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m. Kamuela Hongwanji Mission 885-4481. 
• Saturday, 
Aug. 25, 7 p.m. Honohina Hongwanji Mission 963-6032. 

Pahala Library hosts a summer reading program from keiki to adults.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE HAWAI`I STATE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM hosts Summer Reading at Pahala and Na`alehu Libraries June 4 through July 7. Registration is ongoing and participants reading at least one book a week are eligible to receive a free reading incentive. Programs also feature storytelling and performances. 

     A special collaboration aims to increase summer reading program participation by students in kindergarten through second grade. “Multiple studies have proven beyond a doubt that children who continue reading during the summer perform better when they return to school in the fall, score higher on standardized tests, and are more active and engaged in the classroom,” said State Librarian Richard Burns.
     This year’s programs and themes are:

     For children, up to those entering grade 6 this fall. Dream Big READ! will encourage reveling in the wonders of night – dreams, lullabies, bedtime and campfire stories; ghosts, nocturnal animals, and star-gazing. 

     For teens, grade 7 through 2012 high school graduates, Own the Night will motivate enjoyment of the wonders of night through dreams, mysteries, suspense and campfire stories, nocturnal animals, jobs and careers involving night-shifts, astronomy and star-gazing. Teens may win an Apple iPod Shuffle and other prizes. 

     For adult patrons 18 and older, Between the Covers will inspire the joy of reading and celebrate wonders of night – dreams, mysteries, adventure, westerns, science fiction, romance, jobs and careers involving night-shifts, astronomy, and star-gazing. For more information, contact Na`alehu Public Library at 939-2442, or Pahala Public & School Library at 928-2015. 

KEN CHARON teaches basic drawing techniques tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants meet at Volcano Art Center Gallery before walking to a scenic location suitable for sketching. Sign up on a first-come, first-served basis and bring paper and pencil, or borrow supplies for a donation. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply. For more information, call Emily at 967-7565.

Megan Lamson of Hawai`i Wildlife Fund hosts several beach
cleanups  in Ka`u every year. Photo from Hawai`i Wildlife Fund

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND has its third annual beach cleanup at Manuka Natural Area Reserve on Saturday. Volunteers should be able hikers wearing sturdy shoes and bring bag lunches, water bottle, snacks and sun and wind protection. Sign up for the events with Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

KA`U FOREST RESERVE’S Draft Management Plan is the topic at a public meeting this Saturday, June 2 at Na`alehu Community Center.
    The plan would be implemented over a 15-year time frame. To help preserve native species, it includes options for fencing portions of the 61,641 acre Ka`u Forest Reserve mostly in the upper elevations. The plan would provide trails for hunters and hikers.
    Copies of the plan’s Draft EA can be read at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.
    Saturday’s meeting takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Food and childcare will be provided. For more information, contact Ron Terry at 969-7090 or rterry@hawaii.rr.com. 

A lunar eclipse makes the moon appear red.
Photo from darkerview.com

KILAKILA O KA`U celebrates the lunar eclipse and Venus transiting the sun this Saturday, Sunday and Monday, June 2 – 4, at Aikala Ranch on South Point Road. Activities include Hawaiian Language Scrabble Tournament, astrology, palmistry, tarot cards, psychics, psychic mediums, gems, stones, Reiki and massage. For vendor spaces, call 968-1781; for camping, call 557-7043.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK sponsor a sneak preview of Kahuku Unit’s Kona Trail on Sunday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park ranger John Stallman guides this four-mile roundtrip trek through highland pastures that offers participants excellent bird-watching opportunities along with information about the area’s natural and cultural heritage. $50 for Friends members; $70 for non-members. Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price. Non-members are welcome to join the nonprofit Friends in order to get the member discount. Call 985-7373 or email institute@fhvnp.org.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 29, 2012

Ka`u Hospital will be assisted through federal funding directed to HHSC by Gov. Neil Abercrombie.
Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U HOSPITAL WILL BENEFIT from federal funding for medical care for the poor. Gov. Neil Abercrombie has directed $6.8 million away from private hospitals to the quasi-state Hawai`i Health Systems Corp. to help pay for its $10.5 million shortfall. The story, by Derrick DePledge, was reported in this morning’s Honolulu Star Advertiser and quotes state Department of Human Services chief Patricia McManaman, who said that HHSC provides “services across the state to some of our most vulnerable populations.” It manages Ka`u, Hilo, Kona, Hamakua and Kohala medical facilities, and other remote hospitals on Lana`i, in Waimea on Kaua`i and Kula on Maui.

Sen. Josh Green

      In other funding, private hospitals and large nursing homes will likely receive more money through a bill passed by the 2012 Hawai`i Legislature to authorize a provider fee. The new law, which the governor is yet to sign, would qualify the state for millions of dollars in additional Medicaid fees. According to the Star Advertiser story, “private hospitals would pay about $42 million in fees and get $77 million in return. The state would get a seven percent cut — or $2.8 million — in the transaction.”
      Sen. Josh Green, who is running for Senate in communities from Honu`apo to Kona Airport, is urging the governor to sign the bill. The Star Advertiser story credits Green with saying that more federal Medicaid money is necessary for private hospitals since the administration chose to use most of the federal charity care money for HHSC. The Star Advertiser quotes Green: “It is critical for the governor to support both the public and private hospitals, so if he is committed to this change in funding plans, he must let the hospital sustainability bill become law.” Green said in an email, “Any other approach would be irresponsible and wrong.”

Pew Project on National Security, Energy & Climate recommends biofuel
for the military. Photo from Pew

PLANS FOR GROWING BIOFUEL CROPS for military and airline transportation took a hit in Congress last week when the U.S. Senate Armed Service Committee voted 13 to 12 to restrict military use of biofuel. The committee was working on the National Defense Authorization Act 2013, the military budget. The U.S. House of Representatives also dampened enthusiasm for buying biofuel by writing restrictions into its version of the military budget. The result is Congress directing the military to refrain from using biofuel until its cost goes down to equal or less than such fossil fuels as coal, natural gas and oil. 

      The Associated Press headlined its story: The Pentagon’s investment in green energy requires too much green paper for some in Congress. It quoted Sen. John McCain: “In a tough budget climate for the Defense Department, we need every dollar to protect our troops on the battlefield with energy technologies that reduce fuel demand and save lives.” McCain, top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said that “spending $26 per gallon of biofuel is not consistent with that goal. The committee’s action corrects this misplacement of priorities.”

Sen. John McCain

      Last year, the state of Hawai`i’s Public Utilities Commission turned down a proposal from Hawai`i Electric Co. to purchase biofuel that would be produced from crops in Ka`u. The PUC concluded that using biofuel would be too costly, causing electric rates to go up, and unfair to utility customers, even with the expectation that the cost of biofuel would be under the cost of fossil fuel in years to come.
      Biofuel for the growing military presence in Hawai`i and the expanding Pacific Theater was also considered as another use for biofuel crops that could be established on cattle-grazing lands between Pahala and Na`alehu. Test plantings for the kinds of grasses and canes that might work in the Ka`u environment are growing, and `Aina Koa Pono proposes a refinery just off Wood Valley Road.
      Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew Charitable Trust’s Project on National Security, Energy and Climate, supports biofuel for the military: “The Department of Defense is one of the largest institutional energy users in the world, consuming more than 300,000 barrels of oil a day.” She described the action in Congress as a “step backward,” saying, “This will hurt the Department of Defense’s efforts to protect its budget from oil price shocks, diversify its energy mix and ensure security of supply.” See more of the analysis at http://www.pewenvironment.org/campaigns/pew-project-on-national-security-energy-climate/id/8589935509.

Iwao Yonemitsu and Toku Nakano, Ka`u vets of the
442nd, were honored at yesterday's Memorial Day
ceremonies at Kilauea Military Camp.
Photo by Julia Neal

MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES honored 442nd veterans yesterday afternoon at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Rep. Jerry Chang gave the keynote speech, praising the “Go for Broke” Japanese American members of the 442nd Regiment during World War II. Honorees Iwao Yonemitsu and Toku Nakano enjoyed special seating near Rep. Bob Herkes. 

      Chang noted the excellent health care and educational opportunities given to veterans in past wars and called for more help for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He said there is a new epidemic in mental health problems and that many vets wind up in the judicial system. Major Darrin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary, also spoke. A high school Naval JROTC posted colors, with member Jayko Cheney singing Freedom is Not Free. Patrick Inouye sang Amazing Grace, God Bless America and This Land is Your Land.

KEN CHARON teaches basic drawing techniques on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants meet at Volcano Art Center Gallery before walking to a scenic location suitable for sketching. Sign up on a first-come, first-served basis that day and bring paper and pencil, or borrow supplies for a donation. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply. For more information, call Emily at 967-7565.

Josh Ortega, top left, with his team.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL COACH Josh Ortega has hauled home the Red Division’s Coach of the Year award to Ka`u High School. Division Player of the Year went to Trojan Donald Garo, Jr. in the BIIF volleyball awards voted by league coaches. Ortega, who was on Ka`u High’s volleyball team and graduated in 2003, is a PTP teacher at the school and moved from assistant to head coach this season. He earned his volleyball coaching stripes with the assistance of former girls volleyball head coach Elijah Navarro and veteran high school and college coach and volleyball camp owner Guy Enriques. 

Fencing of the reserve's central portion is the preferred alternative in the Ka`u Forest
Reserve Draft Management Plan.

KA`U FOREST RESERVE’S Draft Management Plan is the topic at a public meeting this Saturday, June 2 at Na`alehu Community Center. The reserve, located between 2,000 and 7,000 feet in altitude above the villages of Pahala, Na`alehu and Wai`ohinu, has some of the most pristine native Hawaiian forest in all of the Islands. It is managed by the state Department of Forestry & Wildlife.
      The plan would be implemented over a 15-year time frame. To help preserve native species, it includes options for fencing portions of the 61,641 acre Ka`u Forest Reserve mostly in the upper elevations. The plan would provide trails for hunters and hikers.
      Copies of the plan’s Draft EA can be read at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.
      Saturday’s meeting takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Food and childcare will be provided. For more information, contact Ron Terry at 969-7090 or rterry@hawaii.rr.com.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 28, 2012

Water from the sugar plantation has served Ka`u for many generations. Photos from state Department of Agriculture

WOOD VALLEY WATER AND FARM COOPERATIVE is hoping to secure a backup source for potable water and also more water for agriculture by revamping Weda Tunnel. A proposal was made to the Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative District, which is helping to plan the use of state funding to repair old plantation water systems between Kapapala and Wai`ohinu. Weda Tunnel was developed during plantation days but fell into disrepair as the sugar industry abandoned the tunnel system. Weda would not only help agriculture but serve as a back up for Noguchi Tunnel, which serves Wood Valley residents with potable water under a state Department of Health license.

The state has released money to plan
for tunnel repairs.

      Wood Valley co-op has a restriction on adding more homes to its service until more water can be developed. Weda Tunnel, which is considered non-potable, would be used largely for ag, freeing up Noguchi to perhaps serve more homes and farms.
      Wood Valley co-op supplies water to an area encompassing approximately 1,000 acres of homestead agricultural and other agricultural land. There are five to six farms producing cut flowers, tea, macadamia nuts and coffee. Other users have cattle, animal breeding, tree farms, niche crops and small-scale agriculture. Approximately 20 percent of the current service area is in active agriculture. Many of the current users would likely increase the intensity of agriculture if more water became available.
      Development of Weda Tunnel would also provide a temporary emergency source of water should the primary source and/or supply main fail. Wood Valley Water and Farm Cooperative experienced a failure in the November 2000 flood which destroyed large sections of its supply main and distribution system.

THE REV. DENNIS KAMAKAHI took home the award for top Slack Key Album of the Year at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards last night in Honolulu. The album is Waimaka Helelei and also features Stephen Inglis. Kamakahi teaches each year at Pahala Plantation Cottages at the Keoki Kahumoku music workshops where many local students receive scholarships and other students come from the around the world to study with the masters. Kamakahi says he will soon move to Na`alehu to teach and operate his recording studio. 

ROBERT CAZIMERO won Best Hawaiian Language Album at the Na Hoku Hanohano awards. He also frequents Ka`u and recently shared his music at an official Ka`u Coffee Festival dinner at Kalaekilhohana Bed & Breakfast on South Point Road. His album is called Hula.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR is Kaunaloa by Kuana Torres Kahele, a solo album from the star of Na Palapalai. Kahele has deep roots on he Big Island and has written songs about many places here, from Halema`uma`u to Miloli`i. Kahele also won Male Vocalist of the Year, Hawaiian Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Liner Notes of the Year. The awards are issued by Hawaiian Academy of Recording Arts. 

TODAY IS MEMORIAL DAY, and Kilauea Military Camp’s ceremony begins at 3 p.m. on the front lawn. Iwao Yonemitsu, Toku Nakano and Tsuneki Omija are Congressional Gold Medal recipients from Ka`u who will be honored along with other Gold Medal recipients of Hawai`i Island. Keynote speaker is state Rep. Jerry Chang, and guest speaker is Major Darrin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND has a busy week planned in Ka`u. A cleanup of an anchialine pond takes place tomorrow, and the third annual beach cleanup at Manuka Natural Area Reserve is on Saturday. Volunteers should be able hikers wearing sturdy shoes and bring bag lunches, water bottle, snacks and sun and wind protection. Sign up for the events with Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

Ranger John Stallman guides hikers at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park's
Kahuku Unit. Photo by Dave Boyle

KILAKILA O KA`U celebrates the lunar eclipse and Venus transiting the sun this Saturday, Sunday and Monday, June 2 – 4, at Aikala Ranch on South Point Road. Activities include Hawaiian Language Scrabble Tournament, astrology, palmistry, tarot cards, psychics, psychic mediums, gems, stones, Reiki and massage. For vendor spaces, call 968-1781; for camping, call 557-7043. 

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK sponsor a sneak preview of Kahuku Unit’s Kona Trail on Sunday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Park ranger John Stallman guides this four-mile roundtrip trek through highland pastures that offers participants excellent bird-watching opportunities along with information about the area’s natural and cultural heritage. $50 for Friends members; $70 for non-members. Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price. Non-members are welcome to join the nonprofit Friends in order to get the member discount. Call 985-7373 or email institute@fhvnp.org.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 27, 2012

Japan industry and government are partnering with government, educational institutions and utilities for Smart Grids
development in Hawai`i, starting with Maui.

JAPAN AND HAWAI`I could become partners in figuring out the best and most efficient course for Pacific islands to become more energy independent. During a meeting this weekend in Okinawa, Japan, representatives of island nations discussed solar, wind and geothermal as future energy sources. They planned creation of “energy road maps, energy-efficient technology and private-sector involvement,” reports a story in this morning’s Honolulu Star Advertiser.
      Japan was described at the meeting as already the most energy-efficient country, with vast engineering and planning experience to help islands solve the problem. Participating were Hawai`i, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
      Star Advertiser reporter Allison Schaefers interviewed Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, who has been working on the energy partnership. Schatz said that “Hawai`i and Japan are both overly dependent on foreign oil, and that’s why we are working together on clean energy projects…. We’ve got tremendous momentum because we feel the urgency.”
      Schatz said Japan is already working to install a Smart Grid project on Maui. The phase one, $37 million project partnered Hawai`i with Japan’s New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization, Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Hitachi Corp.
      Colton Ching, vice president of system operation and planning for Hawaiian Electric Co., told the Star Advertiser that his company met with Okinawa Electric several times in the last year regarding renewable resources, including solar and wind.
      “Hawai`i and Okinawa are similar in that we have small island electric grids and have a common goal of reducing our dependence on imported oil and increasing our use of renewable energy,” Ching said in an email to the Star-Advertiser. “We hope to continue this exchange on information going forward.”
      An Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo will be held Aug. 13 - 15 in Honolulu at the Hawai`i Convention Center. See www.asiapacificcleanenergy.com.

Small Hive Beetles are making their way across Hawai`i.
Photo from Department of Agriculture

BEE DISEASE should be reported immediately to the state Department of Agriculture to help save the $4 million honey and queen bee industries and to protect some 70 percent of Hawai`i food crops depending on bee pollination. 

      Already under attack by the varroa mite, beekeepers were notified Friday that small hive beetles, Aethina tumida, have spread to all the inhabited Hawaiian Islands except for Lana`i and Ni`ihau. Three days ago, the ag department confirmed the presence of small hive beetles on Kaua`i - about two years after their first detection on this island at Panaewa in April 2010.
       Department of Agriculture scientists said they are particularly concerned about potentially infected hive material being moved from one location to another, further spreading the pest. They issued an official Pest Alert for the beetle in January.
      Hawai`i residents, especially beekeepers, are reminded by the ag department that transporting bees or used beekeeping equipment between islands is prohibited by law without obtaining Department of Agriculture permits and prior inspection.

Small Hive Beetle larvae & adults eat through honeycomb.
Photo from Department of Agriculture

      Small hive beetle adults are about four to five millimeters in length. When young, they are yellowish-brown in color, turning brownish, then to black at maturity. They feed on most anything inside a beehive, including honey, pollen, wax, as well as honeybee eggs and larvae. As they feed, they tunnel through the hive, damaging or destroying the honeycomb and contaminating the honey. They can also spend their entire life outside the hive, living on local fruit.
      Symptoms of infestation include discolored honey, an odor of decaying oranges, and fermentation and frothiness in the honey. Heavy infestations may cause honeybee colonies to abandon hives.
      Small Hive Beetles are native to sub-Saharan Africa and were first detected in the U.S. in South Carolina in 1996 and Florida in 1998, as they spread to states in the South and Midwest, then on to California.
      Small Hive Beetles are pests under international regulation for queen bee export, and there is a concern some countries may restrict importation of queen bees from Hawai`i.
      Besides being honey producers, bees are critical pollinators for melons, watermelons, cucumbers, squash, lychee, mango, macadamia, coffee, eggplant, avocado, guava, herbs and some flowering plants such as sunflowers. Beekeepers who notice any suspicious beetles or larvae inside bee colonies are urged to contact the ag department immediately at hdoa.ppc@hawaii.gov or by calling 808-973-9525.
      To view the Pest Alert, go to: http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/npa-1/NPA-SHB%201-12.pdf.

THE HAWAI`I TEACHERS UNION’S VOTE to approve its state contract is being called into question by Civil Beat, which wants to know how many members voted. Hawai`i State Teachers Association president Wil Okabe said the vote was 66 percent for the contract and 34 percent against it, but is yet to release the numbers, Civil Beat reported. Postings by HSTA members on its website call for publicizing the numbers. A re-vote on the contract negotiated between the union and the state was approved last week after the union rejected the same contract in January.
      Gov. Neil Abercrombie has called the contract no longer valid, but HSTA will go to the bargaining table with the teacher-approved contract in hand. Okabe notified U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in hopes that progress with the state and teacher relationship will save a $75 million Race to the Top Grant for which Hawai`i is on probation. For that grant, the federal DOE has asked for more teacher accountability in terms of student progress.

Don Nitsche Photo from bougainvillea-
bedandbreakfast.com

PROVIDING POTABLE WATER FOR OCEAN VIEW is still in progress, and Don Nitsche, a longtime activist for securing a well for the community, said yesterday that he hopes it is finished before he exits this world. He is over 80 years of age and has been working on securing water for Ocean View for more than 20 years, including marching in front of the State Capitol and decades of lobbying the Legislature. Nitsche said the latest holdup is waiting for testing of potable water from the new well and consideration of whether the pump already installed is large enough to accommodate daily demand. He said there are also issues with the access road off Hwy 11. The county promised water by June, but has yet to announce a date. 

IWAO YONEMITSU, Toku Nakano and Tsuneki Omija are Congressional Gold Medal recipients from Ka`u who will be honored along with other Gold Medal recipients of Hawai`i Island at Kilauea Military Camp’s Memorial Day ceremony and buffet tomorrow. Yonemitsu and Nakano will attend the ceremony that begins at 3 p.m. on KMC’s front lawn. Keynote speaker is state Rep. Jerry Chang, and guest speaker is Major Darrin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary. The buffet at Crater Rim Café from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. is $14.25 for adults and $8 for children.

Kaimana Klein paints at a previous
Creativity Day. Photo from KSA

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to Summer Creations two weeks from tomorrow. Ka`u School of the Arts presents the event on Monday, June 11, King Kamehameha Day, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Pahala Plantation House. Guided art activities include macrame with Alma Gorali, stitchery dolls with Kepi Davis, poetrix with Jym Duncan, traditional Pacific Island dances with Betina Wajar, batik with Terri Chapot, clay miniatures with Bobbie Beebe, metal intaglio with Suzshi Lang, acrylics on textile with Iris Bishoff and more. The event is free, and some activities may have a modest materials fee.

      KSA aims to introduce and practice Aloha, `Ohana, Ho`olaulima, Lokahi, Malama and Kokua in an active art setting and provide a safe, encouraging environment for creativity within the community.

      Call Theresa at 938-9767 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. 

Ka`u News Briefs May 26, 2012

A baby Pseudorca, a false killer whale, in Hawaiian waters. Photo by Robin Baird, courtesy of cascadiaresearch.org

THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL went to federal court this week to put Pseudorca, the false killer whale, on the Endangered Species list. The false killer whale is rare, with an estimated population of under 200 remaining in Hawaiian waters. It is known to be somewhat friendly, even offering to share its own fish catch with other marine animals, divers, snorkelers and fishermen. Its face is also known to appear to be smiling.

False killer whale grabs mahi for dinner. Pseudorca has been known
to offer its catch to people.  Photo by Dan McSweeney courtesy of
cascadiaresearch.org

       Scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service recommended early last year that the false killer whale be listed as an Endangered Species. Fisheries, however, is yet to make a final decision, leading to the suit.
      According to a report by Associated Press reporter Audrey McAvoy, Michael Jasny, a senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, calls listing Pseudorca a “no-brainer…. It represents our best chance to save them. Saving them could go a long way toward preserving the remarkable marine oasis of which they are a part,” he said.
      Listing them as an Endangered Species is expected to encourage Hawai`i’s longline fishing fleet to take more care. The AP story says that before new rules recently changed the types of hooks allowed, the fleet “was accidentally killing or seriously injuring an average of 7.4 false killer whales each year. This exceeds the 2.5 per year that the fishery could kill or seriously harm without affecting the population’s ability to survive.”

Kalaekilohana hosting the recent Ka`u Coffee Festival dinner. Photo by Julia Neal

KALAEKILOHANA WOULD BECOME A LODGE with approval of a special permit application by the Windward Planning Commission. The application asks that a permit for the four-bedroom bed and breakfast establishment and certified kitchen facility allow expansion into a five-bedroom lodge with a certified kitchen that will also offer meals to registered guests and accommodate small community and private events once a month. The property is located in Kama`oa Haven Subdivision on the east side of South Point Road about one mile from Mamalahoa Hwy. Kenny Joyce and S. Kilohana Domingo are owners, and the application goes before the Planning Commission on Thursday, June 7 at its meeting at Council Chambers in Hilo at 9 a.m.

COMMENTS ON THE KA`U FOREST RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN’S Draft Environmental Impact Statement are due June 22. Copies are available at Na`alehu and Pahala Libraries as well as online. The plan would be implemented over a 15-year time frame. To help preserve native species, it includes options for fencing portions of the 61,641 acre Ka`u Forest Reserve mostly in the upper elevations. The plan would provide trails for hunters and hikers. 

      The reserve is located between 2,000 and 7,000 feet in altitude above the villages of Pahala, Na`alehu and Wai`ohinu. It has some of the most pristine native Hawaiian forest in all of the Islands and is managed by the state Department of Fish & Wildlife. The agency is tasked to protect, manage, restore and monitor the natural resources of the Ka`u Forest Reserve. The reserve was established on Aug. 2, 1906 to protect the forest on the lower slopes of Mauna Loa, with particular regard to the water supply of the agricultural lands of Ka`u. The reserve is bordered by lands of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Kamehameha Schools, The Nature Conservancy and private property owners, as well as state land leased to farmers and ranchers.
      Managing the reserve is not new. DOFAW maintains roads for public access, removes wild cattle from the forest, surveys birds and other wildlife, re-introduces native plants into the reserve and removes weeds. One of the options in the Draft EA is to re-introduce the native Hawaiian Crow, the `Alala, into the wild within the Ka`u Forest Reserve.
      To read the Draft EA, see http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/EA_and_EIS_Online_Library/Hawaii/2010s/2012-05-23-DEA-Kau-Forest-Reserve-Management-Plan.pdf.

Blueberries grow well in Hawai`i.
 Photo by Randall Hamasaki/UH

Tea grown at Volcano Winery.
Photo from Volcano Winery

A BLUEBERRY & TEA FIELD DAY on Friday, June 8 is open to coffee farmers enrolled in the University of Hawai`i’s Risk Management School on Saturday, June 9. Blueberry & Tea will be held at the UH Volcano Research station and Volcano Winery from noon to 4:30 p.m. with hosts Andrew Kawabata, Randy T. Hamasaki, Andrea Kawabata and Dr. Stuart T. Nakamoto. Participants will see blueberry trials studying effects of pot size on yield, blueberry varieties and pruning methods. They will also visit tea plantings and be introduced to tea research being conducted at CTAHR.

      At Volcano Winery, see how local ingredients such as tea are used in winemaking. There will be a chance for tasting and to walk through their tea fields. To make reservations, call Perci at 887-6183 or email proque@hawaii.edu. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis with wait list after reaching maximum enrollment.
      Enrollment in the Risk Management School at Old Pahala Clubhouse on Saturday, June 9 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. is available to coffee farmers by registering by May 31. Call Perci at 887-6183.

Toku Nakano (left) and Iwao Yonemitsu celebrated before going to
to Washington, D.C. to receive their Congressional Gold Medals.
Photo by Julia Neal

CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL recipients of Hawai`i Island, including Iwao Yonemitsu, Toku Nakano and Tsuneki Omija , from Ka`u, will be honored at Kilauea Military Camp’s Memorial Day ceremony and buffet on Monday. Yonemitsu and Nakano will attend the ceremony that begins at 3 p.m. on KMC’s front lawn. Keynote speaker is state Rep. Jerry Chang, and guest speaker is Major Darrin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary. The Memorial Day Buffet is 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Crater Rim Café - $14.25 for adults and $8 for children. 

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND sponsors its third annual beach cleanup at Manuka Natural Area Reserve next Saturday. Volunteers should be able hikers wearing sturdy shoes and bring bag lunches, water bottle, snacks and sun and wind protection. Sign up with Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

SUMMER CREATIONS takes place on the grounds and lanai of Pahala Plantation House at the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets this coming King Kamehameha Day. The June 11 public art event is from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch is included. Local artists will guide attendees through processes to
create their own art pieces in diverse media such as batik, quilting, weaving, macrame, painting and drawing. All ages are welcome. This event is free, although some classes may have a modest materials fee. Secondary goals are to introduce and practice Aloha, `Ohana, Ho`olaulima, Lokahi, Malama and Kokua in an active art setting and to provide a safe, encouraging environment for creativity within community. Ka`u School of the Arts is a nonprofit charity organization 501(c)(3) that sponsors this and a rainbow of other art opportunities for the people of Ka`u. See more at www.kauarts.org.
      For more information, contact Theresa Lyon 938-9767.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs May 25, 2012

Axis deer hunting is popular on Maui. Hunters say they help reduce the size of the herds that ravage nature and agriculture. Bringing the deer to the Big Island, however, is illegal.     Photo from mauideerhunting.com

SPECULATION ON HOW AXIS DEER made it to Ka`u and other places on the Big Island is spreading internationally, along with the issue of balancing hunting with wildlife conservation. 

      The Associated Press released a story this week, reporting “tracks along the southern coast indicate deer were pushed into the ocean from a boat and forced to paddle ashore” – to Ka`u. The story also repeats speculation that someone lifted axis deer to North Kohala by helicopter. It notes that Maui, where deer have been a plentiful pest for years, is only 30 miles away from the north end of Big Island. However, “deer can swim, but not very far.”
      “Whether they arrived by air or sea, wildlife managers want to eradicate them to avoid a repeat of the destruction seen on other islands where they ate through vineyards, avocado farms and forests where endangered species live,” says the story by AP reporter Audrey Macavoy.
      She writes that “officials estimate that there are 100 deer on the northern and southern ends of the Big Island,” and “deer population is growing 20 per cent to 30 per cent per year in Hawai`i because there aren’t any natural predators — except for humans.”  

      The story reviews deer history, interviewing Steven Hess, wildlife biologist with U.S. Geological Survey. The AP reports that deer “first came to Hawai`i in the 1860s as a gift from Hong Kong to the monarch who ruled at the time, King Kamehameha V. They were first taken to Moloka`i Island. In the 1950s, some deer were taken to Maui as part of post-World War II efforts to introduce mammals to different places and increase hunting opportunities for veterans…. Biologists believed they could improve the environment by introducing species that didn’t naturally exist.” However, “the experiment has had devastating, unforeseen consequences in Hawai`i, where plants and animals evolved in isolation over millions of years and lack natural defenses against introduced species.”

In April, a Big Island Invasive Species Committee hunter killed its first
axis deer on Big Island - above South Point. Photo from BIISC

      Macavoy also interviewed Palikapu Dedman, president of Pele Defense Fund, and says the group “led a successful legal fight in the 1990s to win Native Hawaiians access to private land for hunting.” The story says the Pele Defense Fund “is now rallying hunters together for a class action lawsuit against the state to stop its efforts to eradicate game animals and fence off land.” It quotes Dedman: “They go in and kill all the pigs and everything else. Then you eliminated the hunter. I think the hunter has been ignored, and it’s the state’s responsibility to look out for them, too.”
      The Nature Conservancy, which has large tracts of land in Ka`u, has a different view. The AP interviewed Sam Ohu Gon III, TNC’s senior scientist and cultural adviser in Hawai`i. The story says, “Deer could threaten Big Island plants that are important for the environment and Hawaiian culture. Among those are the uhiuhi tree, which has a hard wood ancient Hawaiians favored for making weapons and tools, and the ohelo berry, which is used to make jam and is sacred to Pele, the goddess of volcanoes.”
      Macavoy writes: “The threat to the Big Island’s native ecosystems is particularly serious as half the island still has native vegetation — a high ratio compared with other Hawaiian islands.”
       She quotes TNC’s Gon saying, “It cannot be a free-for-all of hunting everywhere you want and the hell with everything else. Because what would that result in? That just spirals us down into less and less of what makes Hawai`i unique.”

Hawaiian Airlines predicts increased tourism this summer.

INCREASED TOURISM this summer is predicted by Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaiian is upping the number of Neighbor Island flights from 179 to 184 per day. Total seating available across the airline’s schedule will increase by 28 percent over last summer’s scheduling. 

      Direct flights on Hawaiian from New York begin June 4. United Airlines launches direct flights from Washington, D.C. to Hawai`i on June 8.

KUMU LEILEHUA YUEN and Manu Josiah present a narrated demonstration of the preparation, protocol and offering of traditional hula and chant at the hula platform in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Hands-on cultural demonstrations take place at Volcano Art Center Gallery from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Donations are welcome, and park entrance fees apply.

FREE SQUARE DANCING lessons are given tomorrow and every Saturday at 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Open to all ages. Call Lucy at 895-4212 for more information.

Jerry Chang

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP will host a Memorial Day ceremony and buffet on Monday. The ceremony will honor all Congressional Gold Medal recipients of Hawai`i, including Iwao Yonemitsu and Toku Nakano from Ka`u. It begins at 3 p.m. on KMC’s front lawn. Keynote speaker is state Rep. Jerry Chang. Guest speaker is Major Darin Cox, executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 299th Calvary. The Memorial Day Buffet is 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Crater Rim Café - $14.25 for adults and $8 for children. 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.